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How to properly use a can of polyurethane foam. Working with polyurethane foam without a gun: how to use. Features of polyurethane foam

Polyurethane foam is one of the most popular materials on the market. We have made a selection of various tricks and life hacks that will make working with it easier and more comfortable, as well as find new areas of application for it.

1. The main components of polyurethane foam are polyol and diisocyanate, the reaction of which produces a prepolymer. For polyurethane foam to harden, moisture is required, which is usually taken from the surrounding air. According to certain calculations, it takes approximately 40 ml of water to harden the foam from a 750 ml cylinder. Based on this, we can draw the first conclusion that the presence of moisture (up to a certain threshold) promotes rapid hardening of the foam and prevents its further expansion. Therefore, it is recommended to pre-moisten the areas where the foam is applied with water. In addition, this will improve the adhesion of the foam to the applied surface.

1. Rodents have a long-standing love for polyurethane foam, which they easily turn into dust. But in this moment formulations began to appear on the market that rodents do not like.

1. Since the foam container must be held upside down when working, with an extension made of PVC pipe, you can easily handle even cracks in the ceiling or in any hard-to-reach places.

1. Acetone, as well as solvents based on it, can easily clean the surface of uncured foam. But with a frozen one, such a trick will no longer work.
2. The older the foam in the container, the higher its viscosity. Accordingly, its expansion coefficient and final volume decrease. To prevent the viscosity of the foam from growing so quickly over time, manufacturers make special additives, so it is recommended to shake the contents of the container thoroughly before starting work.
3. The gun will allow you to dose the foam more accurately, thereby giving you additional convenience and savings. It will also be convenient for large volumes of work. High-quality models can be left without washing for a month or more. In other cases, you should use a bottle with a special flushing liquid.
4. Some manufacturers offer black foam cylinders. It is also perfect for landscape works. For example, to fix stones on alpine slide. As long as it doesn't get direct sunlight.

1. If you need to apply foam in several layers to cover large openings, manufacturers recommend waiting an hour or two between laying each new layer. But if each layer is slightly moistened with a spray bottle, then the waiting hours can be reduced to 10-15 minutes.
2. In the absence of appropriate filler, polyurethane foam will also help when transporting fragile items. To do this you need to line the box cling film, fill it a third with foam, put a layer of film on which to lay the fragile item. Then there is another layer of film on top, which is also covered with foam. As a result, your foam will be easily separated into two parts, which will simplify unpacking.

1. For foaming cracks in windows and doorways Foam with a minimum coefficient of expansion should be used, otherwise it may be difficult to open windows and doors. Typically, such foam is labeled as window foam. But if you don’t have one at hand, it’s better to apply the foam in two layers. First, a small amount of foam is placed deep into the crack, to which, after final expansion and hardening, another layer can be added if necessary.
2. In the absence of acetone, you can rinse the plastic nozzle tube using carburetor cleaner (it also contains acetone). You can purchase it at any auto parts store. But this must be done immediately after use, before the remaining foam has hardened.

1. Winter foam can be used at temperatures down to -10 C°, and individual species and up to -20 C°. But at the same time, the foam container itself must have a temperature of at least +5 C°. To quickly warm up the cylinder you can use hot water, but under no circumstances should you place it in an open fire or use other methods of rapid heating. Otherwise, the result may be sad.

1. You can get rid of spilled or splashed foam after it has hardened using special cleaning gels designed for foam. They soften it, after which the foam can be easily removed.
2. When working with foam, do not forget to wear gloves, otherwise the foam that gets on your skin will leave stains on it for a couple of days.

Polyurethane foam was invented almost a hundred years ago. Initially, it was used in the form of fairly large slabs, and after 20 years they learned how to produce foam in special aerosol cans. The first bottle of foam that was used during construction was made in England and used in Sweden.

Today, polyurethane foam is produced in two types of cylinders. One is intended for professional construction and is designed to be used with a pistol. The second type can be used at home for one-time work. I would like to talk in more detail about how to use polyurethane foam without a gun.

