I need advice on spray foam

[Phil H / Chicago]

Hey everyone,

While I wait for my dream bus shell to come down in cost I have decided to convert a sprinter cargo van into a small motorhome. Then when all is done I will end up with a small and large vehicle to travel in. And with fuel cost.....

I would like to hear what others have done about foaming the interior of your bus. What to use, where to get it, do it self or have it done??? If have it done, who to call?

I would think that if it can be done in a bus shell, surely so in a cargo van too??

Any help would be appreciated.
Phil

[jjrbus]

DIY is always fun, but you do not save any money, it is an awful mess the hot spray is better Other than that DIY is ok.
I had my bus sprayed at a roofing co. Also placces that repair refrigerated trailers also do spray foam.  Look in the phone book under insulation.

[TomC]

This is one job I would ALWAYS have done by an outside contractor.  I used the two part spray-it is heated and comes out of the spray gun like brown oil then quickly turns white and expands.  I had 2.25" of foam sprayed in.  I got that by screwing 1x2 fir strips to the metal uprights then having the foam ground to that level.  Will do it again.  It is so smelly when spraying, the two men had helmets on with hoses coming out of the helmets to Kirby vacuum cleaners that were pushing in fresh air from outside.  They started at 9pm (to work when coolest) and the foam was ground to level and cleaned up by 8am.  It cost about $1,600.00 (but that was in 1994).  There are other foams now made that are not so smelly, but don't know their overall life expectancy.  Good Luck, TomC

[Chaz]

I bought 1/2", 3/4" and 1" foil backed foam board, cut and fit the different thicknesses to get max thickness and used spray can foam in any places I needed to fill in. Good tight fit, good insulation value, much more reasonable cost and ALLOT less mess and possible problems associated with fumes.
Let me/us know how it goes as a buddy of mine is thinking about converting a Sprinter also. He says they get around 20 mpg. (wouldn't THAT be nice!!!)

  Chaz

[fe2_o3]

Hello;  The best advice I can give you on spray foam is don't eat it...Cable

[boogiethecat]

On the other hand, contrary to previous comments, I bought a couple foam kits from McMaster-Carr, did my whole bus myself and totally enjoyed doing it.
It's something like spraying paint except it's more like a 2' wide spray that goes about as fast as you can walk.
When you're done it needs to be shaped and ground... there's all sorts of ways to do that but my final and favorite way was to make a wickedly dangerous tool
out of a 7" grinder blade, and it cut like a hot knife thru butter.  Definitely made a ME$$ but a shopvac and an hour fixed that just fine.
A photo is attached:

A few tips-
Good, GOOD ventilation is manditory. The stuff STINKS and will give you a major headache
Do wear safety glasses but don't wear glasses you love (the foam sticks to the lenses and never comes off)
Mask ANYTHING you don't want ruined. THe stuff is like glue, sticks to everything.

http://www.mcmaster.com/   search "spray foam" or go to page 3412 of their online catalog