Hawaiian Beachfront Wedding Chapel Insulated with Open-Cell Spray Foam

KIHEI, HI–June 19, 2013–Maui, like the rest of the Hawaiian Islands, consistently ranks among the world's top travel destinations. The island's attractiveness to tourists isn't surprising, considering its natural beauty. One particular group of visitors, soon-to-be-weds, comes to the island specifically to say their vows before the picturesque South Pacific beaches with backdrops of lush tropical mountains. Destinations weddings are so popular that venues are built specifically for hosting the ceremonies and festivities. One such facility, a newly constructed chapel on the west side of the island, took advantage of spray foam insulation to help provide a comfortable indoor atmosphere for future wedding guests.

The new chapel and the property on which it sits, both owned by NBA Hall of Famer Don Nelson, is situated along the beach in the town of Kihei. The venue includes a grand event space, a mezzanine, a custom staircase, full-service kitchen and bar, bride and groom dressing suites, and stunning views of Maalaea Bay. While designing the facility, the project's architecture firm, ARTEL, specified that the facility would be insulated with open-cell SPF. The spray foam would also seal the building envelope, thereby eliminating air leakage and infiltration, which can contribute to massive energy waste–an important consideration in Hawaii, where electricity is pricey.

The project's general contractor, Viking Construction, brought Spray Foam Hawaii (SFH) on board to perform the SPF application, which entailed insulating the chapel's exterior walls and roofline for a combined spray area of 6,000 square feet. SFH utilized JM ocSPF, a 0.5 lb. open-cell foam made by Johns Manville, for the application, spraying 3.5 inches (R-13) on the walls and 5.5 inches (R-19) to the underside of the roof decking. It was the ceiling that provided the greatest challenge on the job, due to the roof trusses and 30-foot height of the main event space.

"We had to go up in the scissor rafters and squeeze in there, so that was difficult," said Steve Phelps of SFH. "The scaffolding went up about 25 feet, so we'd tie off, get up there, and start spraying."

In addition to fall protection, three-man crew wore proper respiratory protection while the spraying was occurring. To make the application more efficient, SFH used three spray guns to hedge against potential stretches of downtime.

"We used a Graco Fusion, a Probler P2 and a GAP Pro and kept rotating so we never had to stop to repair anything," explained Phelps.

As far as jobsite ventilation went, SFH took advantage of the ever-present Hawaiian trade winds, which blew through the building's open front and rear facades. Furthermore, SFH worked around the other trades present on the job site.

"We did a lot of work on weekends when the other trades weren't there, and when they were, we were on opposite sides of the building," Phelps said.

The SFH crew finished the application in about five days, and the foam insulation was subsequently covered by drywall. Viking was pleased with the SPF application and expects the entire facility to be completed by the end of July.

About Spray Foam Hawaii: Based in Maui, Spray Foam Hawaii provides SPF insulation and roofing not only in Maui County, but Hawaii, Honolulu, and Kauai Counties as well. For more information, please use the contact details and links provided below.