Once I learned about polyurethane foam, my life was destined to intertwine with this magic, super-insulating building material. Very possibly, yours may become intertwined with it as well. (Continued…)

From a nontechnical, practical point of view, I will attempt to define and describe rigid urethane foam. First we must understand a little about plastics. Plastics fall into two major groups: 1) thermal plastics; 2) thermoset plastics. Each group is made using different processes. (Continued…)

Spray-in-place polyurethane foam is at least twice as insulating as the next best insulation. It also completely seals the structure. When sprayed in place, urethane foam expands thirty times, then sets in about three seconds and fills every nook and cranny. (Continued…)

Foam roofing is becoming more and more widely accepted. Coatings are the key; they are getting better. Consequently, earth-covered foam roofs have become extremely competitive. But the cost of the coating is not necessarily a reliable measure of its performance. (Continued…)

The R-value is a modern fairy tale that has been so touted to the American consumer that it now has a chiseled in-stone status. But the saddest part of this fairy tale is that the R-value by itself is almost a worthless number. (Continued…)

One of the major reasons I love Monolithic Domes is that they are as close to fireproof as a building can be. Yet they have urethane foam – the world’s best insulation as a major component. But there is more to this story. (Continued…)

In all our years of urethane application, we’ve been plagued with one problem that just doesn’t seem to go away. This problem is not unique to the urethane foam industry; it’s a general roofing problem: Blisters! (Continued…)

The process of making Isocyanate turns volatile raw chemicals into a stable chemical. Its stability allows us to use it everywhere. Probably the most pervasive use is in “foam rubber,” which today is not rubber but flexible urethane foam. (Continued…)

Urethane foam, a two-component system, is applied using specialized equipment. The two components mix and set within about three seconds. Therefore, it must be handled with extreme care. In order to make it catalyze properly, the foam is heated – increasing the complexity of equipment use. (Continued…)

Ideally, a start-up business should be well funded and initiated by experienced people. Unfortunately, the ideal seldom occurs. I have found that most foam applicators fall in love with equipment and lose sight of the mission. I started that way. It took a good dose of reality to wake me up. (Continued…)

Selling polyurethane foam to home buyers is both easy and hard. It is real easy when home buyers understand the benefits. But it is hard to compete with the home insulation propaganda that has been in place for so many years. (Continued…)

Otto Bayer succeeded in synthesizing polyurethane foam. Along the way he helped motivate and inspire other young scientists to continue researching and developing new products. (Continued…)