If a gun is not provided for the cylinder, then a special tube must be screwed onto the adapter instead. Then you can start using it for its intended purpose. Such a cylinder is not always convenient to use, but it is great for one-time use. This perfect option in that situation, if you need to seal small seams and so on.

It is worth noting that important fact that if you use polyurethane foam without a gun, then in such a situation all of it must be used at one time. Otherwise, you will have to throw away what you didn't use. To find out exactly how to use this building material, watch the video on our website. They will tell you in detail about all the intricacies of its use, which will allow even a beginner in this matter to skillfully use this type of material.

Types of polyurethane foam and their application

It can be found on sale in small cylinders that are filled with either propellant or pre-polymer. Due to the fairly high air humidity, the composition gradually becomes hard, and its structure becomes quite rigid.

Today, there are only two types of polyurethane foam, which can be found in any store that specializes in construction.

1. Foam for professional use. It is sold in fairly large cylinders that can hold more than one and a half liters. Such foam comes out of the packaging under quite high pressure and in in some cases can be sold complete with straws (they are used for manual application). It would be unwise to take this type of foam without a gun, because due to the high pressure you will spend too much foam.
2. Polyurethane foam, which is used in everyday life, is sold in small cylinders, which have half the volume - 600-800 ml; a special tube is also sold complete with a cylinder of foam. She has the same specifications, as for professional use. It is worth noting that a cylinder of this size can also be used with a pistol. The second type of foam is usually used to fill some minor depressions or seams. Its cost is much lower than the professional one, although the volume is several times smaller.

Polyurethane foam is widely used in construction for a variety of purposes. Most often it is used to reduce noise levels. This building material is an ideal option for sound insulation. In order to achieve a positive result, it is enough to fill with foam the places where the pipes touch and all the holes that are in the walls (see the video for details).

If, for example, there are cracks in the roof, then they can be perfectly sealed by using polyurethane foam. The same can be done with window or door frames, cold rooms and voids, which are often observed directly around the pipes.

What is polyurethane foam and its features video

IN Lately they began to use it even to glue together various kinds elements. It perfectly and reliably glues the most different materials and over time they do not come off, they hold quite firmly. In order to perform these types of work, you can use both professional foam and household use. It is worth noting that before using polyurethane foam without a gun, you need to know and train, because than with a tube.

Step-by-step instructions on how to use foam without a gun

Of course, to some extent, using the material without using a professional tool - a gun - is not difficult. Instead, a special tube is used, and the instructions are almost the same. With more detailed application can be found in the video material.

• You need to wear gloves to protect your hands from getting foam on them, otherwise you will have to sweat to remove it from your skin.
• The place where you will blow the foam needs to be protected as reliably as possible. Remove all debris and dust present there. If the gap has big size or depth, then, as a rule, it is additionally hammered small scraps polystyrene foam
• Shake the can for a minute, according to the instructions. different brands foam can be specified different time, but on average it’s 30-60 seconds. Thanks to shaking, the polyurethane foam will become as homogeneous as possible, its output will be several times more intense, which will make the work easier, and the process will go several times faster.
• The planes that are inside the recess must be well moistened, but make sure that water does not drip from them and that there is no excess moisture.
• Remove the small cap from the cylinder, which is put on so that it does not work in advance. On the same protrusion you need to put a special tube, which is sold complete with polyurethane foam.
• Bring the edge of the tube about 5 cm to the area you want to fill with foam and then press the valve. It is important to note that the hole is only half filled, because the foam will expand not only as it comes out of the container, but also for some time after that.
• After half an hour, you need to again inspect the place you treated. If there are still pits or unfilled cavities, add a small amount of foam. As numerous practice shows, when manually filling a cavity, the foam very often crawls out of its limits, and therefore there is no need to fill additional foam. On the contrary, it is necessary to eliminate its excesses.

Some people who rarely use foam are afraid that the foam will not stop coming out of the tube even when they release the button. There is no need to worry about this, because each cylinder has a special restriction valve that will prevent foam from escaping immediately after you make the pressure weaker.

