How to work with polyurethane foam without a gun, valuable recommendations from professionals. How to use mounting foam? Screw the tube to the balloon with polyurethane foam

Mounting foam- a unique building material that combines ease of use, speed of installation, a variety of application surfaces, and has heat and sound insulation. Even those who have never been involved in construction will be able to perform installation work with high quality, knowing the secrets of choosing and applying foam.

Features of choice

There are several types of mounting foam on the market. It is selected depending on the season when the work is done (summer, winter, all-weather) and purpose (professional and household). For rooms where there is a risk of fire, fire-resistant foam is used.

No matter what type of foam is chosen, it is important to pay attention to the expiration date. If it comes to an end, you should refrain from buying: the foam will not expand, become loose and will exit the cylinder under less pressure or not come out at all. Foam is usually stored for no more than one and a half years (the exact information is indicated on the package), so you should not buy foam for future use.

Application of mounting foam

Before applying the foam, the surface is cleaned of dirt and dust and moistened. This is necessary for the foam to consolidate, expand and harden. It is better to moisten the surface with a spray bottle, brush or rag. It is important to moisten the surface, and not to wet it excessively. Shake the can for at least 30 seconds before applying. This will provide a better connection of the components included in the composition, which means that the foam will better show its properties for the quality of the connecting seam: it will be dense and voluminous.

When applying, the balloon is turned over and held upside down. If in this position it is difficult to foam hard-to-reach seams, a flexible plastic tube of a suitable diameter is attached to the guide. You can attach a rail to it, which acts as a homemade handle.

If a guide tube is not attached to the balloon, you can make it yourself using heat shrink. It is put on the cylinder, warmed up at the junction, a washer is installed on top.

When foaming a thin gap, heat shrink tubing will also help: it is put on the guide tube and heated until it reaches desired diameter. If such a tube is not at hand, the tip of the plastic tube, put on the guide, is heated and stretched to the required size.

The foam hardens faster if, after installation, it is sprayed with water from a spray bottle. This is also done when it is necessary to close a large gap of about 10 cm. So that the foam does not fall under its own weight and lays down evenly, the application is carried out sequentially: one layer is wetted with water, dries for 10-15 minutes, after that a second one is applied and then until those until the gap is closed.

Excess foam is removed with a clerical knife or a bread knife with a serrated blade.

For economical use of foam, uniform application and convenience, specialists use a professional gun. For the same purposes, a disposable one is enough in everyday life, but it will also last a long time if you know certain nuances. After work, the cylinder is turned over to its normal position and the valve is pressed to remove excess foam. The one that remains at the tip of the tube is easily removed with a simple self-tapping screw: it is screwed into the frozen foam and taken out with it.

If during installation the foam got on uncovered surfaces, acetone will help to remove it. It is necessary to wait until it is completely dry, and, using a nail polish remover, wipe it off until it is completely eliminated.

Ways to use mounting foam

Foam is used not only as a sealant and insulation, but also as an adhesive. In this role, the foam copes with the attachment decorative elements and is applied in the same way as ordinary glue. The parts are tightly compressed together, and after drying, it is provided reliable connection. Recommendations for the surfaces of parts to be glued are the same as for installation: wooden, concrete, plastered and glass surfaces lend themselves well.

For storage and transportation of fragile items, a protective case can be made from polyurethane foam. To do this, select the capacity right size and molds and filled halfway with foam. A film is laid out on which the object itself is placed. Another layer of film is laid on top and foam is applied.

After drying, the protective case can be used, but the valuable item should be wrapped in polyethylene.

Mounting foam is used for

When it becomes necessary to fill cracks, holes, seams, various voids, during repair or construction works ah, mounting foam is used first of all. This material is widely used as a heater. You can use polyurethane foam with almost any material: stone, iron, wood, plastic. Instructions on how to use construction foam and its properties will be considered in the article below..

Polyurethane foam properties

The main property of the substance, providing it with widespread use, is a high degree of filling and excellent adhesion. The expansion coefficient in this case varies from 10 to 60%. Hardening occurs due to the interaction of the material with moisture and air. Gas is also added to the balloon, with the help of which pressure is created to displace the substance. The main components are methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), a polyol, a foaming 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 have a strong difference from this, but the way the foam exits the cylinder is different. When using professional cylinders, a mounting gun is required: a device that controls the flow 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 curing period is 8 to 12 hours.

