Polyurethane foam. The subtleties of use. How to use correctly

When it becomes necessary to fill cracks, holes, seams, various voids, during repair or construction work, polyurethane foam is primarily used. This material is widely used as insulation. Polyurethane foam can be used almost in conjunction with any material: stone, iron, wood, plastic. We will consider instructions on how to use construction foam and its properties in the article below..

Polyurethane foam properties

The main property of the substance, which ensures its widespread use, is a high degree of filling and excellent adhesion. The expansion coefficient in this case varies from 10 to 60%. Curing occurs due to the interaction of the material with moisture and air. Gas is also added to the cylinder, with the help of which pressure is created to displace the substance. The main components are methylene diphenyldiisocyanate (MDI), a polyol, a blowing agent, and a catalyst.

Varieties

The material can be divided into one-component and two-component, as well as household and professional. The quality does not differ greatly from this, but the way the foam comes out of the container is different. When using professional cylinders, an assembly gun is required: a device that controls the consumption of a substance. While household ones are equipped with PVC guide tubes, which are sprayers. In addition, the material has differences in application temperature:

The disadvantages include sensitivity to ultraviolet rays, under the influence of which it is destroyed and long time solidification. The setting time of a substance is characterized by the duration of polymerization and depends on the volume. The hardening period is from 8 to 12 hours.

Correct use

Household bottle polyurethane foam is intended for single use, so you should think about its effective use, since unused material will be lost. Polyurethane foam is usually produced in cylinders, tubes, on the surface of which information is applied about the conditions of use and preparation for use.

The capacity is 600-800 milliliters. A non-professional balloon comes with a disposable PVC tube with special notches. Thanks to the notches, the length of the tube can be shortened, and in the case of hard-to-reach places, an extension adapter in the form of a flexible hose is put on it.

Before starting work, the cylinder is shaken vigorously and the cap is removed, which serves as a kind of safety lock. Then it remains only to screw the plastic tube, which is supplied with it and has an internal thread, onto the threaded part of the cylinder.

It is important to note that the straw can be used several times. It has a collapsible design and Lego is cleaned with a ramrod or a piece of thick wire from the foam frozen in it.

To improve the degree of expansion of the solution and its hardening, the required amount of moisture contained in the air may be insufficient, therefore additional wetting is applied.

How to use polyurethane foam without a gun? Consider the recommendations:

The process itself is as follows. The end of the tube is positioned approximately five centimeters from the point to be filled. I would like to draw your attention to the fact that about half of the required volume is filled due to the expansion of the substance. The material is squeezed out in wavy movements. As the substance increases in size, surpluses are formed, which are cut off with a sharp knife after hardening.

Precautions for use

Construction foam is a tricky material to use. Since it contains toxic substances, the working area must be well ventilated. It is flammable and should not be exposed to flame. When applying it, it is necessary to regulate the force of pressure, it is necessary to press evenly so that the contents come out in an equal amount.

The substance, when it gets on the surface, is very difficult to remove and can subsequently damage the coating. In case of contact with unwanted areas, it is necessary to wait for it to harden, and only then try to remove it. Residues can be removed with acetone and, on solvent-sensitive coatings, treated with special detergents.

It is extremely important to protect the organs of vision. To do this, wear transparent glasses. Gloves are used to protect hands, as the foam has excellent adhesion to the skin.

Disadvantages and advantages of household construction foam

The following can be noted:

increased material consumption due to the impossibility of accurate metering of its output;
difficulties in work: the balloon has to be held upside down, with a girth, which puts a load on the arms and leads to fatigue;
the cost is usually cheaper compared to the professional one;
satisfactory work result.

Thus, if there is no assembly gun available, then there will be nothing left but to use polyurethane foam with a straw. The video process of the work can be viewed on numerous sites on the Internet dedicated to construction.

instrument.guru

For professional builders, the question of how to use polyurethane foam without a gun probably never arises: they work with it so regularly that this is their first purchase when starting any repair. However, for people with a different profession (and dealing with repairs from time to time), interest in the problem becomes very relevant.

For serious editing(installation of doors and windows) they call specialists. Few have all the construction tools for all repairs.

Of course, there are those who like to do everything themselves (often they are forced to become like that due to lack of money or for some other reason), but they also reserve for themselves mainly those repair work that does not require any special equipment or special skills. So even such enthusiasts may not always have a construction gun.

Call the master to patch up a small hole - not seriously... Most builders will not come for such a call: the road will take more time than work (the cost is cheap), and it’s simple - it’s not interesting for a professional to perform such primitive actions. And all sorts of agencies ala "Husband for an hour" will take a lot for it.

How to use polyurethane foam without a gun? The solution to the problem becomes unambiguously important. Since something needs to be done, and I don’t want to accumulate minor imperfections so that the master would agree to come. You will have to master the procedure yourself.

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In the hardware store, if you do not take into account the manufacturer, 2 types of cylinders are sold:

Professional foam... It is pumped into cylinders with a volume of one and a half liters. It comes out of the package under high pressure, although sometimes it is completed with straws for manual use. It is irrational to take it for use without a gun: the flow rate due to the pressure will be too high.
Foam for household use... Volume from 600 to 800 ml. The tube is included in the kit. Everything specifications correspond to a professional, and the cylinder may well be adapted to work under a gun. For filling small recesses and correcting installation flaws - this is it.

The cost of the household option will be slightly cheaper than the professional one, although the volume of foam is less. But these are already production costs.

It is not much different from a professional construction one - we just put the gun out of the brackets.

Protective gloves are put on - unless, of course, you are going to look after advice on how to remove polyurethane foam from your hands.