After 8 hours the foam will become as hard as possible and then its excess needs to be trimmed off. To do this, use the most ordinary, but always sharp knife.

Disadvantages of using polyurethane foam without a gun

There are not many disadvantages when using non-professional-looking polyurethane foam. Experts call the first disadvantage that when manual way a large amount of foam will come out beyond the recess being processed. Even with a pistol it is often impossible to avoid excesses, and in this case there are several times more of them.

Foam installation feature video

At the same time, it is much easier to work with a pistol, because it is, after all, a special professional tool. If you accidentally remove the tube from the cylinder, you cannot put it back on and start using the building material further. You will have to buy a new cylinder.

Polyurethane foam is a truly unique material that allows you to perform a large number of jobs. Polyurethane foam without a gun: a specialist can teach you how to use it correctly or numerous videos that you will find on our website.

From the article “Mounting foam: advice from a professional,” you have already learned how to choose a quality product. All that remains is to use it correctly. In this article we will help you choose a mounting gun and reveal the techniques economical use and removing residual foam from hands and clothing.

Despite the fact that polyurethane foam is in demand during construction and repair, we should not forget that it is far from a universal insulating material. It all depends on the size of the cracks and voids that need to be filled:

1. Small cracks up to 1 cm are best eliminated using sealants or putties. They are more flexible and will not give side effect as a secondary expansion.
2. Holes more than 10 cm wide are recommended to be filled with static materials - brick, wooden blocks or with insulation (for example, polystyrene foam), and then additionally treated with polyurethane foam.
3. To insulate medium-sized cracks, it is optimal to use polyurethane foam - household or professional.

Polyurethane foam sealant (spray foam) has excellent adhesion to the vast majority of building materials, but there are cases when it is useless: the foam will not stick to various types of polyethylene, Teflon, silicone, as well as to any greasy or dusty surfaces. These nuances must be taken into account to obtain effective insulation.

Foam with a tube - threat of expansion

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

Instructions for using household foam can be seen on the back of the cylinder, but let’s look at it in more detail and step by step:

1. Surface cleaning and preparation. Before applying the foam, you must carefully check all cracks and holes for the presence of small debris and, if necessary, degrease the surface with acetone.
2. Surface moistening. Polyurethane foam requires contact with moist air, therefore, before using the can, the surfaces need to be moistened - for this purpose it is quite regular will do spray.
3. Preparing a foam bottle. 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 this procedure it will lie down better. Before starting work, shake the container for a minute so that all components are evenly mixed - this will ensure maximum foam yield.
4. Attaching a tube or gun to a 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 selection and use below.
5. Working with foam. 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 increase greatly, which can lead to damage to the structure being treated. It is extremely important not to touch uncured foam - any physical impact and disruption of the structure worsens hardening and negatively affects volume and density.
6. It is necessary to ensure that the cylinder is always in the “upside down” position - this will ensure the most complete consumption of foam.

Difficult moments:

Problem when using	How to solve
Foaming hole wider than 3cm	Polyurethane foam must be applied in several stages, waiting for each layer to harden. Before reapplying the foam, be sure to moisten the hardened base.
Through slots	Under no circumstances should such holes be filled with foam on both sides - this can lead to severe deformation of the structure. Foam is used on one side only, back side usually filled with silicone sealant.
Installation of door and window boxes	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 seriously distort the frames of doors and windows.

The container of household foam must be used completely, otherwise the composition will harden during storage and will be unsuitable for use. With professional foam such problems do not arise, but there are some nuances.

Mounting gun: price or quality

A professional gun ensures accurate and dosed application of polyurethane foam, reusable use of the container and accuracy when working. There are many modifications of such a tool, but the design of the device and the principle of operation are approximately the same:

1. The tip of the gun - as a rule, its diameter is several times smaller than the diameter of the tube itself. This feature allows you to repeatedly increase the pressure when foam comes out, which, in turn, guarantees a good volume.
2. The barrel (tube) is the channel through which the foam comes out. It can be one-piece or collapsible (in two parts), which simplifies the maintenance of the instrument.
3. Adapter - an adapter for connecting to the neck of a foam bottle. In high-quality models it is coated with Teflon.
4. Adjustment unit - allows you to dose the foam output and its pressure.
5. Fastening nut - with its help the barrel is attached to the handle. This design allows the tube to be removed for cleaning or replacement.
6. Trigger - used to adjust the supply of polyurethane foam.
7. Handle - made from various types plastic and metals. Aluminum handles are considered the most reliable and comfortable.

