Use a can of polyurethane foam without a gun. Working with polyurethane foam without a gun: how to use. How to foam hard-to-reach places

If a person dials search engine request “spray foam without a gun, how to use it,” then most likely he has never held a can of foam in his hands. Accordingly, this person did not have the opportunity to read the instructions printed on the cylinder. Well, let's fill this gap in the knowledge of beginners and conduct detailed instructions on the topic “How to use polyurethane foam without a gun."

No super actions are required - everything is extremely clear, simple and understandable.

Briefing

- the area must be clean from dust, dirt and various types of contaminants.

Anything that might fall off is removed. Dust must be cleaned up. She - main enemy for adhesion of foam and surface.

— immediately before applying the foam, the area must be moistened with water. We advise you not to neglect this point and the adhesion will be simply excellent.

— if we are talking about installing windows or doors, then they need to be secured so that the foam does not deform the structure. Spacers must be installed in advance, but not after foaming - polyurethane foam is afraid of vibration until it hardens.

Polyurethane foam has unique properties. Use it without a gun or with it - in any case, you will get excellent results if the manufacturer does not let you down with quality. But sometimes it also happens that the user himself made several or even one mistake, so he will complain not about his crooked hands, but about the brand of foam. Read everything written below and try to remember - these rules, tips and recommendations will be useful to you:

Instead of a conclusion

Polyurethane foam without or with a gun - the main thing is that the rules of use are fully observed. Then the result will be wonderful. As a last resort, if you don’t know how to use it and don’t remember our recommendations and advice, carefully read the instructions on the cylinder - everything is also written there in an accessible manner.

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

Properties of polyurethane foam

The main properties of the substance, which ensure its widespread use, are a high degree of filling and excellent adhesion. The expansion coefficient varies from 10 to 60%. Hardening occurs due to the interaction of the material with moisture and air. Gas is also added to the cylinder, which creates pressure to displace the substance. The main components are methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDI), polyol, blowing agent, and catalyst.

Varieties

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

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

Proper Use

A container with household polyurethane foam is intended for one-time use, so it is worth thinking about its effective use, since unused material will be lost. Polyurethane foam is usually produced in cylinders, tubes, on the surface of which information is applied about the conditions of use and preparation for operation.

The capacity is 600-800 milliliters. The non-professional cylinder comes with a disposable tube with special PVC notches. 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, shake the cylinder vigorously and remove the cap, which serves as a kind of fuse. Then all that remains is to screw the plastic tube that comes with it and has an internal thread onto the threaded part of the cylinder.

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

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

How to use polyurethane foam without a gun? Let's consider the recommendations:

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

Precautions for use

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

Once the substance gets on the surface, it is very difficult to remove and can subsequently damage the coating. If it gets into unwanted areas, you must wait until it hardens, and only then attempt 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 clear glasses. Gloves are used to protect hands, as the foam has excellent adhesion to the skin.

Disadvantages and advantages of household construction foam

The following can be noted:

• increased material consumption due to the impossibility of accurately dosing its output;
• difficulties during work: the cylinder has to be held upside down, by the girth, which puts stress on the arms and leads to fatigue;
• the cost is usually cheaper compared to professional;
• satisfactory work result.

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

instrument.guru

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

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

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

Call a repairman to fix a small hole - not serious. Most builders will not come to such a call: the journey will take more time than the work (the cost is a pittance), and it’s simply not interesting for a professional to perform such primitive actions. And all sorts of agencies ala “Husband for an hour” will charge quite a bit for this.

How to use polyurethane foam without a gun? Solving the problem becomes clearly important. Because something needs to be done, but I don’t want to accumulate small imperfections so that the master agrees to come. You'll have to learn the procedure yourself.

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

• Professional foam. It is pumped into cylinders with a volume of one and a half liters. It comes out of the package under high pressure, although sometimes it comes with straws for manual use. It is irrational to take it for use without a gun: the consumption due to the pressure will be too high.
• Foam for household use. Volume from 600 to 800 ml. The tube is necessarily included in the kit. All technical characteristics correspond to professional ones, and the cylinder can be easily adapted to work under a pistol. For filling small cavities and correcting installation defects, this is it.

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

It’s not much different from a professional construction gun – we just take the gun out of the equation.