Correct use

A can of household 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 printed on the conditions of use and preparation for operation.

The capacity is 600-800 milliliters. Included with the non-professional cylinder is a disposable tube with special notches made of PVC. Thanks to the notches, the length of the tube can be shortened, and in 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 intensively shaken and the cap is removed, which serves as a kind of fuse. Then it remains only to screw the plastic tube onto the threaded part of the cylinder, which comes with it and has an internal thread.

It is important to note: the straw can be used several times. It has a collapsible design and is easily 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 not be sufficient, so additional wetting is applied.

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

The process itself is as follows. The edge of the tube is placed approximately at a distance of five centimeters from the place that needs to be filled. I would like to draw attention to the fact that about half of the required volume is filled due to the expansion of the substance. The material is extruded with wavy movements. As the substance increases in size, excess is formed, which is cut off with a sharp knife, after hardening.

Usage Precautions

Building foam is a difficult material to use. Since it contains toxic substances, the working area must be well ventilated. This is a flammable material, so it must not be exposed to flames. When applying it, it is necessary to regulate the pressure force, it is necessary to press evenly so that the contents come out in an equal amount.

The substance, if it comes into contact with 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 make attempts 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 may be noted:

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

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

instrument.guru

For professional builders, the question of how to use mounting 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 who have a different profession (and are engaged in repairs from time to time), interest in the problem becomes very relevant.

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

Of course, there are those who like to do everything themselves (often forced to become so due to lack of money or for some other reason), but they also leave behind mostly those repairs that require neither special equipment nor special skills. So even such enthusiasts may not always have a construction pistol.

Call the master to close up a small hole - not serious. Most builders will not come on such a call: the road will take more time than the work (the cost is cheap), and simply - it is 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 this.

How to use mounting foam without a gun? Solving the problem becomes unambiguously important. Since something needs to be done, but I don’t want to accumulate minor imperfections so that the master agrees to come. You will have to learn the procedure yourself.

(banner_content)

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

• Professional foam. It is injected 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 pressure will be too high.
• Foam for home use. Volume from 600 to 800 ml. The tubing must be included. All technical specifications correspond to professional ones, and the cylinder may well be adapted to work under a pistol. To fill in small recesses and correct installation flaws - that's it.

The cost of a household option will be slightly cheaper than a professional one, although the amount of foam is less. But this is the cost of production.

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

• put on protective gloves- unless, of course, you are going to look after for tips on how to remove mounting foam from your hands.


• The blown place is cleaned. All dust and accumulated debris is removed. If the gap is large (or deep), Styrofoam scraps are stuffed into it. If you are dealing with a door or window frame, insert additional wooden spacers. When they are no longer needed, they can be removed or cut 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 slot are wetted. They should be well drenched, but drops of moisture should not drain.
• The protective cap is removed from the cylinder. The tube attached to it is mounted on the corresponding protrusion.
• The outer opening of the nozzle is brought to 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 of exit from the balloon, but also for some time after that, so that it will fill the gap sufficiently.
• After 30 min. the place to be closed is again inspected. If noticeable cavities remain, foam is again blown into them. But usually with manual filling, the opposite happens - the foam gets out significantly beyond the set limits, so that repeated approaches are not required.

After 8 hours when the foam has completely hardened, the bubbles formed outside the hole to be sealed are cut off with a sharp knife.

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to do without an excess of foam. Even with the use of a gun, a lot of foam is superfluous. At manual way its application usually such excesses are much larger.

Perhaps they will outweigh your reluctance to buy it. 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 doses, under the same pressure and even jet, 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 with a gun, installing a door requires only 1 cylinder, then without it, the same work will take 3 (and sometimes more) from you. In addition, not all professional cylinders can work without a gun. That is, you will have to buy household ones, of a smaller volume, but costing about the same. In recalculation, the volume of used foam becomes more expensive by 1.5 times.