Operating principle mounting gun The mechanics are simple: after attaching to the cylinder, the foam passes through the supply valve into the barrel, where it remains until the trigger is pressed. Pulling the trigger opens the valve on the tip, releasing the foam. The regulating mechanism allows you to control the volume of foam supplied.

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

1. The quality of the materials from which the gun is made. It's better if it's made entirely of hard metals. There are high-quality models made of plastic, but this is very rare.
2. Collapsible design: monolithic guns are cheaper, but the price of a collapsible tool will pay for itself many times over when cleaning and replacing parts.
3. Operating pressure in a pistol. This characteristic cannot be checked in a 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 gun onto a bottle of cleaning liquid, press the trigger to release it inside, then remove it and leave it for a couple of days. If after this time the acetone fires when the trigger is pressed, the pressure is normal. If not, you can return the low-quality product to the store; acetone does not leave any traces on the surface of the barrel.

Gun foam - professional use for beginners

Having chosen the right gun and related products (foam remover/cleaner and petroleum jelly), you can get to work.

Initial gun installation

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

The rules for applying foam remain the same: in small stripes in the direction from bottom to top. However, professional foam has virtually no secondary expansion, which makes calculating the required volume much easier. The main thing is to ensure that the cylinder is not in a horizontal position both during use and during breaks.

Replacing a foam bottle

Before installing a new cylinder or putting the gun into storage, you must thoroughly clean all surfaces from the remains of old foam. For this purpose, a cleaner (wash) is used:

• to release the pressure, pull the gun trigger;
• attach the cleaner bottle 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 technical petroleum jelly.

When storing the mounting gun, it is necessary to repeat the lubrication procedure approximately 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 “adhesion” to different surfaces. Therefore, it is extremely important to use protective equipment - a work suit and gloves.

Covering our tracks

Polyurethane foam is one of the most difficult materials to remove: 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
Skin of hands	Carefully remove with a sponge, the residues are removed with improvised means - scrub, acetone, solvent, gasoline, saturated saline solution	Can only be removed mechanically. Usually loses its properties and falls off after 2-3 days
Textile	Collect with a stick, residues are removed with a cleaner. Important! When processing the fabric, stains may remain!	Large pieces are cut off if possible, and the remains are treated with a special solvent for hardened foam, white spirit or gasoline. Appearing stains are removed with stain removers.
PVC (frames, window sills)	Carefully remove, wipe the surface with a special cleaner for PVC	Carefully cut off, the surface is wiped with a special cleaner for PVC (usually marked - for installing windows)
Flooring (linoleum, laminate, parquet)	Remove the foam with a spatula, and collect the remaining residue with a sponge moistened with cleaner. Spots may appear! WITH wooden surfaces They are removed by grinding, but varnished coatings cannot be cleaned - they will have to be replaced.	After cutting off the foam, the remains are carefully dissolved with a special cleaner or the drug “Dimexide” (sold in pharmacies). It is necessary to wear gloves when working with such substances - strong components can cause burns!

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

Alexander Birzhin, rmnt.ru

The problem is how to competently use polyurethane foam without a gun over time can become relevant for everyone. This question arises very acutely when the time comes to renovate a dilapidated building or build a new one. During this period, very often there is an urgent need to remove gaps and cracks if there is a need or doors. Polyurethane foam – the best remedy, which copes with this problem.

Polyurethane foam says no to cracks!

Among the various types of sealant, polyurethane foam is the most popular. This material will help very well in walls, 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 little weight, the concentration of contents inside is very high. From the container of one package you can get more than 40 liters of foam to seal various cracks. With the help of video instructions, you can gain skills in competently working with this sealing agent.

