Open-cell foam insulation in Burnsville MN - walls that stop leaking air
Drafty rooms and a power bill that keeps climbing? We fill open, dry walls with foam that stops the air and slows the heat.
Is open-cell spray foam the right insulation for my house?
Open-cell foam insulation is a soft spray foam we install in open wall cavities and other dry, above-ground spaces in Burnsville homes. Once it's sprayed thick enough, it stops air as well as slowing heat, which fiberglass and cellulose don't do.
Most people who call Thermal Burnsville Insulation Company about foam have a drafty room, cold floors over the garage or a power bill that won't come down, and often the walls are already open for a remodel, which is when foam makes the most sense in our wall insulation work. Your price moves with how many walls and spaces we're filling, how deep the foam goes and whether something like a leak has to be fixed first. The schedule turns on when your walls are open and when your family can be out of the house while the foam cures. I'll give you your own price after I've seen the space.
How we install open-cell foam insulation
Foam costs more than fiberglass or cellulose, and what you're paying for is that it seals air while it insulates, so I put it where walls leak and are open anyway, not where loose fill would do the job. We use open-cell above ground, in open walls and spaces that stay dry, and steer basement concrete toward closed-cell foam. Before we set a date, I ask whether anyone at home has asthma, allergies or a skin condition, because people with those are advised to read the product information carefully before choosing spray foam, and then we plan your time out of the house together. On spray day our crew covers floors and windows, fills each cavity to the depth we planned, trims the extra flush with the studs so the drywall sits flat and cleans up before you come home.
If you run a small shop or office building, we bring the same approach to open walls there through our commercial insulation work. And since open-cell stays above ground, a damp crawl space is its own job, so it usually gets a crawl space vapor barrier before anything else goes in over it.
Open-cell foam insulation in Burnsville: what to settle before booking
The City of Burnsville issues residential permits for mechanical, plumbing and electrical work, changes to existing structure, additions and windows, and insulation isn't named on that list, so whether your foam job needs a permit isn't settled until someone asks. We check with the city before work starts, take care of the permit when a job calls for one, and set up and meet the inspector if an inspection is part of it. State law also says anyone providing building construction or improvement services has to register with the state before doing the work, with some exceptions, so it's fair to ask anyone you're comparing whether they're registered.
If nobody has looked at your house yet, the city's home improvement page points to Home Energy Squad visits, which include an insulation inspection, help with next steps and some energy-saving materials installed on the spot. We're based in Burnsville and work in many of the cities around it, and we see the same remodels and drafty rooms over garages on jobs in Apple Valley and Eagan.
How an open-cell foam job goes
Call or send a message
Call (952) 234-9016 or use the form, and tell us which rooms are drafty and whether the walls are open. We'll set a time for me to come out.
I look at the space
I check the walls and spaces for leaks, damp or anything else that has to be handled first. You get an estimate with the price for your job and anything I'd fix, or send to another trade, before foam goes in.
Our crew sprays the foam
Our install crew does the work the way we planned it while your family is out of the house for the time we set together. Temperature and humidity affect how foam cures, so we pick the spray day with the foam maker's instructions in mind.
I walk the finished job
Before we leave, I walk the job with you so you can see every wall we filled. If something doesn't look right to you, that's the time to say so.
Get a price for open-cell foam in your walls
We reply within 1 business day to set up a visit. I come out, look at the space and leave you a free on-site estimate, and there's no pressure to book.
Questions before you book open-cell foam
How much does spray foam insulation cost in the Minneapolis area?
Installing spray foam insulation in the Minneapolis area usually costs about $2,800 to $11,000 per job. That range covers spray foam in general, not open-cell alone, and where yours lands depends on how many walls and spaces we're filling and what has to be fixed first.
How long after spray foam insulation can we go back in the house?
Plan on being out of the house for at least 24 hours. The safe re-entry time, the point when you can come back, varies with the product, the house and whether children or older people live there, so we set your return with you before we spray.
Can open-cell spray foam go on my basement walls in Burnsville?
Not on concrete below ground. Closed-cell foam resists water and is the only spray foam meant for places where water contact is likely, so below-grade concrete or any spot touching the ground gets closed-cell instead, while framed walls above ground can still take open-cell.
What is the best way to insulate walls that are already closed up?
If the drywall is staying up, dense-pack cellulose, which is cellulose blown tight into the wall through small drilled holes, is usually the better route, because spray foam only goes into open cavities. Minnesota's state guide calls cellulose often the most cost-effective way to insulate sidewalls that have no insulation, so I'll price that alongside opening the walls.
Does open-cell spray foam need a vapor barrier?
It may. Open-cell foam lets moisture pass through the same way fiberglass and cellulose do, and the spray foam trade group says it may need a vapor retarder, a layer that slows moisture, in colder climates. Ask whether your project adds one, and we'll go over it at the estimate.
Does my insulation contractor need a Minnesota license?
Usually, yes. The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry requires a license for residential contractors and remodelers who offer a homeowner more than one special skill, on top of the state registration rule covered above, so ask anyone bidding your foam job what they hold before you sign.
Why Burnsville homeowners call Thermal Burnsville Insulation Company for open-cell foam
The owner prices every job
I come out to every job myself and put the estimate together after seeing your walls in person. The person deciding what goes in your house is the one who actually looked at it.
Leaks get fixed before foam
If I find a roof leak or a damp wall, I'll tell you to fix it or call another trade first, because foam over a wet spot just hides the problem. I'd rather lose the job than sell you insulation that won't help.
Started in Burnsville in 2021
I learned this work next to my dad in attics and crawl spaces, and I started this business in Burnsville in 2021. Five years in, we're best known for doing the sealing and insulating in the right order.
Licensed and fully insured installers
We're licensed and fully insured. Minnesota's own insulation guide says only experienced contractors should install spray foam because the equipment and process are complex, so that's who you want in your walls.
When you're ready, call (952) 234-9016 or send us a message, and I'll come take a look.
Other work that often goes with open-cell foam
Commercial insulation
If you manage a small shop or office, we can look at its walls and ceilings the same way we look at a house.
Crawl space vapor barrier
A damp crawl space keeps moisture under the house, and a ground cover is often the first fix before any insulation goes above it.
Call before the drywall goes back up
Foam only goes into open walls, so if you're mid-remodel, call (952) 234-9016 and tell us which rooms need it and whether anyone at home has asthma or allergies.
