Spray foam stands out

By Emma Peterson. 

How one system delivers insulation, protection and long-term value. 

In a recent CoatingsCast™, Karen Edwards sat down with Will Lorenz from General Coatings. The conversation focused on the brand’s lineup of coating products, particularly their spray foam offerings.  

Will opened the episode with a quick explanation of what spray foam roofing is, sharing, “Spray foam’s origins go back to the late 60s, early 70s. It’s most popular in areas with hot and dry climates and for low-slope applications... A great example would be the office buildings, warehouses, cold storage, etc. in Las Vegas, Nevada. A lot of those have spray foam on them.” 

Why is spray foam so popular in these areas? Spray foam offers great insulative abilities. Will explained, “It excels when used on buildings that need strong insulation. By using spray foam, you get that insulation as well as waterproofing. It’s a cost-effective way to get continuous insulation, lower our cooling/heating costs and create a secure, performing roofing system.”  

And, in recent years, spray foam has gained popularity in regions all over the country for its versatility and sustainability. In terms of application, spray foam is incredibly versatile. As Will put it, “It can go over new construction or it can go over existing roofs, provided that there's only a single layer of existing roof on there. Really, it's a great universal solution to many roofs that if you had it for a while or it's older and you're looking to try and keep your contents dry and figure out how to maybe save some energy and money.” 

As for sustainability, not only does the heating and cooling properties of the coating help in saving energy, which increases the eco-friendliness of spray foam, it also keeps more waste out of landfills. Will gave an example of how it does this, sharing, “Let's say you put on a 20-year spray foam roof system. As you get closer to the end of that coating service life, you can go get on the roof, do some minor repairs and then you can re-coat it. Just like that, no tear off, you can get another 10, 20 years out of the roof. And then you can do that several times.” 

This is just the tip of the iceberg of everything spray foam has to offer. Listen to the podcast or Watch the recording to learn more!