The challenge
Exposed concrete soffits have high thermal mass and stay cold, so warm internal air rising to meet the underside readily condenses into surface moisture. At a large operational government facility, this damp can affect finishes, services and the working environment, and it needs to be controlled across an extensive soffit area.
Concrete soffits often carry profile changes, downstand beams, services and penetrations that interrupt any board-based insulation. Rigid boards cannot follow these features continuously, so gaps and cold bridges remain where condensation keeps forming. The facility required a continuous, well-adhered layer that could seal the whole soffit cleanly.
The ThermoFoam solution
ThermoFoam specified Enverge Nexseal LE closed-cell spray foam, applied directly to the concrete soffit. The foam self-bonds to the concrete as it cures, flowing around beams, services and penetrations to create one unbroken insulating layer with no fixings and no gaps for air to bridge.
The closed-cell structure delivers both insulation and vapour resistance, raising the soffit's inner surface temperature above the dew point so warm air can no longer condense on the cold concrete. Applied seamlessly across the soffit, it covers the structural detailing far more effectively than boards could.
The result
The concrete soffit gained a continuous, well-bonded insulating layer that controlled condensation and improved thermal performance across the facility. The installation met the manufacturer-certified standard and is backed by the 25-year manufacturer-backed product warranty.