The blown out place is cleaned. All dust and accumulated debris is removed. If the gap is large (or deep), foam cuttings are stuffed into it. If you are dealing with a door or window frame, insert additional wooden spacers. When they become unnecessary, they can be removed or cut down flush.
The balloon is shaken for 30-60 seconds, as indicated in the instructions. This will make its contents more homogeneous, and the foam output will become much more intense.
The inner planes of the slit are wetted. They should be well soaked, but no moisture should drip off.
The protective cap is removed from the cylinder. A tube attached to it is pushed onto the corresponding protrusion.
The outer hole of the nozzle is brought at a distance of 5-7 cm to the desired place and the valve is pressed. The hole is filled by 30-50%: the foam expands not only at the moment it leaves the balloon, but also for some time after that, so that it fills the gap sufficiently.
After 30 minutes. the sealed place is inspected again. If there are visible cavities, foam is blown into them again. But usually, with manual filling, the opposite happens - the foam crawls out significantly beyond the set limits, so that repeated approaches are not required.

8 hours later When the foam has completely hardened, bubbles formed outside the sealed hole are trimmed with a sharp knife.

Unfortunately, you can't do without an excess of foam. Even with a pistol, a lot of foam turns out to be superfluous. With the manual method of applying it, usually there are much more such surpluses.

Perhaps they will outweigh your reluctance to buy this. In any case, they will convince you to think about the tool if there are still minor repairs left.

Consumption... The gun releases foam in a metered dose, under one pressure and an even stream, precisely directed to the right place. At the same time, the jet is so thin that the foam bulges out in huge bubbles only if you hold your hand over one place for a couple of seconds. The manual method does not provide these factors.

As a result: if installing the door with a pistol requires only 1 cylinder, then without it the same work will take you 3 (and sometimes more). In addition, not all professional cylinders can operate without a pistol. That is, you will have to buy household ones, smaller in volume, but costing about the same. In recalculation, the volume of used foam becomes 1.5 times more expensive.

Time spent... The pistol is a fast-acting device. An even seam of 2 meters in length is carried out with its help in 10-15 seconds (it will take even less time for professionals). Manual blowing will require an order of magnitude more time from you - up to a quarter of an hour, since the hand gets tired, you stop to check how smoothly you lead, and the tube periodically tries to leave the trajectory.

Of course, you shouldn't buy equipment for random moments, since you can still use polyurethane foam without a gun. But if you have to change all the doors in the apartment, and you are going to do it yourself, then it is better not to reinvent the wheel and buy yourself the appropriate equipment.

remtra.ru

Foam with a straw - the threat of expansion

The main disadvantage of household foam with a straw is a significant secondary expansion. When hardening, it can increase several times, so it is extremely important to comply with all conditions of use.

The instructions for using household foam can be seen on the back of the cylinder, but we will consider it in more detail and step by step:

Cleaning and surface preparation. Before applying the foam, it is necessary to carefully check all cracks and holes for small debris and, if necessary, degrease the surface with acetone.
Moistening the surface. Polyurethane foam needs contact with humid air for curing, therefore, before using the spray, the surfaces must be moistened - a conventional spray gun is quite suitable for this purpose.
Preparing the foam cylinder. A little trick - before using the foam, you need to hold it for several hours in water with a temperature of about 20 ° C - after such a procedure, it will lie down better. Before starting work, shake the can for a minute so that all components are evenly mixed, this will ensure maximum foam yield.

Attaching the tube or gun to the cylinder. The tube is simply screwed onto the valve, but with a pistol the situation is somewhat more complicated - we will consider the issue of its choice and use below.
Foam handling. By the right technology the polyurethane foam is applied in small sections (about 10 cm) from bottom to top - this helps to avoid unnecessary spreading of the material. It is necessary to ensure that the gap is not filled by more than 50% - during hardening, the volume will greatly increase, which can lead to damage to the treated structure. It is extremely important not to touch the uncured foam - any physical impact and violation of the structure worsens the solidification and negatively affects the volume and density.
It is necessary to ensure that the balloon is always in the "upside down" position - this will ensure the most complete consumption of foam.

Difficult moments:

Problem when using	How to solve
Foam opening more than 3 cm wide	Polyurethane foam must be applied in several steps, waiting for each of the layers to harden. Before reapplying the foam, it is imperative to moisten the hardened base.
Through slots	In no case should such holes be filled with foam from both sides - this can lead to severe deformation of the structure. Foam is used on one side only, the back side is usually filled with silicone sealant.
Installation of door and window frames	To reduce the pressure on the structure, it is recommended to use dowels and additional spacers (they are removed after hardening). Otherwise, the foam, expanding, can fundamentally warp the frames of doors and windows.

A cylinder of household foam must be used completely, otherwise, during storage, the composition will harden and be unusable. There are no such problems with professional foam, but there are some nuances.

Assembly gun: price or quality

The professional gun provides precise and metered application of polyurethane foam, reusable cylinder use and accuracy during work. There are many modifications of such a tool, however, the scheme of the device and the principle of operation are approximately the same:

The tip of the gun - as a rule, its diameter is several times smaller than the diameter of the tube itself. This feature allows the pressure at the outlet of the foam to be increased many times over, which, in turn, guarantees a good volume.
Barrel (tube) - the channel through which the foam comes out. It can be one-piece or collapsible (two-piece), which simplifies the maintenance of the instrument.
Adapter - an adapter for connecting to the neck of the foam cylinder. Teflon coated in quality models.
Adjustment unit - allows you to meter out the foam and its pressure.
Mounting nut - with its help the barrel is attached to the handle. This design allows the tube to be removed for cleaning or replacement.
The trigger - serves to adjust the supply of polyurethane foam.
Handle - made of different types plastic and metals. Aluminum handles are considered the most reliable and comfortable.

The principle of operation of the assembly gun is based on simple mechanics: after attaching to the cylinder, the foam passes through the supply valve into the barrel, where it is until the trigger is pressed. Pulling the trigger opens a valve on the tip, releasing foam. The regulating mechanism allows you to control the volume of foam delivery.

