Insulation Question.....again

[sunny16]

Ok, so I went to the local Home Depot to look at foam insulation panels. They had two different kinds. The pink kind and a whitw styrofoam. I have also seen the blue kind in Lowes. My question is, which is the best? I tried to look back in the forum to see what the answer is but couldn't see it. I would like to use 1/2" cause it will work better for my design and windows but the 3/4" thick can work, too. So, what is the best way to go? I want to make the walls with 1/2" Baltic birch, 1/2" BB strips witht he insulation to fit and a 1/8" BB inside panel. This will keep the walls light and thin and the BB strips will be straight and clean. What do you think

[Ira]

HD's 3/4" (Polymax brand?) rigid foam insulation.

One side is white paper with the brand name, the other side is silver foil.

You don't want the stuff that just looks like Styrofoam.

[sunny16]

That's the big question! They have the pink stuff and the white styrofoam. WHich is better! Or does it matter? Here is a drawing of what I want to do.



I have found that I can put "standard" aluminum angles found at Home Depot or Lowes and it will fit just about pefect. I can't find anything local that even gets close. Just a lot of drilling and screwing together. Sorry, the drawing didn't come out better. It looks good in AutoCAD!

[Will Smith]

R values are similar. I used the white kind because it was more flexible and would conform to the curve of tear.

[jmtk]

Hi Sunny,

We've just been discussing foam strength in this thread
http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=7548
Apparently the pink and blue stuff is better than the white bead stuff. If you find 3/4" locally in pink or blue, please let me know where. I haven't checked HD or Lowe's yet, but the other thread made it sound like that thickness is hard to find at the big boxes.

Jeanette

That was some snowstorm we had this morning, wasn't it! I was just walking in the door at work when it started to really dump, so thankfully I missed driving in it.

[GregB]

Sunny and Jeanette,

Pink (Foamular 250) and blue (150 I think, it is less dense) foam board insulation is available at the HD at 21st. South, Pink is 3/4" $13.68, 1/2" $11.65. We should get a bulk discount at Macbeaths for BB. BTW, Macbeaths also carry 4x8 sheets of Aquatek Marine grade plywood in 1/4" for $28.13.

GB

Yup, storm was a pain driving up from Lehi!

[sunny16]

Hello all you Utahns! Great to find more of us here. We should have a utah teardrop gathering! (When we get them built!) Yes, Home Depot has the white and pink stuff. Lowes had the white. That's out in West Jordan area. I have seenthe blue stuff but can't remember where. So look around. I found out that the 1/2" stuff will work great for what I need. SO.....that's what I will probably get. Pink or white. I think the white stuff is cheeper and the r-values are pretty much the same.

And yes, it did snow for a while there. But it's almost gone again out here. Maybe I can get something built this weekend.

[Mitheral]

If you find 3/4" locally in pink or blue, please let me know where. I haven't checked HD or Lowe's yet, but the other thread made it sound like that thickness is hard to find at the big boxes.

Model RRers use this stuff for bases for terrain. From what I've seen on RR forums whether the local borg carries extruded or not has a lot to do with how much below zero your climate experiences and for how long every year. Here in Canada it's a year round item in thicknesses from 3/4" to 2"s. You can usually get it ordered in though.

[cracker39]

I posted a question in a new thread about the blue R-Matte Plus 3 I got at HD. I believe it's the same as Ira used, white hi-density foam core, foil on one side, vinyl paper on the other. When placed in wall spaces, it actually sticks out past the 3/4" framing and I am not sure it won't cause me problems putting in my paneling. But, I guess the construction adhesive will fill the little gap that's left between the paneling and the framing. On the back of the product, it has R-value ratings for 1/2" 5/8" and 3/4", but I've only seen it in the 3/4" thickness.

The R-Matte Pluw 3 (the foil-backed) has a higher R-value than the plain white. 5 vs. 3 for 3/4".