Chose spray foam over batts for my garage ceiling and now I'm questioning everything

I was pricing out insulation for my detached garage last month and went back and forth between standard fiberglass batts and closed cell spray foam. Ended up paying a crew $1,800 to spray the whole ceiling, and while it seals great, the smell took three days to clear out and now I'm worried about ventilation. Did anyone else take the spray foam route and regret it or am I overthinking this?

2 comments

2 Comments

gavinlopez14d ago

Yell yeah, @derek994 is spot on about that smell. It took almost four days for mine to clear out and my wife was ready to move out. I went spray foam on my whole detached garage ceiling last year and honestly, no regrets now. The seal is incredible, no drafts at all, but the moisture thing is real. I had to cut a little vent in the peak too because I started getting some condensation on the metal roof panels. It's a solid choice but you gotta stay on top of the airflow, not just trust the foam.

derek99414d ago

the smell took three days to clear out" yeah that part sucks, I know a guy who did spray foam in his attic and his wife wouldn't go up there for like a week because it smelled like old paint and chemicals. He said it ended up being fine though, once the off-gassing stopped it was just really tight and quiet. But he also mentioned he had to add a ridge vent later because he was worried about moisture building up. He said it was a pain to cut through the foam for the vent but now it's fine. I'd just keep an eye on it after some heavy rain or snow melt, see if you get any condensation up there.