CAN YOU USE SPRAY FOAM IN NEW CONSTRUCTION?
While it is more often viewed as and used as a retrofit product, spray foam is a great product in new construction as well. Spray foam is often times the best option for new construction and was the product we used when we expanded our headquarters. There are several reasons that make spray foam a great fit for roofs in new construction projects.
You Need a Roof Deck No Matter What
Spray foam is a liquid applied roofing system, and therefore it has to be installed over top of something. Be that an aged roofing system, or a brand new roofing deck, it has to be applied to something. For this reason, many people think it can only be used in retrofit applications over top of an existing roof. However, spray can and often is, installed in new construction over a newly laid roof deck. If you’re installing a TPO roof, you have to install a roof deck first. Same goes with modified bitumen, PVC, etc. When you build a roof, you need a roof deck. So, if you’re installing a roof deck, why not use spray foam in the new construction?
Not All Systems Require a Roof Deck
An obvious exception is metal roofing. If you’re going with this option, you would only need rafters or beams to support the metal panels. Then when you install metal to these rafters, that’s your roof. For most other systems, though, if you need a new roof, you need a roof deck and can use spray foam.
Get All the Benefits from The Start
Spray foam offers benefits that no other system can. The highest R-value, the best wind-uplift protection, high reflectivity with its protective coating, and the opportunity to extend its life through recoats. Spray foam offers these benefits and more and no other system is as good on these fronts. So, don’t install a different system on your new construction project, and wait 10+ years to get all these benefits. Install spray foam right off the bat for maximum benefits coming from your roof.
Conclusion
Spray foam is predominantly viewed as a retrofit project, despite the fact that it can be and is used in new construction applications all the time. Spray foam works in conjunction with whatever roof deck you install, and provides benefits other roofs cannot. In addition, spray foam will save you money over the life of the material when compared to just about every other roofing system.
