Closed Cell Foam 

Closed cell foam has been used for many years in a variety of commercial, residential, and hobby applications. While the most common use today is in buildings as a form of insulation from the outside weather, closed cell foam can also be used as an acoustic barrier to prevent the leakage of sound, as a ground shield while camping to insulate a sleeping bag from the cold hard earth, and even for flotation purposes in canoes and kayaks. With so many potential applications in insulation, this type of foam has gained a very large market share.

When used within buildings, closed cell foam is a popular choice of insulation because of the cost and effectiveness of the material. It is quite cheap to produce and simple to install, without a lot of tools involved. In addition, foam is highly water resistant, and will not absorb moisture like some other insulators. Water is the enemy of keeping the weather out, and foam is practically immune to even the most torrential downpours.

Campers have long taken advantage of these very same properties to stay warm while out in the wilderness. Foam will not only keep the camper elevated above the wet ground and keep him dry, it will pad and comfort the body naturally. Because it is a natural insulator, closed cell foam will also prevent the earth from sucking all of the heat away from a sleeping body, making foam sleeping pads an essential piece of camping gear when the weather gets uncomfortably frigid.

Aside from the temperature insulation aspect of closed cell foam, it can also be used as an acoustic barrier. You may have heard of using egg cartons to soundproof a room - using foam is the next step in this direction. While egg cartons are made with a material that absorbs vibration, closed cell foam is truly non-porous and will block all but the loudest rumblings. Egg cartons also have a lot of space in between them unless flattened over a long period of time, while closed cell foam can soundproof without using up a ton of space within the walls.

Almost everyone has contact with closed cell foam on a daily basis, whether it be in their home, office, place of work, or even their studio. It plays an extremely important part in modern society, and things would be a lot colder (and a lot louder!) without it.