Getting into the Spray Foam Insulation Business Frequently Asked Questions

• How much money can I make in the sprayfoam insulation business?

Sprayfoam applications are very profitable if priced right and installed efficiently. It is very important to get the right training and support upfront to ensure long term viability of a new SPF contracting company. Gross profits of 50% and net profits of 25% or greater are expected. For example, a $10,000 job should take 2 sets of foam material which has a cost of approximately $4,000 and $1,000 or less in labor and miscellaneous job costs. This leaves a $5,000 gross profit for the business owner. This job should take no longer than 2 days to complete. One spray rig with a 2-man crew can produce over one million dollars in annual revenues.

• How much does it cost to get into the business?

The initial investment for a new sprayfoam rig and all related equipment is between $70,000 to $105,000 on average. This would consist of a 16-20’ custom trailer complete with all of the components necessary to install any polyurethane foam product. Box trucks are also an option. A description of our most common floor plans is available on our web site under the Mobile Spray Rigs section.

• How do I know what type of equipment I need?

We are happy to consult with you to help determine the best equipment for your needs. Knowing the type of market or markets you are targeting will help us determine if your equipment needs to be high or low pressure, if you must have a mobile spray rig or stand-alone equipment, if you require a generator and what other types of supporting equipment will be required for that particular application.

• Are there any good used spray rigs available?

Used sprayfoam equipment can save you money and be a good investment occasionally. It is very important to know the history of the equipment and how well it was serviced and maintained before pursuing. The worst thing for sprayfoam equipment is for it to sit for extended periods of time without being used, recirculated or completely flushed out. If the equipment has been sitting for some time, it is highly probable that the A side of the entire system is compromised and thousands of dollars will have to be spent to correct the problem. More often than not, used equipment is not the best way to go. We are happy to inspect and test equipment for you if you locate a rig that seems to be a good deal.

• How long will it take to recuperate my initial investment?

Most of our customers recuperate their initial investment within their first year of business. Sprayfoam projects are highly profitable and therefore very few jobs are required to achieve total profits of $70,000 - $105,000. In fact, there are large projects being sprayed every day that have profits greater than this on one single job.

• Do you offer financing for the equipment?

Profoam offers financing through third party companies that have extensive experience in funding sprayfoam equipment. These are typically lease- purchase agreements with terms of 3-5 years. Many customers obtain financing through their local banking institutions as well.

• How do you get business?

Sprayfoam insulation is in high demand throughout the US due to its proven performance over the past 30 years. Architects, builders and homeowners alike are seeking sprayfoam contractors for their projects on a daily basis. Profoam partners with our customers to teach them how to advertise, market, network and sell sprayfoam successfully in order to create and convert frequent job opportunities. Sales tools such as brochures and product samples are provided to our customers as well.

• How do you charge for spray foam jobs?

Sprayfoam applications vary in price from product to product and thickness of product to be installed. Most common applications have a general square foot price that contractors charge and specialty applications are priced on a job by job basis. The type of material, volume of space, difficulty of the job, and application thickness generally determine the price of the job. Profoam’s regional sales managers work with their customers to teach them all aspects of the bidding process.

• What type of training and certification is required?

Most states just require a business license only for insulation contractors and the United States as a whole does not have a national certification program. The Spray Polyurethane Foam Alliance (SPFA) offers an “Industry” certification and Profoam offers this training course on a quarterly basis. This is a week-long training class that covers all aspects of spray foam application, building envelope training, building codes, sales, marketing and general business practices.

• How long does it take to learn how to install spray foam?

Profoam offers up to one week of free initial field training to our customers with the purchase of a new sprayfoam rig. Most customers become comfortable with the equipment and the application process during this time. We then come back periodically to offer additional training and support as our customers require it.

• How much maintenance is required on the equipment?

Customers are pleasantly surprised about how little maintenance is involved with sprayfoam equipment. The polyurethane material stays in the hose at all times and no flushing is required. Most maintenance is with the spray gun itself where the two chemicals meet just before exiting the gun. Proper training and maintenance on the spray gun will minimize any gun related issues. Other than that, generators and compressors require air filter and oil changes and that’s about it.

• Does Profoam help customers out with marketing and project leads?

Profoam does help its customers with marketing and lead generation in several ways. We offer pre- built and mobile friendly web site templates that makes it quick, easy and affordable to get your company’s web site up and running. We also offer a free contractor listing on sprayfoam.com to all of our active customers which is a very effective way of generating project leads. We also have dozens of sprayfoam project leads coming in on a daily basis throughout the country that we prequalify and disseminate to our customer base. In addition to all of this, Profoam consults with its customers to teach them the most effective ways to gain consumer awareness in their market place.

Call Profoam Today to Speak with a Spray Foam Business Expert! (706) 557-1400.