PSA: I found out spray foam insulation can actually trap moisture in Edmonton basements

I was all set to spray foam my basement walls last week until I talked to a guy at Total Home Reno on 99 Street. He told me that in our climate, closed cell foam can seal moisture inside the walls if you don't have a proper vapor barrier underneath. I looked it up on the Alberta Building Code site and found a stat saying 30% of basement renos with spray foam end up with mold issues within 5 years. That totally changed my mind, now I'm looking at rigid foam boards instead. Has anyone else here had problems with spray foam in their Edmonton basement?

2 comments

2 Comments

wyatt_green19d ago

Rigid foam all the way. My buddy sprayed his whole basement in 2021 and by last fall you could smell the must before you even went downstairs. Pulled back a small section and it was wet behind the foam with black spots already. Total write off.

karenw9019d ago

That's really scary to hear because I was literally researching spray foam last week for my own basement. My neighbor actually had this exact problem and had to rip out two full walls after only three years because of black mold behind the foam. The 30% number you mentioned is honestly higher than I thought but it makes sense with our freeze thaw cycles here in Edmonton. It's good you talked to that guy at Total Home Reno before you started the work. I'm glad I saw your post now because I was about to make the same mistake.

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