Since there is nothing superfluous in the design of the pistol, choosing such a tool is quite simple. There are only a few factors to consider:

The quality of the materials from which the gun is made. It is best if it is made entirely of hard metals. There are high-quality plastic models, but this is very rare.
Collapsible design: Monolithic pistols are cheaper, but the price of a collapsible tool will pay off many times when cleaning and replacing parts.
Working pressure in the gun. This characteristic cannot be checked in the store, but there is a little trick. When buying a gun, immediately purchase a can of cleaner (it contains acetone). At home, you need to screw the pistol onto a bottle of cleaning liquid, pull it inside by pressing the trigger, then remove it and leave it for a couple of days. If, after this time, acetone shoots out when the trigger is pulled, the pressure is normal. If not, you can return low-quality goods to the store, acetone does not leave any traces on the surface of the barrel.

Gun Foam - Professional Use for Beginners

With the right gun and related products (foam remover / cleaner and petroleum jelly) selected, you're ready to go.

Initial gun installation

To install the gun, unscrew the fastening screw all the way, lubricate the socket with technical vaseline and secure the cylinder. It is important to ensure that the adjusting unit is at a minimum foam consumption. Then the cylinder is turned over to the working position (upside down) and the composition supply is regulated - a couple of test presses are made to release excess air and check the pressure.

The rules for applying the foam remain the same: in small stripes from bottom to top. However, professional foam has practically no secondary expansion, which greatly simplifies the calculation of the required volume. The main thing is to make sure that the cylinder is not in a horizontal position both during use and during breaks.

Replacing the foam cylinder

Before putting a new cylinder or putting the gun into storage, it is necessary to thoroughly clean all surfaces from the remnants of old foam. For this purpose, a cleaner (wash) is used:

to release the pressure, pull the trigger of the pistol;
fix the bottle with the cleaner to the gun;
turning the cylinder over, press the trigger for 10 seconds;
repeat several times until clear liquid comes out of the tube;
lubricate the gun parts with petroleum jelly.

When storing the assembly gun, it is necessary to repeat the lubrication procedure approximately once every one and a half to two months.

When working with foam, it is important to consider such points as its chemical composition and increased "stickiness" to different surfaces... Therefore, it is imperative to use protective equipment such as a work suit and gloves.

We sweep the traces

Polyurethane foam is one of the most difficult to remove materials: once it gets on fabric, leather or other surfaces, it is quite difficult to clean them. But it's worth a try.

Surface	Fresh foam	Cured foam
Hand skin	Gently removed with a sponge, residues are removed with improvised means - scrub, acetone, solvent, gasoline, saturated saline solution	It can be removed only mechanically. Usually loses its properties and falls off after 2-3 days
Textile	It is collected with a stick, the remains are removed with a cleaner. Important! Stains may occur when processing fabric!	If possible, large pieces are cut off, and the remains are treated with a special solvent for cured foam, white spirit or gasoline. Remove stains that appear with stain removers
PVC (frames, window sills)	Carefully removed, the surface is wiped with a special cleaner for PVC	Carefully cut, the surface is wiped with a special cleaner for PVC (usually marked - for installing windows)
Floor covering (linoleum, laminate, parquet)	Remove foam with a spatula, collect the rest with a sponge soaked in cleaner. Stains may appear! They are removed from wooden surfaces by grinding, but varnished coatings cannot be cleaned - they will have to be replaced.	After cutting off the foam, the residues are carefully dissolved with a special cleaner or the drug "Dimexid" (sold in pharmacies). It is necessary to work with such substances with gloves - strong components can cause burns!

As you already know, polyurethane foam is not intended for sealing holes less than 1 cm in size - it is better to fill such gaps with silicone sealants.

Alexander Birzhin, rmnt.ru

rmnt.mirtesen.ru

Rules for working with polyurethane foam

Whatever type of material is used, the main nuances that must be taken into account are always the same.

Determine at what temperature the work will be performed. This is necessary in order to select the correct foam, because if the thermometer is less than +5, then a special winter composition will be required. On average, the normal temperature for using foam is +20 degrees.
You will have to give up work if the temperature in the room is above thirty degrees or the air is noticeably humid. Both of these factors have a negative effect on adhesion (setting). V normal conditions(at normal temperature and humidity) before working with foam, it is even recommended to spray a little water on the joint surface - this accelerates the reaction with oxygen.
After removing from the cylinder, the foam increases in volume by about 3 times, therefore, the foamable areas are filled by no more than a third.

Excess application

If the gap to be repaired is wide (8-10 cm or more), then the use of foam will have no effect. The resulting surface will be brittle and break easily. In addition, do not forget about the cost of this material, so it is important to weigh whether you want to get an expensive and unreliable seam, or it is easier to pre-reduce it with bricks or large rubble and then foam it.
The correct position of the cylinder, with or without a gun, is upside down. Otherwise, the foam will come out of the wrong consistency, and it is likely that not all of it will be used, because the pressure is created by compressed air and if it comes out immediately, further work with this cylinder will become impossible.
If the foam has not expanded enough and has not captured all the necessary space, then after the initial hardening, which takes about half an hour, add a second layer on top. Complete solidification occurs after about eight hours.

Before further work, the surplus is cut off.

When the polyurethane foam completely solidifies, this material will not be susceptible to moisture or temperature, but in any case, the seam will have to be protected from direct sunlight, because under the influence of ultraviolet radiation, the material will shrink, become brittle and fall off the surface.

How to handle foam when there is no gun for it

There is no difference in the work itself - the question is how to extract the foam from the cylinder. There are two options - there is an ordinary "household" cylinder at hand, or one designed for use with a pistol.

In the first case, the issue has been resolved in advance, because manufacturers supply containers with special valves and tubes. It remains to connect and use everything.

Remember to protect your eyes and hands

If you have to use a professional cylinder designed for a pistol, then the question is more complicated, because you will have to find a tube for the foam to escape and decide how to press the valve. Figuratively, this can be represented as follows - you need to release air from the bicycle chamber so that it all gets to the right point (while not hooking your hands).

In such cases, the tube is ripped from three parts: flexible-solid-flexible. The firm part pushes the valve, the first soft part prevents the foam from splashing, and the tube already brings it to the treatment site.

For any work, do not forget to protect your hands and face, because foam is difficult to wash. It's cheaper to buy an extra pair of gloves than to buy solvent or walk around with dirty hands.