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

This solution has several categories - semi-professional using a plastic tube and professional (pistol type, you can read in detail), winter, summer and all-season. This cylinder device was invented with the goal of easily displacing foam from the cylinder with a special gas. As a result, a liquid polymer is formed, it hardens and polyurethane foam is formed.

So, polyurethane foam is a universal product that has heat and sound insulation properties, connects, fastens and glues different parts, is convenient for installation work, and has practical packaging. When it expands, you can qualitatively seal joints and seams; after hardening, you do not need to pay attention to it in the future.

Previously, an alternative to this material was cement mortar, but its production is a labor-intensive and time-consuming process. Due to its 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:

1. First of all, you should pay attention to ensure that the product does not turn out to be a fake. The main criterion here is the country of origin.
2. When purchasing a product in a store, you need to pay attention to the production date and the indicated shelf life.
3. You need to check the weight of the cylinder before you buy, as well as the cleanliness of its valve, in order to avoid purchasing a used product.
4. The purchase of polyurethane foam depends on the time of year.
5. It must be taken into account that the volume of substance released from the cylinder has the same dimensions and does not differ in consistency.
6. Main criterion good product– after it has been applied to a vertical surface, it should not slide off walls and window surfaces.
7. The sealant is applied to the surface by uniformly squeezing out the substance and at a constant speed.
8. Foam is sold in aerosol cans made of metal. They are lightweight, easy to use and have a high concentration of content - more than 40 liters of foam are obtained from one package when used.
9. 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 successfully hardens 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 deteriorate the quality of work, you need to know certain subtleties.

• Firstly, installation work is carried out in the absence low temperatures. According to expert advice, 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. The exceptions are winter views foam.
• Secondly, you only need to carry out the work while wearing gloves. They allow you to avoid contamination of your hands and, as a result, a long process of cleaning from the foam solution. Workers often miss this rule, which is quite dangerous. Therefore, questions often arise.
• Third, don't try to work with foam everywhere. If you need to fill a gap with a width of 1 to 8 cm, then using polyurethane foam is acceptable and approved. In the case where the slot size is larger size, then it is better to use alternative materials, such as plastic, brick or foam. If less than a centimeter, you can use 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).
• Fourthly, before applying the foam, it is advisable to water the space to be sealed. Hardening and polymerization of the foam occurs much faster and more efficiently when the ambient humidity ranges from 60 to 80 percent.
• Fifthly, shake the container well before starting work. This should not last 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 can in our hands. 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. This is the position in which the balloon is used when installation work. This subtlety is very important because the gas displacing the foam is very light and the entire mixture is mixed more efficiently when the cylinder is positioned upside down.

Now we apply the foam, taking into account the fact that it increases in volume. Therefore, apply foam to hollow space, no more than a third is necessary. After some time, the volume increases another 2-3 times and after that you can 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 ensures ease of application and the appearance of a base for fixing the sealant that has not yet hardened.

After applying the foam, it is sprayed with water to improve and more efficiently harden the process. When we see a shortage of foam at the joints, we need to wait a little time, about half an hour, for the bottom layer to harden, and then we can add it to the same places. But don’t try too hard; the excess won’t be needed anymore.

In one pass, the foam layer when applied has an acceptable size of three to four centimeters. In the case where the gap is larger, the foam is applied sequentially, layers are applied one after another.

After 8 hours have passed since the foam was applied, it will completely dry. You should not try to start arranging furniture, hanging wallpaper, or installing shelves immediately after applying the foam. In sealed joints, remove excess foam and cover with leveling agents ( best options– this is plaster, paint or cement).

You can also use polyurethane sealing tape as protection. This helps to increase the service life and prevents exposure to ultraviolet rays. You can use a spray gun for whitewashing, and then proceed to other stages of finishing work.

Quality check – saving time and money

The foam solution must be elastic and adhere well to the surface being treated. High-quality foam, after it has settled and hardened, will not disintegrate into small crumbs. To avoid unnecessary problems Before the material has completely hardened, you cannot touch it and start processing it, in order to avoid changes in the structure of the material itself and not to interfere with the polymerization process.

