Wall Insulation Toronto

Century Semis and Solid Masonry

A great deal of old Toronto housing is solid brick or brick-on-block with no cavity at all, which changes the question entirely. There is nothing to fill, so insulation has to be added on the interior face and the vapour behaviour of that assembly has to be thought about rather than assumed. That is a different job from filling a stud wall, and anyone quoting it as the same thing has not looked at the building.

Open Cell or Closed Cell

Open cell fills a framed cavity completely, air seals as it expands and costs less, which suits interior partitions and standard exterior walls. Closed cell gives a higher R-value per inch, adds rigidity and acts as a vapour retarder at thickness, which earns its place in shallow cavities, on exposed walls and against masonry. On an interior-face build-out in an old Toronto house, closed cell is usually the one that makes the assembly work.

Renovations, Additions and Infill

These are the moments a wall is open. Toronto has a very large renovation and infill market, and that is where most wall work here happens. We work to the framing schedule rather than the other way round, and the written scope names the product, the thickness and exactly which cavities are covered.

When the Attic Is the Better Spend

If a house has uninsulated walls and an unsealed attic, the attic almost always returns more for less, and we will say so rather than quoting the larger wall job first. Walls matter, but they are rarely the first thing wrong with a Toronto house.