Such a design will have to be assembled for a professional cylinder.

When and why you have to look for toluene-free foam

When working with concrete walls or brickwork, the presence of this substance in the composition does not play any role. Problems will begin if you foam the areas insulated with foam, because the latter begins to melt under the influence of toluene. As a result - the layer of foam "eats" a hole and falls into it - the work will have to be redone.

If you need to stick the polystyrene to the surface, then this property of toluene is only on hand, because it literally "welds" the sheet to the wall. By the way, this is widely used when leveling walls with plasterboard without a frame - gluing the sheets directly onto brick or concrete with a "mounting".

That's the whole difference - if you need to work with materials similar to foam, then you need to choose - you need to melt it or it is better to look for foam without toluene, the choice of which is represented by polyurethane and similar compositions.

Benefits of using a foam gun, how it works

Choosing a gun is simple - the more metal parts in the device, the better. Pay special attention to the places that are exposed to the greatest stress - this is the place where the bottle is connected and the foam release valve.

Professional pistol

In general, the design is simple:

Cylinder mount with valve pin. The balloon is put on either by screwing on the thread, or by a latch;
A trigger mechanism that opens the feed;
Screw - regulates the feed;
A delivery tube through which the contents of the container are discharged to the outside;
Lever.

Before you refuse such a purchase, weigh all the pros and cons of its use, because there is only one obvious drawback for a professional pistol - the cost of an average-quality device will be the price of 2-3 cans of foam.

There are much more positive sides:

Convenience. Whatever tube is supplied to the "household" cylinder, in comparison with a specialized instrument, it will play.
Consumption. The professional pistol is equipped with an adjusting screw, which is convenient to tighten during operation. You will have to withstand the exit from the household cylinder yourself, pressing the valve, which inevitably leads to an overrun by 2-3 times.
Accuracy. The nozzle of the gun is much narrower than any tube, so it is convenient for them to handle even small seams without losing foam.

Of course, you can do without a pistol if global work is not foreseen. But if you purchase 3-5 cans of foam, then it is more correct to stock up on an application device.

The problem is how to correctly use polyurethane foam without a gun over time can become relevant for everyone. This question becomes very acute when it comes time to renovate a dilapidated building or build a new one. During this period, very often there is an urgent need to remove gaps and crevices if necessary or doors. Polyurethane foam is the best remedy for this problem.

Polyurethane foam says to the cracks - no!

Among the various types of sealants, polyurethane foam is the most demanded. This material will help very high quality in the wall, cracks and joints that are more than three centimeters wide.

The packaging in which the foam is sold is an aerosol spray can made of metal. Despite the small weight, the concentration of the contents inside is very high. More than 40 liters of foam can be obtained from the capacity of one package in order to seal various crevices. With the help of video instructions, you can learn the skills of competently working with this sealant.

Before you start using polyurethane foam without a gun, you need to take into account that this substance becomes solid under the influence of a humid environment, and also noticeably increases in volume after using the balloon. It has a porous structure and excellent thermal insulation properties. Due to the fact that the foam has a possible long service life, its indispensability for repair and construction work is explained. With its help, it is possible to close up cracks, fasten structures, ensure the fixation of joints, heat and soundproof these places.

This solution has several categories - semi-professional with the use of a plastic tube and professional (pistol-type, you can familiarize yourself with it in detail), winter, summer and all-season. Such a cylinder device was invented with the aim of easily displacing the foam from the cylinder with a special gas. The result is the formation of a liquid polymer, its solidification and the formation of polyurethane foam.

So, polyurethane foam is a universal tool that has heat and sound insulation properties, connects, bonds and glues different parts, is convenient when carrying out installation works, has a practical packaging. When expanding it, you can qualitatively seal up the joints and seams; after hardening, you do not need to pay attention to it in the future.

In the past, cement mortar has served as an alternative to this material, but its production is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. For simplicity, convenience and combination in working with metal, wood, concrete and stone, you can give preference to a foam solution.

What you should pay attention to when purchasing polyurethane foam:

First of all, attention should be paid so that the product does not turn out to be a fake. The main criterion here is the country of origin.
When buying a product in a store, you need to pay attention to the production date and the indicated shelf life.
It is necessary to check the weight of the cylinder before buying, as well as the cleanliness of its valve, in order to avoid purchasing used goods.
The purchase of polyurethane foam takes place depending on the season.
It should be borne in mind that the volume of the substance released from the cylinder has the same size, does not differ in consistency.
The main criterion for a good product is that after it has been applied to a vertical surface, it should not slip, including from walls and window surfaces.
The application of the sealant to the surface is done by evenly extruding the substance and at a constant speed.
Foam is sold in aerosol cans made of metal. They are lightweight, convenient to use and have a high concentration of content - more than 40 liters of foam are obtained from one package during use.
This design was not invented by foam manufacturers by chance - with its help, the material comes out when there is a special gas inside. As a result, the polymer is successfully solidified at the gaps and joints and a fairly rigid base is formed.

Working with polyurethane foam is a process that does not require much effort. It is simple and convenient. But, in order not to worsen the quality of work, you need to know certain subtleties.

Firstly, installation work is carried out in the absence of low temperatures. According to the advice of experts, the hardening process occurs more efficiently at temperatures from plus 5 to plus 30 degrees. Such work is carried out from mid-spring to mid-autumn. Winter types of foam are an exception.
Secondly, work only needs to be done with gloves. They allow you to avoid contamination of your hands and, as a result, a long cleaning process from the foam solution. This rule is often overlooked by workers, which is quite dangerous. Therefore, questions often arise.
Third, don't try to work with foam anywhere, anywhere. If you need to fill a gap with a width of 1 to 8 cm, then it is permissible and approved to use polyurethane foam. In the case when the size of the gap has larger size, it is better to use alternative materials such as plastic, brick or foam. If less than a centimeter, you can apply a putty. It should be remembered that after finishing work with the sealant, the excess amount of foam is cut off with a knife (do not remove the excess with your hands).
Fourth, before applying the foam, it is advisable to pour water over the space to be sealed. Foam cures and cures much faster and more efficiently when ambient humidity ranges from 60 to 80 percent.
Fifth, shake the container well before starting work. This should last not a couple of seconds, but about a minute. This is enough for the solution inside the container to turn into a homogeneous mass.

