I am rebuilding the ground floor walls in my Florida stilt house and this looks like the right material to finish the walls. I am planning to waterproof the wood with Red Guard or a similar material and I was planning to insulate it with closed cell polyurethane spray foam that does not absorb water. Any thoughts on this plan?
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Nice thread Cliff. I was flooded here in Fla also. Have removed 33" of drywall and am using Waterproofing sealant on the studs even though I can't get to the outside edge of studs. I've decided on pink foam for insulation. I'm using two - 1" thick pieces in each bay. The reason is that I can cut a "channel" for the electrical wiring easier with two pieces. One piece goes behind wire, the next piece has channel cut into it. I tape the pieces together at the top and use a long piece of tape going around the back and sides but in the front I just leave about 4" (folded over) so I will be able to grab and pull the insulation out after the next flood. Configuring my list of materials now for the EnduroFlood outer layer.
I’m still ripping out in Florida. But my neighbor across the street is using Styrofoam insulation. Those sheets are not very thick, but give a good rating and they are washable.
I am thinking we will do the same thing behind the Endura flood panels
Thank you for the feedback and links. Since I am completely rebuilding the walls, I have more latitude in how I approach this. I am planning to use pressure treated lumber and seal it inside and out. The concerns about the insulation getting water behind it are valid. One way i was considering overcoming this was to staple plastic sheeting in each bay before the foam was sprayed in. That way I could pull the insulation and sheeting out and let it dry. i was looking for closed cell foam insulation boards, but no luck so far. I will let you know what I come up with.
In our neck of the woods, if you ask ten people about insulation you will get ten different answers! From My viewpoint closed cell foam is great in one way that it doest absorb water. BUT you cant remove it and so the space behind the insulation will forever be unknown. It could be wet or moldy or both or none of it , who knows. Thats why I would personally not recommend it. But as I said others have other opinions and maybe they know better!
I'm also rebuilding in FL. I'm trying to figure out insulation. I've looked into closed cell poly spray foam. However, I'm not planning to waterproof the wood - partly because I cannot access all sides of the studs due to exterior siding and slab floor. From what I've read, you must remove closed cell poly spray foam after flooding because otherwise sheathing is prone to mold due to not drying quickly enough. I'd love to hear more of what you find and decide to do. So many questions! Not enough answers. Below are 3 articles I've found helpful. The first one mentions the problem with sheathing and closed cell foam insulation.
https://nchh.org/resource-library/fema_repairing-your-flooded-home.pdf
page 42-43