DIY Insulating with spray foam kit

Hi. I have a thread going in the truck camper section but saw this recent post on a search and thought I would ask here. We are building a flatbed truck camper and were thinking of using the 2" sheets of foam, cut to size. Over the weekend, as we were installing the aluminum siding, I starting to think about spray foam.

It sounds like getting someone to do it is the way to go. Do you have any recommendation where to look and what to ask for? Most of the spray foam installers in this area seem to be doing houses...is it the same material that would be used in an RV? Do they scrape the walls flush such that we can install interior luan over the foam?

Foam is a great way to seal, insulate, and strengthen the walls, ceiling, and floor. I hand cut extruded polystyrene for my rig and it was a long process. Since none of the cavities were plumb, I'm guessing Starcraft (and probably other mfg.'s) thought getting everything square and plumb wasn't a necessity. If I had it to do over, I'd hire a spray professional.

I've definitely going to hire a professional to spray foam. Thanks for taking the time to comment. You probably saved me a big mistake.

As far as the paint, I think this would be a good additional measure; but right now I'm most concerned with the insulation and sound proofing value of filling the walls.

ryhed wrote:
I just learned about this stuff today!

Not in the same league as a couple inches of foam. The microspheres are a radiant barrier, not a convective or conductive insulator although they should afford minimal conductive insulation value.

spike99 wrote:
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IMO, stay away from the diluted DIY Spray foam kits. Hire a contractor and ask them to use Closed Cell 2 lbs (aka: Medium density) Professional grade stuff. The DIY kits is water compared to the professional grade formula.

Note: Spray foam now comes in fire resistant version. Great for inside TT walls and roof cavity area.

If wondering, I got professional grade Spray Foam under my TT. Before and after is like comparing night and day. IMO, all RVs should be use Spray Foam (instead of water sucking / water holding fibreglass bat) insulation. Contractor Grade Spray Foam is amazing stuff.

Spot On. 2# densisty is very strong and durable stuff. Stuff in a can is 1/2# or less and NOTHING like the 2#. The stuff in a can can be grabbed with your bare hand and chipped/pulled apart. The 2# density is mega tough and not easy to tear by hand at all. Expansion is crazy - a thin 1/4" sprayed can jump out to 3-4" relatively quickly.

A camper lined top/bottom and walls with that stuff would be incredibly well insulated.

Cost me about $1.30 sq ft to have the spray foam in my metal shop. About 4 inches thick. Great stuff.

I have NO exp with it myself but have a great friend who has had the PROF version installed in a renovation he was doing.and then he took on another sec of the house and has done the DIY kit in a bathroom he was renovating-(kids moving out) they both look great but he was saying that it took time to figure out how much/little to spray in an area to get the desired results,remember it expaNDS BIG TIME.
Not to mention it was expensive IMO vs other methods I am not sure what he paid the professionals but the job was much larger.
Professionals know how much to spray in any size cavity to achieve the desired result just keep that in mind.

Good Luck

Hi,

I was reading about a dome home. It was inflated, then steel put into place, with spray foam installed to the steel framework. After it cures for 24 hours, they can shut off the fans that had been holding the waterproof membrane in place.

What peaked my interest was that the foam spray person required supplied air respirator to install the foam. The air inside the dome became so toxic a conventional respirator would not work right.

So the stuff they sell on the hardware store shelf is not what the pro's can apply. It has to be made much less toxic, and therefore is not the same stuff.

Fred.

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IMO, stay away from the diluted DIY Spray foam kits. Hire a contractor and ask them to use Closed Cell 2 lbs (aka: Medium density) Professional grade stuff. The DIY kits is water compared to the professional grade formula.

Note: Spray foam now comes in fire resistant version. Great for inside TT walls and roof cavity area.

If wondering, I got professional grade Spray Foam under my TT. Before and after is like comparing night and day. IMO, all RVs should be use Spray Foam (instead of water sucking / water holding fibreglass bat) insulation. Contractor Grade Spray Foam is amazing stuff.