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

Of course, it’s not worth buying equipment for random moments, since you can still use mounting 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. 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 we will consider it in more detail and step by step:

1. Surface cleaning and preparation. Before applying the foam, it is necessary to carefully check all the cracks and holes for the presence of small debris and, if necessary, degrease the surface with acetone.
2. Surface moistening. For hardening, the mounting foam needs contact with moist air, therefore, before using the spray can, the surfaces must be moistened - an ordinary spray gun is quite suitable for this purpose.
3. Preparing the foam bottle. A little trick - before using the foam, you need to hold the foam for several hours in water with a temperature of about 20 ° C - after this procedure, it will be better to lie down. Before starting work, shake the bottle for a minute so that all components are evenly mixed - this will ensure maximum foam output.


4. Attaching a tube or gun to a cylinder. The tube is simply screwed onto the valve, but with a gun the situation is somewhat more complicated - we will consider the issue of its choice and use below.
5. Foam work. According to the correct technology, the mounting foam is applied in small segments (about 10 cm) in the direction 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 processed. 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.
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
Foam hole wider than 3cm	Mounting foam must be applied in several stages, waiting for the hardening of each of the layers. Before re-applying 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, back side usually filled with silicone sealant.
Installation of door and window frames	To reduce the pressure on the structures, the use of dowels and additional spacers is recommended (they are removed after hardening). Otherwise, the foam, expanding, can thoroughly warp 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 unusable. With professional foam, such problems do not arise, but there are some nuances.

Mounting gun: price or quality

The professional gun provides precise and metered application of mounting foam, reusable cylinder and accuracy at work. There are many modifications of such a tool, but the device diagram 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 at the exit of the foam, which, in turn, guarantees a good volume.
2. Barrel (tube) - the channel through which the foam comes out. It can be one-piece or collapsible (two parts), which simplifies the care of the instrument.
3. Adapter - an adapter for connection with the neck of the foam cylinder. In high-quality models, it is covered with Teflon.
4. Adjusting unit - allows you to dose the foam output and its pressure.
5. Mounting 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 - serves to adjust the supply of mounting foam.
7. Handle - made of various types of plastic and metals. Aluminum handles are considered the most reliable and comfortable.

The principle of operation of the mounting gun is based on simple mechanics: 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 foam. The regulating mechanism allows you to control the amount of foam supply.

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:

1. The quality of the materials from which the gun is made. It's better if it's made entirely of solid metals. Meet quality models made of plastic, but this is a rarity.
2. Detachable Design: Monolithic guns are cheaper, but the price of a demountable tool will pay for itself many times over with cleaning and replacement of parts.
3. 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 gun onto a bottle of cleaning fluid, press the trigger to let it in, then remove it and leave it for a couple of days. If, after this time, acetone shoots when the trigger is pressed, the pressure is normal. If not, you can return the defective product to the store, acetone does not leave any marks on the surface of the barrel.

Gun foam - professional use for beginners

With the right gun and accessories (foam remover/cleaner and petroleum jelly) selected, you can get to work.

Initial installation of the gun

To install the gun, it is necessary to unscrew until it stops. fixing screw, lubricate the socket with technical vaseline and fix the balloon. It is important to ensure that the adjusting unit is at the minimum foam flow rate. Then the cylinder is turned over to the working position (upside down) and the supply of the composition is regulated - a couple of test clicks are made to release excess air and check the pressure.

The rules for applying foam remain the same: in small strips 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 ensure that the cylinder is not in a horizontal position, both during use and during breaks.

Foam bottle replacement

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

• to release pressure, pull the trigger of the gun;
• attach the bottle with the cleaner to the gun;
• turning the balloon over, press the trigger for 10 seconds;
• repeat several times until clear liquid comes out of the tube;
• lubricate the parts of the gun with technical vaseline.

When storing the mounting 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 take into account such points as its chemical composition and increased “stickiness” to different surfaces. Therefore, it is extremely important to use protective equipment - a work suit and gloves.

We cover our tracks

Mounting foam is one of the most difficult materials to remove: if it has already got on fabric, leather or other surfaces, it is quite difficult to clean them. But it's worth a try.

