Insulation advice

Getting tons of different opinions as to foam versus traditional insulation. 100 year old brick and some say foam will seep in and damage it. Any advice or real life stories appreciated.

firsthouse

in Insulation 9 years and 3 months ago

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arch111 | 9 years and 3 months ago

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Most of our clients are using spray foam. The only question is closed cell or open cell. YES I have heard that brick can absorb foam, I don’t know if this is harmful to the brick, BUT if you **install a 6 mill plastic sheet** against the brick it won’t be an issue. Then use the spray foam of your choice, probably closed cell since it has a higher R value and does not absorb moisture which prevents other problems(it costs way more than open cell) http://nyc-dob.com

sqhaexgkh | 9 years and 3 months ago

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We were faced with this decision recently and opted for foam. One point our contractor made was that since the brick is porous after years there will be inevitable moisture issues with the traditional insulation. I’m no expert but made sense to me.

daveinbedstuy | 9 years and 3 months ago

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If your walls are open, foam them. Nothing beats that. To insulate the cockloft, if you have one, have cellulose blown in. Make sure to add roof vents. The most crucial insulation is around the windows. That is easily foamed as a DIY project by removing the casings inside.