We take the spray can in hand. Before removing the protective cap, first shake the contents of the container. After screwing the supplied tube onto the adapter, turn the cylinder upside down. It is in this position that the cylinder is used during installation work. This subtlety is very important because the gas displacing the polyurethane foam is very light and the entire mixture is more efficiently mixed when the cylinder is upside down.

Now we apply the foam, taking into account the fact that it increases in volume. Therefore, it is necessary to apply foam to the hollow space no more than a third. After a while, the volume increases by another 2 -3 times and after that it is already possible to cut off all the excess with a knife. When applying foam not horizontally, but vertically, the solution should be directed from bottom to top. This provides ease of application and provides a base for curing the uncured sealant.

After the foam has been applied, it is sprayed with water to improve and more efficient curing process. When we see a shortage of foam at the joints, we need to wait a little time, about half an hour, for the lower layer to harden, and then you can add it to the same places. But do not try too hard, the surplus will no longer be needed.

In one pass, the foam layer, when applied, has a permissible size of three, four centimeters. In the case when the gap is larger, the foam is applied sequentially, the layers are applied one after the other.

After 8 hours have passed from the moment the foam was applied, it is completely dry. You should not try to start arranging furniture, wallpapering, or installing shelves immediately after foam is applied. In the sealed joints, remove excess foam, cover with leveling agents ( best options- is it, plaster, paint or cement).

You can also use polyurethane sealing tape as protection. This contributes to a longer service life and prevents UV rays from entering. You can use a spray gun for whitewashing, and then proceed to other stages of finishing work.

Quality assurance saves time and money

The foamy solution must be elastic and adhere well to the surface to be treated. High-quality foam, after it shrinks and hardens, will not crumble into small crumbs. To avoid unnecessary problems before the material finally hardens, you must not touch it and start processing it, in order to avoid changes in the structure of the material itself and not interfere with the polymerization process.

You can get it good quality the work performed only if the material meets the relevant standards. Then you do not have to do anew the work on sealing the joints. It should be borne in mind that there are canisters on sale in different price categories and which have different foam output capacities. In this case, it is more profitable to purchase an aerosol can at a more expensive price so that it will be enough for all the cracks than to buy a somewhat cheaper one.

Polyurethane foam - excellent quality of repair

When buying foam, you need to remember that the use of the balloon is designed for only one use. Therefore, you do not need to use the balloon twice. If you know how to use polyurethane foam without a gun, then it is not difficult to calculate the volume required to perform this work. Otherwise, it is better to get advice from those who work in this area, or consult with the seller in the store.

Reuse of the container with foam takes place only when the operation is carried out with the sealant after a short time. In this case, upon completion of the first stage of work, the tube (gun), the valve should be treated with a specially designed liquid to remove foam. But, as a rule, this method is not used by workers on construction sites.

To remove excess, you need to prepare a water spray and a knife for cutting off the excess in advance.
If the foam ends up in unnecessary places, you can remove it with a soft acetone sponge.
Economical consumption of polyurethane foam will help to avoid additional costs for cylinders.
After applying the foam, it is necessary to process the surface after 4 hours. At the end of 7-8 hours, it will become more difficult to cut it, the hardening process is completely over
Work should be done using a respirator, it will protect the human body from unnecessary chemicals. It also does not hurt if the worker has glasses, gloves and overalls. So it's not easy.
Do not wait until the foam turns dark, as this indicates that a reaction to ultraviolet exposure has begun (initially it has a light yellow tint).
It is forbidden to use polyurethane foam near an open fire and store the cylinder under the influence of open sunlight (this is a common rule, but often it is not observed there is a risk of running into the consequences of a fire and the arrival of firefighters). The sealant contains various components that can be flammable. This can lead to very sad consequences. Foam has classes: fireproof, self-extinguishing or flammable (you need to find out in advance).
Problems also arise if foam is applied to a dirty surface. To solve this problem, the surface to be treated is cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.
If the temperature outside the window is below plus 5 degrees, then the viscosity product may not be suitable for use due to non-compliance with the standards. Also, the normal structure of the foam can be disturbed by an increase in ambient temperature up to 30-35 degrees Celsius (the exception is all-season foam, which is suitable for use at temperatures from minus 10 to plus 40 degrees).
If you take the risk of using summer foam in winter, then there is a risk of getting foam that crumbles and has glassy bubbles. She begins to crawl down, which means money thrown into the wind. For your information, the all-season solution temperature ranges up to minus 10 degrees, the indicator of the contents of the cylinder and minus 5 the temperature of the container

Provided that you have taken into account all the tips on how to use polyurethane foam without a gun, which were mentioned here, you can complete confidence start construction work that involves the use of polyurethane foam. Using foam to perform insulation work on the distribution network, which have seals with different widths of seams and cracks, it is also easy to fill excess voids in the walls. So you can safely start a quality repair!

Video: HOW TO USE MOUNTING FOAM

Polyurethane foam can function as a sealant and heat-insulating material. It can be used when installing various window and door designs, when conducting renovation works different types. With its help, the tightness of structures is restored, cracks and joints are sealed.

Polyurethane foam is sold in aerosol cans, which must be shaken before use. Immediately after application, the substance begins to harden, as a result of which it turns into a yellowish material. The material is lightweight, has good heat-insulating and sound-insulating characteristics. Depending on the manufacturer's recommendations, the foam can be used indoors and outdoors.

Conventional polyurethane foam has a number of positive characteristics:

Resistance to moisture, providing heat-insulating and sound-insulating properties.
The possibility of using a sealant in the construction of electrical equipment due to low current conductivity.
Resistance to fire (special fire-fighting types of polyurethane foam).
A significant increase in volume immediately after leaving the can, filling in distant microcracks in hard-to-reach places.
Possibility of gluing various homogeneous and dissimilar materials.
Environmental friendliness, lack of toxic substances in composition, chemical inertness.

