Spray Foam Insulation in Brainerd, MN

Spray Foam Insulation in Brainerd is judged against a harsh weather record. The city's 1991-2020 climate table shows a January daily low averaging -2.0F and an all-time record of -54F, which puts real strain on any gap in a house's shell. Brainerd straddles the Mississippi a few miles above the Crow Wing River, and unlike many lake towns to the north, most of its houses are lived in all winter: only 6.0% of the 6,473 housing units counted in 2020 were vacant.

Houses from every railroad decade

Brainerd was founded in 1870 as a Northern Pacific crossing and grew steadily until its population peaked at 12,898 in 1960. That history means a single street can hold a pre-war two-story, a 1950s story-and-a-half and a newer infill house. Each one leaks heat in a different spot. Older homes often have open framing cavities into the attic, while mid-century capes tend to lose heat through the knee walls and the short attic floors behind them.

What we look at first

On a visit we head to the attic and the basement, because that is where the biggest air paths usually are. Warm air rises out through plumbing stacks, chimney chases, light boxes and the top plates of interior walls. Cold air gets pulled in low, along the rim joist where the house sits on its foundation. Sealing both ends is what stops the draft, and closed-cell spray foam is the material we tend to use on the rim because it insulates and blocks air in one layer.

Matching material to the space

The U.S. Department of Energy's insulation guide calls for R-60 in an attic with no insulation in this part of the country, or an added R-49 where 3 to 4 inches already sit on the attic floor. On a wide-open attic floor, that depth is usually most practical with blown-in cellulose or fiberglass laid over a foam-sealed ceiling. Spray foam earns its place in the tight spots: rim joists, kneewalls, cantilevers and bonus rooms over garages.

Timing the work

The National Weather Service's Duluth office lists Brainerd's mean last spring freeze as May 11 and first fall freeze as September 25. Foam can be installed through winter in conditioned spaces, but attics and unheated rooms are easier to work in outside the deep cold, so fall booking fills up early.

Tell us what feels drafty or cold, and we will put the plan and the price in writing. Get a free estimate or call (218) 513-2413.