When I first heard about Icynene foam in
1988, I was intrigued. It sounded like a good
product — an insulation with the advantages
of spray-in-place foams but without the environmental
side effects. I was planning a 480-
square-foot addition to my home at the time
and began to look at Icynene as an insulation
option. But, as with any new building product,
I approached Icynene with a healthy
degree of skepticism.
I spent months weighing the advantages
and disadvantages before I was ready to try it.
I wanted to know what was in it, what kind of
fumes it outgassed, what it did when exposed
to flame. I compared Icynene to fiberglass,
high-density fiberglass,