Available good quality work performed only if the material meets the relevant standards. Then you won’t have to redo the work of sealing the joints. It should be taken into account that there are cans 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 is enough for all the cracks than to buy several cheaper ones.

Polyurethane foam – excellent repair quality

When purchasing foam material, you need to remember that the use of the cylinder is designed for one-time use only. Based on this, there is no 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 complete this job. Otherwise, it is better to get advice from those who work in this field, or consult with a salesperson in a store.

Repeated use of a container with foam occurs only when an operation with sealant is carried out after a short time. In this case, upon completion of the first stage of work, treat the tube (gun) and valve with a liquid specially designed for this purpose to remove foam. But, as a rule, workers construction sites this method is not used.

1. To remove excess, you need to prepare a water sprayer and a knife to cut off the excess in advance.
2. If the foam ends up in unnecessary places, you can remove it with a soft acetone sponge.
3. Economical consumption of polyurethane foam will help avoid additional costs for cylinders.
4. The surface must be treated after applying foam after 4 hours. After 7-8 hours it will become more difficult to cut, and the hardening process will be completely completed.
5. The work should be done using a respirator; it will protect the human body from unnecessary chemicals. It also won’t hurt if the worker has glasses, gloves and overalls. So it's not an easy matter.
6. You should not wait until the foam becomes dark in color, as this indicates that a reaction to ultraviolet radiation has begun (initially it has a light yellow tint).
7. It is forbidden to use polyurethane foam near an open fire and store the cylinder under the influence of open sun rays(this is a common rule, but often it is not followed and there is a risk of running into the consequences of a fire and the arrival of firefighters). The sealant contains: various components, which may ignite. This can lead to very sad consequences. Foam has classes: fire-resistant, self-extinguishing or flammable (this must be found out in advance).
8. Problems also arise if the foam is applied to a dirty surface. To solve this problem, the surface to be treated is cleaned with a vacuum cleaner.
9. If the temperature outside the window is below plus 5 degrees, then the product’s viscosity may not be suitable for use due to non-compliance with standards. Also, the normal structure of the foam can be disrupted by an increase in ambient temperature to 30-35 degrees Celsius (an exception is all-season foam, which is suitable for use at temperatures from minus 10 to plus 40 degrees).
10. If you take the risk of using summer foam in winter, you run the risk of getting foam that crumbles and has glassy bubbles. It begins to creep down, which means money wasted. For information, the all-season solution has a temperature range of up to minus 10 degrees for the contents of the cylinder and minus 5 for the temperature of the container

Provided that you have taken into account all the tips on how to use polyurethane foam without a gun that were mentioned here, you can proceed with complete confidence. construction work, which involve the use of polyurethane foam. Using foam material, you can carry out work on insulating distribution networks that have seals with different widths of seams and cracks, and it is also easy to fill excess voids in the walls. So you can safely begin high-quality repairs!

Video: HOW TO USE FOAM

Appearance in modern times construction industry new generation windows have opened up wide possibilities for the use of modern polyurethane-based sealant - polyurethane foam. It is designed to connect various elements structures among themselves. Installation plastic windows now we can no longer do without construction foam. Previously, window installation was characterized by inconvenience and increased labor-intensive sealing due to the use of tow on cement mortar, which ignored numerous small, inaccessible spaces. Polyurethane foam is able to fill them, thereby providing heat, sound insulation and sealing properties during installation. Filling voids and cracks in door and window blocks, water pipes, roofing materials and others building structures, polyurethane foam creates not only tightness and sound insulation by filling voids, but also reliable fixation of elements.

Features of polyurethane foam

Construction foam is usually stored in aerosol cans various capacities, since it is a mixture of polyurethane substance and gas under pressure in a ratio of 3/1. In this proportion, the foam easily fills any voids, cracks, or potholes.

