FP Ultra Lite 1 in. x 2 ft. x 4 ft. Natural Tan Foundation Panel

Rating provided by a verified purchaser

So far every sheet is missing rock facing. Poor adhesion and a lot of dress up work. Also rock facing very thin.

Product came as described. It was well packaged so as to prevent damage.

I live in Massachusetts and heat with oil. I'm an energy engineer. I had about two feet of exposed foundation around the majority of the perimeter. Not only was the basement cold, but I had a lot of significant duct and pipe losses through the space. On an extremely cold evening, an IR gun shot at the interior of the above ground would indicate a below freezing temperature on the interior. Green Building Advisor equates six inches thick of a typical bare foundation equal to a R factor of 1, or about equal to a single pane window. Imagine a window two feet high around the perimeter of the basement and you get the picture. GBA also prefers exterior foundation as it brings the foundation into the conditioned space rather than the interface. They claim that this increases the thermal mass of the house and a will result in a corresponding reduction in fluctuations. I'm a believer now. I wanted a foundation insulation system that was 1) aesthetically pleasing, 2) durable 3) easy to install 4) reasonably cost. You can buy the pink insulation boards easy enough but a UV resistant and durable surface becomes an issue. Thought about cement board as an exterior, looked into the trowel on coatings ,and chose to go with the FP Ultralite one step solution instead. Packaging for the product was very well done. Expect to get some spalling of the aggregate on handling so minimize where possible. The product does not cut as cleanly as they claim and mitering corners takes some practice and patience. Invariably you will chip off aggregate in unwanted places and HD does not offer the Styro aggregate as a stand alone offering. An email to Styro will set you on a trail to another distributor. A little hokey for trying to get a couple handfuls of aggregate (colored sand). One other beef is that HD doesn't off the J channels to protect and hide the lip at the top of the panels. I'm trying to figure out a drip edge to serve the purpose. The only other advice I'd offer is to utilize Loctite PL300 and forego drilling the panels. Chipping and pull-through-patch-up will be needed otherwise. Overall I strongly recommend the panels and are very pleased with the purchase. I intend to advise my clients to investigate this product as well.