Surface	fresh foam	hardened foam
Hand skin	Carefully removed with a sponge, the remains are removed with improvised means - scrub, acetone, thinner, gasoline, saturated saline	Removed only mechanically. Usually loses its properties and falls off after 2-3 days
Textile	It is collected with a stick, the 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. Stained spots are removed with stain removers.
PVC (frames, window sills)	Carefully removed, the surface is wiped with a special cleaner for PVC	Carefully cut off, the surface is wiped with a special cleaner for PVC (usually marked - for installing windows)
Floor covering (linoleum, laminate, parquet)	Remove the foam with a spatula, collect the rest with a sponge moistened with a cleaner. Spots may appear! WITH wooden surfaces they are removed by grinding, while varnished coatings cannot be cleaned off - they will have to be replaced.	After cutting off the foam, the residues are carefully dissolved with a special cleaner or Dimexide preparation (sold in pharmacies). It is necessary to work with such substances with gloves - potent components can cause burns!

As you already know, mounting foam is not designed to seal holes smaller than 1 cm - it is better to fill such gaps with silicone sealants.

Alexander Birzhin, rmnt.ru

rmnt.mirtesen.ru

Rules for working with mounting foam

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

• Determine at what temperature the work will be performed. This is necessary in order to choose the right 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 abandon work if the temperature in the room is above thirty degrees or the air is noticeably humid. Both of these factors have a bad effect on adhesion (setting). Under normal conditions (at normal temperature and humidity), it is even recommended to spray a little water on the surface of the seam before working with foam - this speeds up the reaction with oxygen.
• After being removed from the cylinder, the foam increases in volume by about 3 times, therefore, the foamed areas are filled by no more than a third.

Over application

• If the gap to be sealed is wide (8-10 cm or more), then the use of foam will not work. 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 it - you want to get an expensive and unreliable seam, or it is easier to reduce it with bricks or large gravel 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 there is a chance 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. Full solidification occurs after about eight hours.

Front further work the excess is cut off

• When the mounting foam completely hardens, this material will not be susceptible to either 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 work with foam if 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 here - there is an ordinary “household” cylinder at hand, or one designed for use with a pistol.

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

Don't forget 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 have to find a tube for the foam to come out and decide how to press the valve. It can be figuratively represented as follows - it is required to release air from the bicycle chamber so that it all gets into desired point(without touching hands).

In such cases, the tube is stripped from three parts: flexible-solid-flexible. The valve is pressed with the strong part, the first soft part does not allow the foam to splash, and the tube already brings it to the treatment site.

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

This 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 plastic, because the latter begins to melt under the influence of toluene. As a result - a layer of foam "eats" a hole for itself and falls into it - the work will have to be redone.

If you need to glue the foam to the surface, then this property of toluene is only at hand, because it literally “welds” the sheet to the wall. By the way, this is widely used when leveling walls with drywall without a frame - gluing the sheets directly onto brick or concrete with a “montage”.

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

Benefits of using a foam gun, how it works

Choosing a gun is easy - the more metal parts in the device, the better. Pay special attention to the places that are subjected to the greatest stress - this is the place where the cylinder is attached and the foam release valve.

professional pistol

In general, the design is simple:

1. Cylinder attachment with valve pin. The balloon is put on either by screwing on the thread or by a latch;
2. trigger mechanism that opens the feed;
3. Screw - regulates the flow;
4. Feeding tube through which the contents of the cylinder are brought out;
5. Lever.

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

There are many more positive aspects:

1. Convenience. Whatever tube the “household” cylinder is supplied with, it will lose compared to a specialized tool.
2. Consumption. The professional gun is equipped with an adjusting screw, which is convenient to tighten during operation. You will have to endure the exit from the domestic cylinder yourself by pressing the valve, which inevitably leads to an overrun by 2-3 times.
3. Accuracy. The nozzle of the gun is much narrower than any straw, 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 buy 3-5 bottles of foam, then it’s better to stock up on an application device.

In domestic conditions, the need for special tools does not always arise. If you suddenly need to repair the seal or insulation in a small area, and there is no foam gun at hand, you can try to do without it. This will help you avoid unnecessary expenses. However, you should first find out how mounting foam behaves without a gun and how to use it correctly.

There are two classes of mounting foam:

• domestic;
• professional.

