Wall spray foam insulation in Cardston is the most disruptive and the most often misunderstood part of working on this housing stock. With about 70% of local homes built before 1991, the walls in question are shallow, built of materials nobody frames with now, and in many cases carry no insulation at all behind the finish.
What is inside an old wall here
Opened up, a wall on an older house in this town typically shows studs of a shallow depth at irregular spacing, horizontal board sheathing with gaps between the boards, no building paper or a degraded layer of it, and the cladding fixed straight to the boards. Inside is lath and plaster. In between there is often nothing, or a settled layer of whatever was pushed in during a previous attempt. There is no vapour control and no air barrier. The wall keeps rain out and that is all it was designed to do.
Three ways in, and the honest comparison
A wall can be insulated from the inside by removing the finish, from the outside by taking the cladding off, or without opening it by drilling and filling. Removing the plaster gives full access and a properly detailed assembly, and it is messy and expensive. Taking the cladding off is the best technical outcome because it lets the sheathing and the drainage plane be corrected at the same time, and it only makes sense when the cladding is being replaced anyway. Drilling and filling is the least invasive, and with foam it carries a genuine risk on this stock, because the expansion is happening inside a cavity nobody can see, behind brittle plaster, with no reliable way to confirm the fill is complete. We will say which of the three your wall can take, and we will say when the answer is none of them.
The cladding replacement is the moment
The single best time to insulate these walls is when the siding is coming off for other reasons. With the sheathing exposed, the gaps between the boards can be sealed, a proper drainage plane and continuous layer can be established on the outside of the structure, and the thermal bridging through the shallow studs can be addressed rather than worked around. That opportunity comes once a generation on a house like this, and it is worth coordinating the insulation work to it even if that means waiting a year.
Why walls are not the first job
On a house with this envelope, air leaves at the top and enters at the bottom, so the attic junctions and the rim joist and sill give a larger result for far less disruption. Walls are the largest surface area in the house, which makes them look like the priority, but a wall cavity that is sealed top and bottom leaks far less than the plate lines above it. Do the ends of the loop first, then the walls when the house is open for another reason. That order is specific to old stock and it is the opposite of what the surface area suggests.
Moisture, and the thing to be careful about
A wall with no drainage plane behind the cladding can get wet from the outside. Filling such a cavity completely with a closed cell layer changes how that wall dries, and if water is getting in it has to be able to leave. This is not a reason never to insulate an old wall; it is a reason to look at the exterior and the flashing details first, and to choose the assembly accordingly. A contractor who will fill any cavity without looking outside is not thinking about the building.
The crew on your job
For wall spray foam insulation Cardston, we quote and manage the whole job and our own installers do the work. The free quote comes from the people who will be on site.
Wall Spray Foam Insulation Cardston: Common Questions
Can our walls be filled without taking the plaster off? Sometimes, and on brittle plaster with an unknown cavity it carries real risk. We will tell you honestly whether your wall is a candidate.
Is it better from the outside? Technically yes, because the sheathing and drainage plane can be fixed at the same time. It only makes economic sense when the cladding is being replaced anyway.
Should walls be our first project? Usually not. The attic junctions and the rim joist give more result for far less disruption, and walls are best done when the house is open for other work.
How much does wall spray foam insulation cost in Cardston? Priced per board foot over the sprayed area, so the number follows wall area and depth. Which of the three access methods your house allows is what really sets the figure.
How do I choose a wall spray foam contractor in Cardston? Ask them to look at the outside of the house before quoting the inside of the walls. On this stock the exterior details decide whether the assembly will be safe.
Size the assembly with the R-value calculator, then get a free Cardston quote. More on Wall Spray Foam Insulation Alberta province-wide.