Demilec Insulation Removal & Replacement Nationwide

Demilec Insulation Removal & Replacement in Chicago: What to Know First

We remove and replace Demilec spray foam and injection foam insulation throughout Chicago, and most jobs are completed in one to two days depending on the cavity access and the condition of what’s coming out. A typical Demilec removal and replacement in a Chicago attic runs between $2,800 and $6,500, while full wall cavity removal on a two-flat can reach $9,000 to $14,000. We’re an independent Demilec service provider, not a factory-authorized shop, which means we make removal and replacement decisions based on what the building actually needs, not what protects a warranty that stopped applying years ago.

Call (218) 261-7714

This page is written for homeowners and building owners sitting on a Demilec product that’s delaminating, off-gassing, holding water, or simply underperforming. If you’re staring at foam that looked fine five years ago and now doesn’t, call (218) 261-7714. We’ll tell you what we’re likely to find before we ever put a ladder up.

How Demilec Products Fail - and How We Fix Them

Demilec makes closed-cell and open-cell spray foam under the Heatlok and Sealection names, plus injection foam sold through the PolarFoam line. Each fails differently in a Chicago climate, and the failure mode dictates the removal method. Here’s what we see repeatedly across the city:

• Heatlok HFO delamination from roof decks. Heatlok HFO is a closed-cell foam that Demilec reformulated several years ago to meet blowing-agent regulations. On Chicago roofs, we regularly find it pulling away from the deck sheathing in sheets, leaving a void that lets warm, moist attic air hit the cold underside of the roof in January. The fix is mechanical removal of the delaminated sections, addressing the moisture source, and re-foaming with a product matched to the roof assembly. We don’t patch over a void; we take the loose material out first.
• Sealection 500 open-cell water retention. Sealection 500 is an open-cell, low-density foam. Open-cell foam absorbs and holds water, and in Chicago attics with any kind of roof leak or ice-dam history, we find it saturated, heavy, and growing mold behind the surface. The only fix is full removal of the affected area, drying the cavity, and deciding with the homeowner whether closed-cell or a different open-cell product makes sense going forward.
• PolarFoam PF-7300 injection foam shrinkage in wall cavities. PolarFoam PF-7300 is Demilec’s injection foam for existing walls. When it’s mixed at the wrong temperature, which happens often in Chicago’s cold-season retrofit work, it shrinks as it cures and leaves the top few inches of each stud bay empty. We diagnose this with an infrared scan and a borescope before we recommend anything. If only part of a wall is shy, we can inject a compatible fill; if the whole wall has pulled back, full cavity removal is the honest answer.
• Off-ratio foam that never fully cured. Demilec two-component foams depend on precise A-side to B-side mixing. An off-ratio batch, which can happen with any spray foam brand, leaves foam that stays soft, smells sweet or fishy for years, and never reaches its stated R-value. This isn’t something a homeowner can verify by looking; it takes a core sample and sometimes a lab test. If the foam is uncured, removal is the only fix, and we’ll document what we pull out.
• Vermiculite and old fiberglass sitting under or around Demilec foam. In Chicago’s older housing stock, from bungalows in Jefferson Park to two-flats in Avondale, we often find a Demilec product sprayed over pre-existing insulation. When that underlying material is vermiculite, which may contain asbestos, or fiberglass that’s been soaking up decades of roof leaks, the whole assembly has to come out. We handle it as a single removal and replacement job, with the old material bagged and the cavity prepped clean before new insulation goes in.

Our Demilec Insulation Removal & Replacement Process

We follow the same sequence on every Demilec job we run in Chicago. None of it is improvisation.

1. 1
   Site assessment and cavity inspection. We inspect the foam, take core samples where the material condition is unclear, and document everything with photos. We also run a blower-door test before any work begins so we know what the building’s air leakage actually is.
2. 2
   Written scope and price. Before anything gets removed, you get a flat price, a written scope of work, and a written warranty under Haven Standard Clause 1. No work starts without it.
3. 3
   Containment and removal. We set up dust containment, remove the Demilec foam mechanically where possible, and bag everything for disposal. For wall cavities, we work stud bay by stud bay. For attics, we clear the deck to the sheathing where required.
4. 4
   Air sealing before re-insulation. We seal top plates, can lights, plumbing penetrations, and any other air leaks we find before new insulation goes in. We’ll never blow or spray insulation over an unsealed attic floor. Seal first, then insulate. That order is non-negotiable for us.
5. 5
   Replacement insulation installation. We install the replacement product matched to the assembly. We source from Owens Corning, Johns Manville, Knauf, Rockwool, CertainTeed, Icynene, Demilec, and GreenFiber, so the choice is driven by what the building needs, not what we happen to stock.
6. 6
   Post-installation verification and documentation. We run a second blower-door test and hand you a printed report with pre and post ACH50 readings, installed R-values by zone, and a photo log of everything we did. You’ll know what changed because the numbers will show it.

What Demilec Insulation Removal & Replacement Costs in Chicago

Here are the ranges we’ve seen and quoted across Chicago jobs in the last three years. These are flat prices, not estimates, and they include removal, disposal, air sealing, replacement insulation, and documentation.

• Attic Demilec spray foam removal and replacement, 800 to 1,200 square feet: $2,800-$6,500 depending on foam thickness, contamination, and roof access.
• Full wall cavity removal and replacement, typical Chicago two-flat: $9,000-$14,000 depending on cavity depth, number of stories, and exterior or interior access.
• Partial wall cavity repair (shrunken PolarFoam or delaminated sections): $1,800-$4,000 per wall section.
• Vermiculite-involved abatement and replacement: This requires licensed asbestos handling, which changes the price substantially. We’ll tell you upfront what’s involved and bring in the right contractor relationship if needed.

What moves the price: material thickness, cavity access, contamination level, whether vermiculite is present, and whether the removal exposes roof leaks or structural issues that need addressing before new foam goes in. Every quote is a flat price in writing before work starts. Call (218) 261-7714 and we’ll get you one.

Why Chicago Homeowners Call Topside Attic Insulation for Demilec Work

We’ve sealed and insulated over 9,000 homes since 2016, and every one of them started with a written price and ended with a documented record. That’s the Haven Standard, and it’s not a marketing line. Written price before work starts. Written warranty in your hand before anyone lifts a tool. Photo documentation on every visit. On Demilec removal jobs, the blower-door numbers before and after tell you whether the work actually improved your home’s airtightness.

Wes Okafor, our owner and lead building envelope technician, has been doing insulation work in Chicago for over twenty years. He learned the trade in part at Truman College’s building technology program on the North Side and spent his early years running general construction after growing up near the Portage Park field house. He’s the one who insists on the blower-door test before any material goes in, so the scope of work is documented rather than estimated.

We also work on homes with Reflectix radiant barrier products, so if your Chicago attic has a Demilec foam issue complicated by a failing radiant barrier layer, we’ll address both in the same scope. And if you have a written estimate from another contractor, bring it to us. We’ll read it with you, line by line, and give you a second opinion free.

Frequently Asked Questions