Spray Foam Insulation in Cordova, AL

Spray Foam Insulation in Cordova deals with some of the oldest worker housing in the county. The Nashua Manufacturing Company brought the Indian Head Textile Mills here and built over 100 houses for its workers, many of which are still standing and lived in. The mill closed after 1962, and more than 800 jobs went with it. Cordova incorporated in 1897 and had 1,728 residents in 2020.

Mill-village houses

Houses built for mill workers a century ago were not built with insulation in mind. They often have open walls, thin or missing attic insulation and floors over open crawl spaces or piers. Sealing the attic floor and wall tops, adding depth, insulating the floor and filling the walls with dense-pack make a large difference.

April 27, 2011

An EF3 tornado hit Cordova in the early morning of April 27, 2011, and an EF4 struck near 5 p.m., cutting a half-mile swath through downtown and destroying most of the historic business district. Homes repaired or rebuilt since then may have newer insulation, but it is worth checking for gaps and roof patches with damp insulation underneath.

Closed cell vs open cell in an old mill house

In a mill-village house near the river, we use closed-cell foam low in the house, on the rim joist and under the floor, because it does not soak up water and holds up in damp air. HomeGuide rates it at R-5 to R-7 per inch. Higher up, in a dry attic, blown-in cellulose or fiberglass usually gives more for the money than foam. Mixing the two puts each where it earns its price, and the quote lists which goes where.

River and foothills

Cordova sits in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians near the Mulberry Fork of the Black Warrior River. Hillside lots and river damp mean we check crawl spaces for water before laying any liner. Get a free estimate