Cellulose Vs. Foam House Insulation

Cellulose

• Cellulose as insulation comes in four types of applications for home use: blow-in, loose fill, spray-on and dense pack. It is made from recycled materials such as newspapers and wood fibers. Blow-in and loose fill cellulose can be used to insulate walls, ceilings and on floor surface areas. Spray-on cellulose is used for corners and hard-to-reach spaces and to insulate electrical work. Dense pack cellulose is also used for tight areas like in between joists. It is also appropriate and well-suited for insulating walls, ceilings and floors for sound insulation.

Foam Insulation

• Foam is used for targeted areas in homes, such as to fill cracks, crevices and corners. As a rule, it is not the sole insulation material used for residential insulation projects. There are several types of foam insulation, including expanded polystyrene (MEPS) and extruded expanded polystyrene (XEPS). Both types of foam insulation come in flexible panels. The other type of foam is the spray-on type, which is more frequently used in residences than MEPS and XEPS, and may be used for specialty projects to insulate walls that have expensive electrical work such as for a home media room.

Similarities

• The standard rating used to measure insulation efficiency is called the R-value, with a range of 0 to 8 with 8 being the highest rating. This value measures how much heat the insulation can resist, which is an important safety attribute and consideration when selecting insulation materials. Both cellulose and foam have higher R-value ratings than other types of residential insulation such as fiberglass, which only ranges from 2.2 to 2.6-R. As an economical alternative, blow-in cellulose is used for tight areas and dense pack cellulose is used for walls instead of foam.

Differences

• While both have high R-values, foam rates higher than cellulose. Foam R-value ratings range from 4 to 8, which is the highest range for any type of insulation. The R-value ratings range from 3.6 to 3.8 for cellulose, which is just shy of where the ratings for foam even begin. Cellulose can be applied as a DIY project, given adherence to proper safety handling and following manufacturer instructions. The opposite is true with foam, which should only be applied by a trained and licensed insulation installer. Borates (derivatives of Borax) are added to cellulose to repel insects and make it fire retardant since it is predominately composed of wood-based materials.