The ability of polyurethane foam to provide the structure with thermal insulation, tightness and resistance to various kinds influences can be increased provided that it is taken into account that it can be destroyed under the influence of direct sunlight.

The advantage of construction foam is its relatively low cost. It can be used with almost everyone building materials– concrete, wood, plastic, glass, brick. The exceptions are plastic, Teflon, silicone, polyethylene. If foam is nevertheless applied to these materials, then their surface is pre-treated with acetone. Labor costs and time spent when working with polyurethane foam are insignificant due to its rapid polymerization.

Note! The disadvantages of polyurethane foam include its chemical base (requires ventilation of living quarters and the use of protective equipment - gloves, a respirator - when working with aerosol), instability to ultraviolet rays and natural precipitation - rain, snow. Therefore, cracks filled with polyurethane foam must be covered with paint, sealant, or covered with a platband.

It is also worth noting that the cost of a pneumatic gun for a foam cylinder is much higher than the cost of the cylinder itself, but thanks to its repeated use, it will quickly pay for itself.

Polyurethane foam can be one- and two-component. When one-component foam is sprayed, a chemical reaction occurs to form polyurethane foam, which can transform into a solid consistency in an environment with 35% humidity, the volume of which increases by 250%. Temperature environment should vary between +5-+35 degrees Celsius. Ideally, the air temperature should be 20 degrees, air humidity – 60-80%.

Note! There are types of specialized foam that are used in winter conditions(at sub-zero temperature), but under the main condition - sufficient air humidity. Otherwise, the polyurethane foam will not harden.

Operating principle

Before you understand how to apply polyurethane foam, it is important to know the principle of its formation. In an aerosol can, polyurethane foam is contained in the form of polyurethane ingredients, which are placed in the center of the container. In its lower part there are diisocyanates, in the upper part there is gas. The main condition for using the contents of the can is to mix the components, so before applying the foam, the can should be shaken thoroughly. Under the influence of gas, the foam is forced out of the container, increases in volume due to the interaction of polyurethane and diisocyanates, and then absorbs moisture from the environment and hardens, forming a dense plastic.

Note! It takes at least 8 hours for the foam to harden (polymerize), and 2 days for complete drying. After drying, the foam exhibits some shrinkage of 5% or more (household sealant gives 50% shrinkage). The smallest shrinkage (5%) is allowed by foam applied using a pneumatic gun.

Surface preparation and material handling

Depending on the scope of work, preference is given to either polyurethane foam with a tube in the cylinder valve (“amateur”), or its application using a pneumatic gun (“professional”). By chemical composition such foams are no different from each other. For sealing small cracks, an “amateur” package with a tube is suitable, which becomes unusable a few hours after use due to the foam hardened in it. “Professional” packaging with a special thread on the valve for attaching a gun is important in the case of a large volume of “delicate” work, where precise, economical dosing is required in hard-to-reach places.

When applying foam, the following operating procedure should be followed:

• Remove debris (chips, etc., old foam is removed mechanically) from places where foam was applied. Foam is used for cracks 2-8 cm wide. Gaps up to 2 cm are sealed with a different sealant, cracks wider than 8 cm are reduced.
• Use a spray bottle to moisten the surface on which the polyurethane foam will be applied, avoiding dripping moisture.
• The temperature of the foam container must match the air temperature. To do this, the balloon is lowered for several hours into a container with water at the desired temperature.
• Shake the can for 1 minute to allow the foam components to react chemically.
• Apply foam from bottom to top with smooth movements to 1/3 of the crack. The cylinder should be in an upside down position.
• Deep cracks and large voids are filled with foam layer by layer or 50% with breaks of 10 minutes for the foam to swell. The diameter of the foam jet is 1 cm. During breaks, as well as during storage, the cylinder should always be in a vertical position.
• After removing the gun from the cylinder, you need to clean them of any remaining foam using a special solution, use technical Vaseline to treat the screw, socket and barrel of the gun.

After the foam has hardened, its excess is removed with a knife, the places where it is applied are protected from environmental influences with a layer of paint, sealant or putty, or covered with a platband.

Video

How to work with gun foam, see below: