Guy at the South Side Rona told me spray foam is always better than fiberglass batt insulation

I went to the Rona off Calgary Trail last weekend to grab some insulation for my basement reno. This older fella in the aisle, probably a contractor, started telling me I was wasting my money on fiberglass batts and that I should just go straight to spray foam for everything. He said it seals better, lasts longer, and has higher R-value per inch. I get where he's coming from, but I don't think it's that simple. For my dry basement with no moisture issues, the batts cost me about $150 for the whole job. Spray foam would have been $600 or more and I'd need to hire someone to do it right. Plus I've read that spray foam can trap moisture if the walls aren't perfectly sealed on the outside first. Has anyone else here had a contractor push spray foam on them even when batts made more sense for the budget? I'm curious if I'm missing something.

2 comments

2 Comments

coleman.christopher9d ago

Isn't it funny how some people act like there's only one way to do things? I had a guy at Home Depot tell me I was crazy for using plywood instead of OSB, but my wallet didn't agree.

hollym129d ago

It's funny how people get super fixated on one "best" way to do something, isn't it? Like that guy who always says you have to spend $80 on organic almond milk because the regular stuff is poison lol. The real world is about trade offs, not some magic solution. For a dry basement on a budget, batts are totally fine, especially if you do a good job cutting and fitting them. Spray foam is amazing if your house is a leaky wreck or you're building something super tight, but it's overkill for a straightforward reno. Reminds me of a friend who spent $300 on a fancy leather jacket for a costume party, then it rained. Sometimes cheap and simple wins.