There are Do-It-Yourself kits available for spray foam insulation. Three of the major companies that I have had personal experience with are Foam It Green, Tiger Foam and FomoFom.

There are the same number of DIY options as most spray foam contractors will offer including open-cell, closed-cell and even injection foams (which can be used for existing wall cavities without tearing down walls.)

The same rules apply to DIYers as they do to contractors including ignition barriers and such. Most DIY spray foam companies to a good job of informing their customers about the rules and regulations and some even offer tips, tricks and what to watch out for…BUT THEY DON’T TELL YOU EVERYTHING!!!

Spraying foam with a DIY kit is just like being a new guy on a spray foam contracting crew. The BIG difference is that there is no one that knows what they are doing to look over your shoulder and correct your mistakes.

#1 – PREPARATION IS KING – You can never over-prepare a space when applying spray foam. This stuff gets everywhere and on everything. You may think that your antique grandfather clock is safe because it is 30 feet away on the other side of the room. IT IS NOT SAFE! When spraying foam, tiny particles of overspray fill the air and drift around landing on any/every surface in the room and even adjacent rooms if they are not blocked of with plastic. The tiny specks of overspray are just like paint overspray except for the fact that they DO NOT COME OFF.

I was working on a new construction project once and these take the least amount of preparation. The job took 8 days to complete and 2 of those days were spent scraping and scrubbing the window sills which we failed to cover properly. It was a nightmare and the customer ended up getting a discount because his brand new pre-finished windows were never going to be perfect again. Those tiny specks of overspray landed so subtly on each and every window sill in the entire house.

#2 – The TANK – Or should I say the tanks…first of all they are HEAVY. Each one weighs about 60 Lbs. Instead of saying they are Do-It-Yourself kits they should be Do-It-With someone else kits.

WARNING: If you are using a DIY kit in an attic that does not have a finished floor don’t do this by yourself. All the moving and shuffling around involved, changing the spray heads, changing gloves and getting BOTH tanks from point A to B is not suited for one person and you could easily end up falling or dropping a tank through the ceiling below. Trust me it has happened.

Another problem with the tanks is that once they are “empty” no one wants them and the company will not take them back in my experience.

Last but not least, after using half of the materials and putting them away for a later date you may find that they do not work very well next time. Not sure exactly why but assuming it has to do with the foam materials sitting in those long tubes for weeks or months.

#3 – Cover your ASS – Forgive my vulgarity but I wanted to grab your attention. Cover every square inch of your body if possible. Painter’s coveralls, head socks, goggles and nitrile gloves should be worn at all times, even if you are not spraying but will be in the room. I cannot stress HEAD SOCKS enough because the first time I ever sprayed foam I had to shave my head, not kidding.

#4 – Breathe Man, Breathe! – Most spray foam companies use full face air-supplied respirators but most people do not have access to one. You can get away with using a painter’s respirator in most cases and if you are spraying in a very open area, like outdoors, a dust mask is sufficient.

Confined spaces, such as attics and crawlspaces do not over much in the way of natural ventilation. If you are sealing up your attic with spray foam you must realize that you are virtually eliminating an escape route for the overspray particles. The gases created by the exothermic reaction of the mixture of parts A and B of the foam will quickly fill a confined space that is being sealed. This can be a noxious situation, even when you are wearing a respirator. You can rent an exhaust fan and a 20 foot extender for about $30/day, it is worth it.

#5 – I can’t see a damn thing! – Protect your eyes. This is probably the toughest thing to deal with when spraying foam. SPF contractors use tear offs over their repirators so when they covered in foam they just tear it off and put a new one on. If you are using goggles and spraying for a considerable amount of time or over your head at all, be warned, unless you cover your goggles with something (I use Saran Wrap) you will be going out to buy new ones halfway through the day.

Another thing to keep in mind is that when wearing safety glasses or vented goggles, the mist that builds up in the room from the foam reaction (well it is actually from the Isocyanate) can irritate your eyes quite a bit and cause Corneal Edema. Corneal edema is an irritation of the cornea that will cause blurriness of vision and you will see rings and a glowing effect around lights. It is usually not permanent and goes away within 3 days. I had this for 8 days once and it was not fun at all. I felt like I was risking my life when I drove at night because the headlights from the oncoming cars was just huge rings of different colors. Crazy!