Have a home renovation project on your to-do list? There’s a lot to consider when bringing an older home into the 21st century. Cracks are inevitable, but the right materials can help you get an airtight seal along tricky areas like wall and roof connections and around window and door units. Learn some tips on how you can use polyurethane foam with your home renovations.
Every house deserves a Second Chance, but bringing an existing structure to modern standards requires the right tools and materials. Out on the field, Jon Beer Contracting knows that part of the work of a renovation or retrofit project involves properly sealing a home to protect against air penetration.
The Jon Beer team understands that the lifespan and efficiency of any project depend on the precautions implemented during foundation or early retrofitting. Accounting for air penetration keeps a structure airtight, thereby improving R-value and preventing all the unwanted intrusion and damage that comes with unsealed cracks and cavities.
Sealing cracks before insulation protects your house or structure from seasonal movement, moisture, and damage. Polyurethane adhesive and insulating foam sealants offer an easy-to-install solution to many of these foundational issues.
In their retrofit project in Cornwall, New York, the Jon Beer team works to bring a home into the 21st century with much-needed repairs and do-overs.
As part of the retrofit, the team identifies three primary areas of focus when it comes to properly sealing a home during the building or renovation process: wall and roof sheathing connections, top and bottom plate connections, and openings around windows and doors.
Renovations and retrofits like this will often entail the improvement or redoing of insulation and seals, especially when new windows and doors are put in Homes built before the 1970s, for example, were not built to be airtight. Prior to this, sealing materials ranged anywhere from putty (made from powdered chalk or linseed oil) to early versions of caulk, and even beeswax. So, older homes will often have outdated materials that no longer function and are not the most effective for keeping air out.
Jon Beer Contracting prioritizes craftsmanship and attention to detail when working to bring a home from decades past into the present. And for any avid renovator, sealing these nooks and crannies of the home is step one to a successful renovation and remodel.
Polyurethane adhesives and insulating foam are some of the most versatile products on the market for sealing cracks and cavities and improving insulation in older and even newer homes.
The material is closed-cell foam, which refers to its chemical makeup. A closed-cell material lends itself to creating effective seals because the material is composed of millions of individual self-enclosed bubbles that form a multi-level barrier. Consider it like an army of tiny bubbles in tight formation, creating an impenetrable frontline.
Properties of polyurethane that make it ideal for home renovations and projects:
- Excellent insulator
- Lightweight
- Versatile
- Long-lasting
- Anti-microbial (does not form mold or mildew)
During their renovation project, Beer’s team identified three main areas to focus on: "One primary focus area for us to air seal with the Loctite foam was the wall plate and wall sheathing connections."
These areas are prone to seasonal changes and movement. Using polyurethane foam sealants is one way to improve your energy efficiency, enhance insulation properties, and create long-lasting seals. The Loctite Tite Foam Big Gaps is a good choice for these problem areas because they are likely to have larger and wider cracks.
Why is polyurethane a good choice for sealing off walls that connect with the roof?
- Offers flexibility: The meeting point between the wall and the roof is an area that is especially sensitive to seasonal changes and shifts. This area of a building takes a lot of damage. Sealants such as the Loctite Tite Big Gaps can successfully close off bigger crevices and gaps.
- Covers big gaps: Mechanical penetrations, where important electrical cables and other wiring feed through, big gaps can form weak spots in the home’s airtight seal. This polyurethane foam can seal gaps that are bigger than 3 inches.
- UV resistance: For materials exposed to the sun’s rays, UV resistance offers protection from degradation and loss of strength.
Without airtight seals, seasonal changes can wreak havoc on a structure and create opportunities for air infiltration. Loctite’s polyurethane foam products are specially designed to create airtight seals in the cracks and spaces that form where two wall plates come together.
For these problem areas, Loctite Tite Foam Gaps and Cracks is especially effective. The benefits of using an insulated foam sealant along sheathing connections include:
- Flexibility: Can handle seasonal movement without compromising the seal.
- High-density foam: Offers insulation and durability.
- Superior adhesion: Bonds to many different building materials including wood, PVC, and more.
- Expands: The foam expands to fill cracks up to one inch wide.
The Jon Beer Contracting team then turns their attention to the gaps along windows and doors. These areas present challenges to any retrofitter or DIYer. In older homes, materials are likely outdated and have sustained damage, allowing drafts, moisture, and even pests to sneak in. Building codes and practices have evolved since the days of no insulation.
Today, builders are focused on creating airtight seals in these areas that will not only provide a formidable opponent to moisture but also protect against other uninvited pests.
In some cases, using polyurethane foam to seal cracks can solve the problem of escaping air, especially in older single-pane windows. The Loctite Windows and Doors foamed sealant is the unique formulation meant for these specific spaces.
The Loctite Tite Foam Windows and Doors stands out because it is:
- Low-expansion foam: The foam expands enough to fill the crack, but not too much that it damages the window or door unit.
- Strong adhesion: The foam will bond to a wide range of materials including concrete, brick, PVC, stone, and metal.
- High-density: The uniform cell structure of the material means that it creates impenetrable seals that are long-lasting and durable.
- UV resistance: Most window and door units will be exposed to high UV rays. This sealant offers protection that ensures a long-lasting and durable seal.
Upon finishing the project, head builder Jon Beer discusses the reason why they chose Loctite for their retrofit projects. "One thing we also like is that all those qualities [listed above] help us air seal part of the existing structure and let us achieve our indoor air quality goals and general tightness goals and bring an old house into the 21st century. It gives an existing structure a second chance."
A successful renovation project is all about paying attention to details, such as sealing areas prone to air penetration. Loctite Tite Foam comes in several formulations, each engineered especially for specific tasks.