By technical specifications both types of materials are similar, however, differences still exist. First of all, it should be noted the volume of the cylinders. So, household foam is usually offered in small quantities (up to 800 ml). The kit includes a small piece of tubing with a small cross section. The pressure level in the tank is relatively low. This allows you to reduce material consumption in cases where you plan to use a foam bottle without a gun.

Professional material can be bought in volumes from 1.5 liters, in addition, it is used for large-scale tasks: sealing window and doorways, sealing large gaps. The foam is contained under high pressure, so it is very difficult to apply it correctly without a gun. There is one more nuance. So, the outlet of a professional cylinder is equipped with a fastener: a threaded cap (bayonet). At this point, the gun is installed.

Subtleties of application

First you need to determine what type of material to use: household, professional foam. If you plan to process a large area, you need to take into account the volume of the cylinder. Household-class products from some manufacturers are sometimes of poorer quality than their professional counterparts. For this reason, in order to solve more serious tasks it is better to choose the last option. Possible ways to apply foam without a gun:

• Professional grade material is used, for which the tube is used. You should be prepared for the fact that under high pressure the foam will come out in excess.
• Use household material, fixing a tube on the valve, which is equipped with a balloon.
• Professional foam is used by attaching two tubes of different sections: first a larger one, then a smaller diameter tube is inserted into it and well fixed. This will reduce material consumption.

Preparation for work

The site to be processed must be put in order. Having figured out how to work with mounting foam without a gun, perform simple manipulations:

1. Remove any dirt: dust, dirt. If the gap is quite large, it is pre-filled with foam, which will provide improved thermal insulation qualities in this area and will reduce foam consumption. Using a material such as foam, it is recommended to seal gaps no more than 8 cm in width.
2. The site is moistened with water, for which it is better to use a spray gun, then the surface will be moistened evenly.
3. Control conditions environment. Work is best done at an air temperature of +5 to +20 degrees. The maximum upper limit is +30 degrees. But in cold conditions, another type of mounting foam is used - frost-resistant.

The procedure must be carried out in protective equipment. Gloves and goggles are usually sufficient.

Tip: If the material contains toluene, you should also wear a respirator.

Instructions for applying foam without a gun

The principle of work is similar to that when using a special tool. If mounting foam will be used without a gun, how to properly use the tube that comes with the kit? Step-by-step instruction:

It takes an average of 8 hours to fully cure the foam. Do not worry if, after this period of time, swelling appears on the treated area. They can be cut with a clerical or ordinary sharp knife.

Tip: After drying and removing excess foam, be sure to cover it with putty or other material, otherwise the composition will gradually collapse under the influence of sunlight.

Disadvantages of the foam application process without a gun

When deciding which method to choose, you need to consider both positive and negative points in each of the cases. Of course, the use of a specialized tool greatly simplifies the task. But the process of sealing with a tube without a gun has its drawbacks:

• Large consumption of material. It is necessary to control the intensity and duration of pressing the valve. And still, significant pressure contributes to the appearance of an excess amount of foam. As a result, 2-3 times more material is required per area, while professional foam is consumed less intensively. This factor determines financial expenses- they are increasing.
• If you plan to use professional foam, you need to remember that it will not always be possible to install a tube. Simply the balloon will not give out foam.
• Waste of time. To keep in correct position flexible tube, and with it the cylinder valve, will take more time. In addition, you need to remember the need to constantly monitor the amount of foam that appears at the exit. If the use of a gun makes it possible to complete the sealing in 10-15 seconds, self-treatment without a specialized tool will take about 15 minutes.

There is one more nuance. So, disposable mounting foam should be purchased in the right amount, which will avoid unnecessary expenses, otherwise the rest of the material will simply be thrown away. For this reason, it is sometimes easier to buy a small volume can and fill the gaps with foam using the tube that comes with the kit.

At present, practically, with any type of construction or repair work mounting foam is widely used. This convenient material is widely used in the arrangement of door and window openings, the installation of plumbing fixtures, the sealing of window sills and in the case of other similar manipulations.

In addition, a universal sealant is often used in the manufacture of heat-insulating panels, it is filled different kind cavities and cracks in building structures. The main advantage of this building material is the versatility of application. Using it is easy and convenient.