Before using polyurethane foam and applying it to surfaces, it is recommended to check its performance characteristics on the packaging. Typically, the packaging contains information about the volume of the substance after leaving the container, the level of viscosity and other characteristics.

Release form

Manufacturers produce polyurethane foam in different forms and types. The choice will depend on the intended use and operating conditions of the sealant.

It is customary to distinguish:

Professional polyurethane foam, which is made in special large cylinders, which must be inserted into the gun to spray the substance. An economical consumption of sealant is ensured with a pistol. Used by builders when carrying out a large amount of work.

Household polyurethane foam, which is produced with a tube (with its help, cracks, joints, gaps are usually foamed). Designed for domestic use for minor repairs and gluing surfaces.

Also, on the can with polyurethane foam, the recommended temperature regime for using the sealant must be indicated. Distinguish between summer, winter and universal (all-season) polyurethane foam. When buying, it is recommended to pay attention to the flammability class of the material (B1 - fire-resistant materials, B2 - self-extinguishing materials, B3 - combustible materials).

Scope of application of polyurethane foam

Conventional polyurethane foam cylinders, which are sold in hardware stores, find their application in the installation of door and window structures, as well as in the installation of electrical equipment and pipes.

The sealant has a sufficient level of thermal insulation characteristics so that it can be used to seal gaps and cracks in heating systems, defects in the roof threshold, as well as to provide partial insulation of ceiling, floor, wall structures and ceilings. Also, with its help, they often fix Wall panels and polymer boards on the rough surface, which allows you to provide a decorative and waterproof function.

Polyurethane foam is used to treat the external surfaces of metal baths (made of steel or cast iron), which makes it possible to reduce the heat transfer of the metal.

If we talk about how to properly use polyurethane foam and how to work with it, then you need to clarify whether a gun is used or not. If it is planned to carry out a full-fledged repair in the house, then you will have to use both professional and household polyurethane foam for foaming joints, seams, gaps, installing windows and doors.

Related article: How to disassemble a gun for polyurethane foam - gun diagram, disassembly instructions

You can install the gun on a professional sealant as follows:

First, the container with the substance needs to be slightly warmed up in warm water up to 20-25 degrees. Then it needs to be shaken several times so that the substance becomes as homogeneous as possible, comes out of the can smoothly and easily.
In the upper part of the pistol, it is necessary to remove the protective cover, then turn it with the handle down and twist the sealant cartridge. It must be screwed in until the characteristic hiss appears, which will indicate the beginning of the flow of the substance into the pistol.
If the gun is not new and has already been in use, then it is necessary to inspect it before screwing in the can, so that it is well washed. If after screwing in the hiss does not appear, then the gun is dirty and you need to buy a new one.
Before starting work with polyurethane foam, according to the rules, shake the gun with the cylinder again, turn the adjusting screw ¼ of a turn and, holding the trigger, start processing.

To work with a pistol, there is no need to have any skills and abilities in the field of construction and installation work. The work is usually performed in the following sequence:

The first step is to clean the surface where the sealant will be applied from contamination, and then moisten it with water from a spray bottle to ensure good adhesion.

4. If the surface to be treated is wide, fill it with zigzag movements, but no more than 1/3 of the volume, because the foam will increase in size.

5.If there are any unworked areas, you can fill them later.

If it is necessary to carry out processing in remote areas, it is recommended to additionally buy a special extension hose, since it is unlikely that it will be possible to foam hard-to-reach places with polyurethane foam without using it.

The can usually indicates how long it takes for the composition to harden. Despite the instructions, it is recommended to wait 10-12 hours. Once the sealant has completely hardened, you can remove the excess with a knife or saw.

When using household sealant, a pistol is not provided. It's okay if the polyurethane foam is without a gun, since you can use it with a straw. The tube is made of polymer materials - you just need to put it on the adapter. The work is carried out in the same sequence as in the case of the pistol, but when using the tube, you will have to apply more effort.

You can use polyurethane foam without a gun without any problems, if there is a corresponding tube. But in hardware stores, the sealant can be sold without a tube (cheap models), so you will have to buy it separately. You should also pay special attention to this when choosing a suitable polyurethane foam.

The use of a tube is relevant if it is supposed to perform a small amount of work. It is recommended to use polyurethane foam with a straw if you need to fill joints, gaps, seams, glue various materials. Household sealant is rarely used in the construction of door and window structures, in the treatment of large surfaces. For thermal insulation and sound insulation, you should also choose professional counterparts.

In the video: Using polyurethane foam without a gun.

Cons of applying polyurethane foam without using a gun

The use of a pistol when applying sealant is a guarantee of a uniform release of material from the container, the possibility of saving substances, and full control over the surface treatment.

Related article: How to use a polyurethane foam gun? Instructions for use for beginners

If you use ordinary household polyurethane foam in a package with a tube, then the workflow will have certain disadvantages. The most notable ones are:

Substantial consumption of sealant. Overrun occurs due to the fact that the user must control the intensity and duration of pressing the valve. For a long time, this is quite difficult to do, therefore, almost always, when processing with a tube, an excess volume of polyurethane foam appears, which leads to a significant overrun. A professional sealant using a pistol is usually consumed 1.5-2 times slower. This leads to small, but noticeable financial costs (especially if a large amount of work is expected to be carried out).
If a professional sealant was purchased, then there is a high probability that using a regular tube that is suitable for household polyurethane foam will most likely not work. The can simply won't dispense sealant. This point must be clarified during the purchase of the material.
It is much more difficult to use polyurethane foam without a gun than with it. The tubing is made of polymer material, so it is flexible - more difficult to hold in position for a longer period than a pistol.

At the same time, there is no point in acquiring professional polyurethane foam, a gun for its application, if it is supposed to carry out minor repairs: to fill in the gaps, to seal the joints and cracks between the plates, in the heat-insulating material. In this case, you need to buy a household sealant with a tube, use it once and throw it away.

For home and household repair work, one can of polyurethane foam is enough. If all the work has been completed, then the cylinder is usually thrown away as unnecessary, because after opening the substance has a limited shelf life.

Manufacturers of household polyurethane foam note that their products are designed for one-time use. Therefore, if a few months after the first use the sealant in the cylinder has frozen, you need to understand that this is a completely natural process.

You can give the following advice to those people who are working with polyurethane foam for the first time:

Before starting work, it is recommended to first prepare a spray bottle with water and a knife to remove excess sealant (this is done after the applied composition has solidified).
It is also recommended to stock up on a regular sponge and acetone (or a similar solvent) in advance. They will be required if you need to wipe off sealant that accidentally gets on other surfaces (for example, on the floor or on clothing).
You should not try to remove excess polyurethane foam immediately after application - this should be done approximately 8-10 hours after processing. During this period, the sealant will harden, so it can be easily cut with a sharp knife or hacksaw.
If wallpaper has not been glued in the room, then it is strongly recommended to carry out work on applying polyurethane foam (regardless of the volume of the sprayed material), systematically ventilating the room.
If the sealant begins to darken gradually during the application, this will indicate that the substance is under the influence of ultraviolet radiation (direct sunlight). This should be excluded when carrying out work.
It is strictly forbidden to treat surfaces with polyurethane foam if they are located in the immediate vicinity of open flames or incandescent objects. Regardless of the type, the sealant almost always contains flammable substances in its composition, which, in an uncured state, are quite capable of flaring up if they suddenly find themselves under the influence of an open flame.
Before starting work, it is necessary to clean the surface to be treated as thoroughly as possible. If it is dirty and greasy, then the polyurethane foam will not correspond to the characteristics indicated on the package during operation.

Related article: Rules of use and technical characteristics of polyurethane foam

Can you use a polyurethane foam cylinder several times?

On the Internet, you can find information that professional polyurethane foam can be used repeatedly, while household models are suitable only for one-time use.

This is a common misconception, because if you use household foam, you can clean the nozzle after using it, remove the tube and block the outlet for the substance. To be able to reuse the sealant, it is recommended to do everything in the following sequence:

It is necessary to let the foam out of the can a little, and, letting it come out, bend and tighten the tube with a metal wire. At the end of the tube, the sealant will begin to solidify, but the presence of a fold will not allow the entire volume of the substance that remains in the container to solidify.
With the subsequent application of polyurethane foam, you just need to cut off the part of the tube with the solidified substance and continue to treat the gaps and seams with sealant.

It should be borne in mind that you can store a sealant bottle in this way for 2-3 weeks and no more. After several months of storage, the substance will almost completely harden and harden inside the package, so it will not be possible to use it again.

Can expired polyurethane foam be used?

Regardless of the type of sealant chosen, the shelf life of the substance usually does not exceed 1-1.5 years from the date of production. At the same time, if, during its use, a delay of several days or weeks was found, then you should not curtail the work - most likely, the polyurethane foam has not lost its main working and operational characteristics.

If the expiration date is significantly exceeded, it is strongly discouraged to use a sealant even for minor household repairs (especially for installing windows or doors). This is due to the fact that at the end of the expiration date, the sealant begins to rapidly lose its basic properties, so anything can happen when you open the package.

Terms of use of polyurethane foam after application

Leading manufacturers of sealants declare that high-quality polyurethane foam, which was applied to the surface in accordance with all the rules, is protected from ultraviolet exposure and moisture, and is capable of performing all its functions for 10-20 years.

If the applied substance is in negative operating conditions: outdoors, in direct sunlight, rain, snow, etc., then the service life of the sealant is reduced to 2-3 years (even in cases where moisture-resistant compounds were applied).

Conclusion

Professional and household polyurethane foam - both materials have a right to exist, because they usually have different areas and features of use. For small home repairs, household models with a tube for applying the substance are quite suitable, and for bulk work it is best to buy professional sealants and a gun. Construction and installation skills are not required for surface treatment using polyurethane foam from a tube or a gun.

How to use polyurethane foam (2 videos)

Application of polyurethane foam (21 photos)

The question of how to use polyurethane foam may sooner or later become relevant for you. First of all, such a moment is brewing if you start renovating an old one or building a new one. It is during this period of time that the real need to close up joints and crevices most often appears. And with them the best way will cope - yes, that's right, polyurethane foam.

This sealant is one of the most sought after in the market. different types sealants. It is the foam that will allow you to process high-quality seams and various joints, whose width is more than three centimeters. The material, so much needed in everyday life, is sold in metal aerosol spray cans, it has a rather low weight, but, despite this, its concentration is very high. So, from one cylinder, more than 40 liters of foam are obtained for filling joints and cracks. Using video tutorials, you can learn how to properly use the foam assistant during installation work in your home and not have problems with drafts.

When starting to work with this substance, remember that it hardens very quickly under the influence of moisture and at the same time increases in volume very much after using the cartridge. The resulting porous substance has excellent thermal insulation properties. Along with this, given the possibility of a long service life of this material, it is understandable why polyurethane foam is recognized as an indispensable assistant in construction and repair. It is the polyurethane foam that will allow you to seal the seams, glue certain structural parts, successfully fix the joints and, importantly, provide these places with heat and sound insulation.

Such a miracle solution is divided into several types - there are semi-professional and professional (pistol), it is winter, summer and for all seasons. Such a convenient design was not invented by chance - it is easy to displace polyurethane foam from cylinders using a special gas. So the liquid polymer on the surface to be coated successfully solidifies and forms a rigid frame (polyurethane foam).

So, it makes sense to choose a miracle foam in a store for its main properties - thermal insulation, sound insulation, ease of installation, the ability to connect, fasten and glue various parts. At the same time, given the ability to expand, the polyurethane foam successfully fills in hard-to-reach joints and seams, and while solidifying itself, does not require special attention to itself in the future. Previously, only cement mortar could replace foam in this field, but its preparation is a more laborious process than working with an aerosol can. Therefore, choosing convenience and simplicity, many people prefer polyurethane foam. Moreover, it is successfully combined in work with stone, and with concrete, and with wood, and with metal, and with plaster, and glass.

