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Community and Q&A

Will spray foam fix a roof leak?

PLIERS | Posted in General Questions on

Hey hope everyone is doing well. About 6 years ago I replaced my roof on a 2 car detached garage. One side of the garage now has a leak that I can’t figure out. I’m thinking it must be a hole somewhere or roofer just didn’t know what they were doing. I want to insulate the garage but need to fix the leak first. I was wondering if spray foam would seal the roof, this way I would spend money on just insulation instead of paying a roofer to repair it and have to insulate afterwards. How much would I spend to buy a spray foam kit and spray myself on a 20×24 garage? Would a cut and cobble with spray foam around the edges in rafters do the same thing at a cheaper price? Is spray foaming yourself an impossible task? Just trying to kill two birds with one stone. It’s a cathedral ceiling so I would be doing everything underneath.

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Replies

  1. Expert Member
    DCcontrarian | | #1

    Fix the roof leak. Your sheathing and framing will rot out otherwise.

  2. Expert Member
    MALCOLM TAYLOR | | #2

    PLIERS,

    One of the reasons people are sometimes reticent to use spray foam as insulation for a roof is it can conceal roof leaks, and allow the sheathing and sometimes the structure to rot. What you are suggesting is creating those conditions on a roof you know is already leaking. It's a very bad idea.

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