Foam, gun and cleaner - the main attributes of working with polyurethane foam

What is mounting foam

This sealing material comes in household and professional varieties. Their performance characteristics comparable, the main differences are in the volume of containers in which one or another type of packaging is packaged. Household foam is produced in cylinders with a capacity of up to eight hundred milliliters, equipped with a small section tube. The internal pressure does not reach large values, this helps to reduce the consumption of the active substance even when using the canister without special devices.

Professional foam is labeled accordingly

Sealant for professional use is available in cylinders with a capacity of one and a half liters and is designed to perform large-scale work on sealing doors, windows, filling large cavities, and so on. The pressure inside the container is very high, so it is difficult to apply the material correctly without special tools. The exit opening of the professional capper is supplied with a mount for installing a pistol sprayer.

Preparation for applying the material

The elements to be processed must be prepared before applying the mounting foam. To do this, perform the following manipulations:

• The surface is thoroughly cleaned of building dirt and degreased. If the width of the cavity exceeds eight centimeters, it is recommended to fill it with foam to reduce the consumption of mounting foam and improve the heat-insulating properties.
• The treated area is moistened. To do this, it is better to use a spray, then the surface will be wetted evenly.
• The ambient temperature is monitored. Foam can be applied in the range of positive temperatures from five to twenty degrees Celsius. The upper limit is thirty degrees. In case of frost, a material resistant to low temperatures is used.

Winter foam designed to work at low temperatures

When working, you must comply with safety requirements. All manipulations are performed with goggles and gloves. The respirator is used in the presence of toluene in the composition of the active substance.

Working with a can with a straw

You can work without a gun as follows. Shake the foam can vigorously before starting. Then the tubing included in the kit is screwed onto the adapter, and the container is turned upside down. This is done due to the fact that the displacing gas is much lighter than the active substance, and with this position of the cylinder, all the components of the material are better mixed and exit the container.

Rules for applying foam with a straw

When applying foam, it must be taken into account that the material increases significantly in volume during solidification, and therefore the cavity should be filled no more than a third of its depth. The resulting excess can always be cut off with a long sharp knife.

It is necessary to moisten with water not only the surface to be treated, but also the sealant itself, so it will set faster.

The thickness of the applied material should not exceed four centimeters. Before continuing work, it is necessary to wait about thirty minutes for the previous layer to harden. Final curing will occur after eight hours. It must be admitted that using mounting foam without a gun is not always convenient. The following video will help resolve the remaining questions.

Benefits of using gun foam

The use of pistol foam compared to the use of household cans has several advantages. The main one is the precisely adjusted amount of sealing material supplied to the treated surface. In addition, quite long breaks in work are possible. The mounting foam in the pistol device does not harden much longer than in a can with a straw.

Pistol foam is easier to work with

The long barrel of the gun allows you to process hard-to-reach places, the foam supply through the nozzle is much smoother than through a plastic tube. This is very important when layer-by-layer filling of large cavities and, if necessary, vertical application of sealant.

The plasticity indicators of professional foam are better than those of household foam, due to this and a more accurate dosage, the material is consumed more economically.

The productivity of labor with the use of a gun is greatly increased. This is especially important when performing large-scale construction work.

How the gun works

The foam gun is quite simple to set up. Main constituent parts his designs are:

• Threaded or snap-on mounting on containers with polyurethane foam. It has a valve with a pin.
• Foam opening mechanism. It is made in curd form.
• Material supply control device. It is made in the form of a screw.
• outlet tube. Through it, foam is supplied.
• Pistol grip. It should fit comfortably in your hand.

The quality of the gun determines the ease of use

The more metal parts in the gun, the more reliable it is to use. In particular, this applies to the details of its design, which are subjected to the greatest operational loads.

Preparation and replacement of the cartridge, installation of the gun

Before you install the can on the gun, the material must be prepared. To do this, the following procedures are performed:

• The container is heated in water to operating temperature and vigorously shaken to bring the active substance to a homogeneous consistency. This is done for a uniform output of the material.
• The pistol device is located down with the handle, the cylinder is screwed on top or snapped into place with the protective cap previously removed. A hissing sound indicates the beginning of the foam exit process.
• With the adjustment screw, when the trigger mechanism is pressed, foam of normal density is achieved. The first portions are sent to a plastic bag to bleed excess air from the system.

