How to use foam?

Practically every person at least once used assembly foam — a modern means for sealing, repairing, installing windows and doors, sealing gaps and joints. Using assembly foam is quite simple. To do this, there is a special gun, but sometimes for a small repair in the house, you can do without it. But even simple work must be done correctly in order to achieve high quality.

A huge range of foam in specialized retail outlets makes you think when choosing the necessary material. Each of us wants to choose a high-quality and inexpensive composition. Currently, specialized retail outlets offer for buyers two types of this material: household and professional.Consider the features of each.

The main distinctive features of household mounting foam are in the volume of the cylinder. Manufacturers produce this material in small bottles (about 800 ml). The tubular package includes a small tube with a small section. In bottles of household foam, the pressure level is low, this is necessary in order to significantly reduce material consumption during repair work. To perform them using household mounting foam, you can use a special gun. The cylinder valve is designed for fixing the tube and mounting gun.

For installation of doors, windows, plumbers use a professional type of polyurethane foam. Manufacturers produce such material in cylinders with a capacity of more than 1.5 liters. The sealant is in a cylinder under great pressure. It is recommended to perform work with the help of a professional sealant using a special gun. In order to use the material most conveniently, the cylinder is additionally equipped with fasteners for firm fixation inside the gun.A large amount of sealant in the cylinder is designed to perform large-scale work.

Sealants of these varieties have similar technical characteristics. When choosing the necessary material you need to consider the purpose for which you need foam. In addition, the amount of work is important.

To perform a quality repair or installation work with a sealant, need to know a few rules for applying material.

• The use of a special mounting gun guarantees a better result of the work performed.
• You must use a professional version of the sealant, which has a useful property: a fairly low secondary expansion.
• It is recommended to carry out installation and repair work in the warm season: this will speed up the process of foam freezing and retain all its technical qualities.
• When performing work, you must use personal protective equipment.

• Sealant is recommended to use in order to close up minor cracks of about 8 cm wide.If the gap width exceeds this indicator, it is advisable to use other materials (brick, wood, plastic).
• To seal cracks and crevices with a width of less than 1 cm, it is more economical and more practical to use putty.
• In the process of operation, the container with the mounting foam must be held upside down.
• It is necessary to fill the gap with sealant on one third of the depth.
• After the sealant hardens, you need to remove excess foam with a special knife.

• After completion of all work, it is necessary to cover the frozen layer of foam with special means for protection from exposure to sunlight.
• To perform work on the ceiling, you need to use a special mounting foam: a cylinder with a sealant can be used in any position.
• To zapoenit deep gaps or cracks, you need to use special extension adapters.
• In the process of operation, the balloon with foam must be shaken and the nozzle of the installation gun must be cleaned of excess sealant.

Before you start working with this sealant, you need to learn all the subtleties of its use. Otherwise, the quality of work will suffer, the consumption of sealant will increase significantly, which will lead to additional financial costs. First you need to choose the right mounting foam.The choice of material depends on the amount of work.

If you plan large-scale work on the installation of doors, windows or plumbing, or a large amount of repair work, it is better to opt for professional foam. The cost of materials of this kind is much higher, but the result of the work performed will be pleasantly pleased.

Applying sealant without a mounting gun to the surface can be done in several ways.

• To perform minor repairs can do without a gun. On the valve of the cylinder install a special tube of small size. Next, proceed to start repair work.
• Professional foam can be applied using a tube, but this method will lead to a large consumption of material and excess financial costs.
• If it is not possible to use a mounting gun when working with a professional sealant, you can use two tubes of different diameters. To do this, a large-diameter tube is fixed to a cylinder with professional foam, then a second tube (of a smaller size) is attached to this tube and carefully fixed.This method will significantly reduce material consumption and reduce financial costs.

Once you have decided on how to apply the foam, you must prepare the surface. In some cases, the surface of the sealant may become false. The quality of sealing of the seam depends on how carefully the surface is prepared. The surface is thoroughly cleaned from dust, dirt. Particular attention should be paid to the slots that need to be zenen. Sometimes the surface needs to be degreased.

Large cracks pre-filled with foam or other suitable material. Only then can they be filled with foam. This will significantly reduce the consumption of foam, increase the quality of insulation. Before starting, the surface must be moistened. For these purposes, a simple atomizer is perfect.

Now you can proceed to sealing. To work properly, the foam must be at room temperature. Before beginning the process, shake the balloon thoroughly. Only after that a tube or a gun is fixed on the balloon. Now you can apply the composition.

If you decide to use foam without a special gun, you need to take into account the shortcomings of this process.

• Due to the high pressure in the cylinder, the consumption of foam increases significantly (sometimes two, three times).
• The design of the valve of some cylinders does not provide for the use of the tube.

It is enough to learn how to dose the foam output. In this way, you can glue any objects, not forgetting the preparation of the surface. Then start applying sealant. It is important to remember that the vertical gap should be filled with sealant from the bottom, smoothly moving upwards.

After completion of work, it is necessary to thoroughly clean the gun of foam using a special flushing fluid. It needs to be poured into the tool. If during operation a small amount of sealant gets on your hands, it should be removed with a solvent. Excess foam from contaminated sites must be removed during operation with a sponge soaked in solvent. If the sealant has managed to harden, you will have to remove it mechanically.

Overdue foam can not work. It is necessary to wield a spray with caution. You can not bring it to the fire. If the expiration date of the foam is out, the material loses its properties.

When choosing foam, you need to remember that the balloon can be used only once. Therefore, before buying should carefully calculate the required amount. If you have doubts about this, it is better to consult with a specialist.

Take a note of some useful tips.

• Before starting work, a pulveler must be prepared in order to spray water on the surface before applying the foam; a knife will be needed to cut off excess material.
• In the process of doing the work, you will need a sponge or a soft cloth moistened with acetone or a solvent.
• The correct dosage of sealant will significantly reduce material consumption.

• It is more convenient to remove excess sealant from the surface after four hours after application, after complete solidification this process becomes much more complicated.
• Be sure to use personal protective equipment (respirator, goggles, gloves).
• It is necessary to ventilate the room during work.
• After completion of all work, it is necessary to treat the frozen foam with a special means for protection from the sun's rays. Make it necessary to darken the foam.
• It is strictly forbidden to use a cylinder near an open fire.

Especially it is necessary to take into account when you are processing a steel bath. The composition of the assembly foam contains flammable substances. Therefore, when choosing a sealant, you should pay attention to what type the selected material is (fireproof, self-extinguishing, combustible). This will help avoid trouble.

When storing the assembly foam, it is necessary to observe the temperature conditions. The optimal storage temperature ranges from +5 to +35 degrees. Non-observance of temperature standards leads to a significant loss of technical qualities of the assembly foam. On the shelves of outlets you can find all-season foam. The optimal storage temperature of such foam ranges from -10 to +40 degrees.

Even if you have never used a mounting foam, after reading all the tips and recommendations, it is quite easy and simple to cope with this process.With the help of such material you can independently insulate door and window openings, repair all unnecessary cracks, gaps and joints in the surfaces of walls. In the process, do not forget about safety rules.

For the rules of using foam, see below.