The use of polyurethane foam is not a laborious process at all. It is convenient and simple. However, you need to know certain details in order not to screw it up.

Firstly, installation work is best done during the warm season. From mid-spring to mid-autumn. The optimum temperature outside the window for such manipulations is from plus 5 to plus 30 degrees. Experts guarantee that this is where the curing process works best. If you are so impatient to do this in the winter, there are seasonal winter foams for this.

Second, do not handle this substance without gloves. This is often neglected by workers. However, such connivance is quite dangerous.

Third, do not try to use the substance wherever you please. If you are going to fill a gap from 1 to 8 cm wide, the use of foam is allowed and encouraged. But if the size of the gap is much larger, then it is better to take materials such as wood or plastic, you can use brick or foam. And if at all less than a centimeter - you can do with putty. And do not forget - after sealing your cracks, you need to cut off excess foam (it is not recommended to tear off with your hands).

Fourth, it is advisable to treat the cavity with water before using the foam. Then, with the appropriate air humidity, the expansion and solidification process of the foam will be much faster and more correct. The humidity of the air for polymerization is sufficient in the range of 60–80 percent.

Fifth, the can with foam must be shaken well before use. And this should be done not for a couple of seconds, but for about a minute. This time will be enough for the contents in the container to become a completely homogeneous mass.

So, the can is in your hands. You have previously shaken the mixture and now you can remove the cap. After screwing the existing installed tube onto the adapter, the cylinder should be turned upside down. This is how it is used during installation work. Such a nuance is important due to the fact that the gas that displaces the polyurethane foam is much lighter than the other components and when the cylinder is placed upside down, all the components of the mixture mix better.

You can now safely apply the foam. Considering the fact that it increases in volume, it is necessary to close the slots by no more than a third. The volume will increase by 2-3 times in a short period of time, and then you can trim off the excess (it is better to do this with a sharp, long-handled knife). If you need to apply foam not horizontally, but vertically, then you should fill it from the bottom up - this is more convenient for you, and foam (a base will appear on which the not yet solidified sealant can fix).

It will be necessary to sprinkle with water not only cracks, but also foam after application. This will make the hardening process faster. If you see that you did not have enough foam, wait about half an hour for the previous layer to harden, and you can add a little foam to the same areas. However, do not overdo it - you will not need too much anyway.

The applied layer of foam at a time should not exceed three to four centimeters, and if the gap or cavity is still larger, then the foam is applied sequentially in layers - one after the other.

After application, the foam will harden completely after 8 hours. So do not try to start subsequent work (rearranging furniture, gluing wallpaper, nailing shelves) on this site right away. Moreover, after drying and removing the excess, the joints must be treated with a protective material (it is better to do this with putty, plaster, paint or cement). You can also use a special silicone sealant as a protective layer. A polyurethane sealing tape will also help for these purposes. This will not only protect the foam from exposure to ultraviolet rays, but will also increase the service life. After processing, it is possible to use and, as well as move on in the realization of your fantasies.

Your foam should be flexible and adhere well to the surface. It will also be said about its quality that after shrinkage, having completely solidified, it will not crumble. Do not add additional work for yourself - until the final hardening, you cannot touch and process the polyurethane foam, so as not to change the very structure of the material and not interfere with the polymerization process.

If the material meets the existing standards, then you will be satisfied with the quality. This means that you will not need to redo the work done. Just keep in mind that different manufacturers offer cans with different foam output volumes. Sometimes it’s cheaper to buy an expensive aerosol can that will cover all your joints than buying two cheaper ones.

When buying polyurethane foam, remember - the cylinder is designed for single use only. So don't try to halve. It is not difficult to calculate the volume if you have already had experience with such material. If not, it is better to consult with those who work in the construction industry or with the seller in the store. It is allowed to reuse the same bottle only if you are going to "repeat the maneuver" in the near future. Then, at the end of the first stage of work, you need to rinse the tube (gun) and the valve with a special cleaning liquid. However, the workers on the sites often do not.

Useful tips and secrets of working with the material:

Prepare a water spray and a pruning knife in advance.
It's good if you have a soft sponge and acetone under your hands - they help to wipe off the foam that has adhered in unnecessary places.
If you use foam sparingly, then you can get by with fewer cans.
It is better to carry out surface treatment (cutting with a knife) after applying the foam after about 4 hours have passed - after 7–8 hours the foam will completely harden and it will be much more difficult to cope with it.
Use a respirator (protect your body from unnecessary chemical substances). Great if glasses and gloves are available.
Ventilate the room (unless, of course, in the same room you just decided to do something).
Do not wait for the foam to darken - a color change is already an indicator that a reaction is underway and the process of exposure to ultraviolet rays (initially it is light yellow).
Do not use a cylinder near fire and do not leave it in direct sunlight (this is a well-known rule for everyone, nevertheless, many do not follow it and risk facing the consequences of a fire and arriving firefighters in the future). Indeed, this polyurethane foam sealant contains various flammable materials that can lead to undesirable consequences. Your foam can be one of three classes - fireproof, self-extinguishing, or flammable (it's best to find out in advance).
Problems can also arise if the foam is applied to a dirty surface (for example, when using such materials, window frames are cleaned with a vacuum cleaner).

The viscosity of the product may not meet the standards if the foam cylinder was at temperatures below plus 5. The required consistency will be violated even when the air temperature rises to 30-35 degrees (only all-weather foam can operate at temperatures from minus 10 to plus 40 degrees) ...

So if you have taken into account all the tips and secrets indicated here, you can safely proceed to sealing window, door blocks or other structures with mounting foam in the rooms of a house or apartment. Also, with the help of this material, it will be easier for you to cope with the insulation of the distribution network and with the sealing of different widths of seams and cracks, and in addition, your assistant - foam will help you easily and simply fill unnecessary voids in the walls. So go for it and have a good repair!