Even with a small amount of work, it is difficult to do without a foam cleaner

Before replacing the cylinder, the design details of the pistol device must be cleaned of contaminants. For this, the following manipulations are performed:

• the trigger mechanism is pressed to relieve excess pressure in the system;
• a container with a cleaning solution is installed on the pistol device;
• several times for about ten seconds, washing is carried out until a clear solution comes out;
• structural elements are lubricated.

Rules for working with gun foam

Pistol foam is applied to the treated surfaces evenly in the direction from the left to the right or vertically from the bottom to the top. The cavity is filled by half or a third of the volume in accordance with the coefficient of expansion of the material. If it is necessary to seal the seams on the ceiling, the barrel of the gun is extended with a flexible tube so that the cartridge is placed under the ceiling. The length of the applied layer should not exceed ten, and the thickness - four centimeters. The next layer is applied after the initial hardening of the previous one.

When grouting ceilings, the benefits of using a gun are even more noticeable

Pistol foam expands as it cures and presses on adjacent planes, which can cause them to deform. As a result, if there is a need to fill through gaps, mounting foam is poured only on one side, and on the opposite side, a different sealant is used, most often based on silicone.

In the process of performing work, it is necessary to ensure that the end of the gun barrel is always placed inside the applied layer of sealing material. The cured foam is cleaned with a rag moistened with acetone or other solvent. A specially selected video clearly demonstrates the described process.

Curing time and seams

Complete curing of the mounting foam occurs eight hours after its application. All this time, it is not necessary to exert a mechanical effect on its surface, since the internal structure of the sealing material may undergo undesirable changes. After this time, excess mounting foam is cut off with a sharply sharpened cutting tool or a hacksaw. If this is done prematurely, the quality of the seam itself may be impaired, it may sag and fall inward. To accelerate the hardening of the sealing material, it is recommended to moisten it with a spray gun.

Stages of processing, protection and finishing after applying mounting foam

Polyurethane foam has excellent heat and sound insulating performance, but the surface of the seams formed by this material does not look very nice. As a result, in most cases they are decorative processing putty, cement mortar, paint or other finishing building material.

Cured sealant withstands significant temperature fluctuations in the environment, but decomposes under the influence of ultraviolet radiation when exposed to direct sunlight. As a result, the surface of the joints formed by the mounting foam is painted, plastered, covered with architraves or protected from solar radiation in some other way.

Polyurethane foam is a very practical and convenient material, the advantages of which are appreciated not only by professionals, but also by home craftsmen. However, there are little tricks that will help you expand the scope of its use or apply the foam more intelligently.

Remember that mounting foam, like any other product, has a limited shelf life. When buying, be sure to check it on the bottom of the can.

Shake the can well before starting work, and keep it upside down while working with it. This is necessary so that the gas that squeezes the contents out is above the foam.

How to properly apply mounting foam

Since the polyurethane foam coming out of the can needs moisture for its effective expansion, which it mainly receives from the air, moisten the area to be treated with it a little beforehand. However, remember that excessive moisture can prevent it from sticking.

When the mounting foam has hardened, its excess is removed with a knife.

How to foam hard to reach places

If you need to foam some hard-to-reach place, it can be very difficult to work with the tube usually attached to the spray can. To perform such an operation, you can put a thin flexible hose on the regular tube of the can.

When the place to be treated with foam is too high, the end of the flexible hose can be fixed on some kind of holder or a regular stick. And don't forget to always keep the can upside down!

When foaming a very narrow gap, you can heat the extension hose with a match, pull and break it.

At the point of rupture, the diameter of the hose will be very small, which will guarantee high quality sealing of a small space.

What to do if the tube attached to the can is lost

If this much-needed tube is lost, then you can put heat shrink tube, and use a sufficiently wide washer as a distributing stop.

In this case, you can work with foam, as with a regular native pipe.

How can you clean drops of mounting foam

If you accidentally dripped foam somewhere, it is better not to smear it and wait for the foam mass to dry. Then simply peel off the hardened material. If a drop of foam is still smeared, use ordinary acetone, which will easily dissolve the polyurethane composition.

And further. Do not forget that mounting foam is a great and reliable adhesive!