"I'd suggest considering rock wool as an alternative—less itchy than fiberglass and handles moisture better than denim."
Rock wool is decent, but honestly, when I redid my attic a few years back, I went with spray foam insulation. Yeah, it cost a pretty penny, but the difference was night and day. No itchiness, no mold worries, and it sealed up drafts I didn't even realize I had. Denim sounded appealing at first too, but after hearing about friends dealing with dampness issues... decided to pass. Just my two cents from personal experience.
Spray foam definitely has its perks, especially if you're aiming for a tight seal and zero drafts. I had a similar experience when we renovated our place—went with spray foam in the walls and ceilings, and it made a huge difference in comfort and even noise reduction. But I gotta say, rock wool still has its place, especially if budget is a factor. My brother-in-law used it in his basement remodel, and it worked out pretty well—no itchiness complaints from him, and it handled moisture nicely.
One thing I've wondered about spray foam though... did you notice any lingering chemical smell or off-gassing after installation? I've heard mixed things about that, and since we're thinking of redoing another property soon, I'm curious how noticeable it actually is in practice.
"One thing I've wondered about spray foam though... did you notice any lingering chemical smell or off-gassing after installation?"
We used closed-cell spray foam in a recent townhouse project, and yeah, there was definitely a noticeable chemical smell right after installation. It wasn't overwhelming, but it lingered for about a week or two before fading completely. Ventilation helped speed things up. Overall, the performance benefits outweighed the temporary inconvenience, but it's something to keep in mind if you're sensitive to odors or planning to move in immediately afterward.
We did spray foam in a renovation last year, and I noticed the smell too. It wasn't terrible, but definitely noticeable for about a week. We kept windows cracked open and ran fans, which seemed to help a lot. One thing I wondered though—did anyone else notice the smell being stronger in certain weather conditions? For us, it seemed more noticeable on warmer days, almost like the heat was activating something. Could've just been my imagination, but it made me curious if temperature or humidity affects how quickly the foam cures or off-gasses. Overall, I'd still choose spray foam again since the insulation improvement was huge, but it's good to be prepared for that initial odor.
We noticed something similar when we did spray foam in a couple of our renovation projects. The smell definitely seemed stronger on warmer, humid days—almost like the heat was kicking the off-gassing into high gear. I asked our insulation contractor about it, and he mentioned that higher temps and humidity can speed up the curing process, making the odor more noticeable. It wasn't unbearable, but we made sure to ventilate well for the first week or so. Still beats dealing with itchy fiberglass any day...