• Wear protective gloves - unless, of course, you are going to look for tips on how to remove polyurethane foam from your hands.
• The area to be blown is cleaned. All dust and accumulated debris is removed. If the gap is large (or deep), foam scraps are stuffed into it. If you are dealing with a door or window frame– insert additional wooden spacers. When they become unnecessary, they can be removed or cut down flush.
• The container is shaken for 30-60 seconds, as indicated in the instructions. This will make its contents more uniform, and the foam output will become much more intense.
• The internal planes of the crack are wetted. They should be well soaked, but drops of moisture should not drain.
• The protective cap is removed from the cylinder. The tube attached to it is attached to the corresponding protrusion.
• The outer hole of the nozzle is brought at a distance of 5-7 cm to the desired location and the valve is pressed. The hole is filled by 30-50%: the foam expands not only at the moment it leaves the balloon, but also for some time after that, so that it fills the gap sufficiently.
• After 30 min. The area to be repaired is inspected again. If noticeable cavities remain, foam is blown into them again. But usually, when filling manually, the opposite happens - the foam significantly extends 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 sharp knife.

Unfortunately, it will not be possible to do without excess foam. Even with a gun, a lot of foam turns out to be unnecessary. At manual way Its application usually results in much more such excess.

They may outweigh your reluctance to buy it. In any case, they will convince you to think about the tool if there are still minor repairs to be done.

Consumption. The gun releases foam in doses, under the same pressure and in an even stream, precisely aimed at Right place. Moreover, the jet is so thin that the foam bulges into huge bubbles only if you hold your hand over one place for a couple of seconds. 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, which are smaller in volume, but cost approximately the same. In recalculation, the volume of foam used becomes 1.5 times more expensive.

Time costs. A pistol 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 your hand gets tired, you stop to check how smoothly you are blowing, and the tube periodically tries to leave the trajectory.

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

remtra.ru

Foam with a 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 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 - a regular spray bottle is quite suitable for this purpose.
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 frames	To reduce the pressure on the structure, it is recommended to use dowels and additional spacers (they are removed after hardening). Otherwise, the foam, expanding, can 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 - 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 - serves 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.

The operating principle 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 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 is better if it is 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. Working pressure in the gun. 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 There is 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.

Replacing a foam bottle

Before installing a new cylinder or putting the gun into storage, you must thoroughly clean all surfaces from remnants 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 “stickiness” 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 - potent 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

rmnt.mirtesen.ru

Rules for working with polyurethane foam

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

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

Excess application

• If the gap that needs to be sealed is wide (8-10 cm or more), then using foam will not have an effect. The resulting surface will be brittle and break easily. In addition, we should not forget about the cost of this material, so it is important to weigh whether you want to get an expensive and unreliable seam, or is it easier to first reduce it with bricks or large crushed stone and then foam it.
• The correct position of the cylinder, with or without a gun, is upside down. Otherwise, the foam will come out with the wrong consistency, and there is a chance that not all of it will be used, because pressure is created 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 covered all the necessary space, then after initial hardening, which takes about half an hour, add a second layer on top. Complete hardening occurs after approximately eight hours.

Before further work, the excess is trimmed off

• When the polyurethane foam has completely hardened, this material will not be susceptible to moisture or temperature, but in any case the seam will have to be protected from direct contact. sun rays, 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 container. There are two options here - you have a regular “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. All that remains is to connect and use.

Don't forget to protect your eyes and hands

If you are going to use a professional cylinder designed for a pistol, then the question is more complicated, because you will have to find a tube for the foam to come out and decide how to press the valve. You can figuratively imagine this as follows: you need to release the air from the bicycle inner tube so that it all gets to the desired point (without catching your hands).

In such cases, a tube is cut out of three parts: flexible-hard-flexible. The hard part presses the valve, the first soft part does not allow the foam to splash, and the tube already brings it to the treatment site.

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

This design will have to be assembled for a professional cylinder

When and why you need to look for foam without toluene

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, the layer of foam “eats” a hole and falls into it - the work will have to be redone.

If you need to glue foam plastic to a surface, then this property of toluene is to your advantage, because it will literally “weld” the sheet to the wall. By the way, this is widely used when leveling walls with plasterboard without a frame - gluing the sheets directly onto brick or concrete with a “mounting tool”.

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

Advantages of using a spray foam gun and how it works

Choosing a gun is simple - the more metal parts in the device, the better. Pay special attention to the places that are subject to the greatest loads - this is the cylinder connection point and the foam release valve.

Professional pistol

In general, the design is simple:

1. Mounting the cylinder with a pin for the valve. The cylinder is put on either by screwing on the thread or with a latch;
2. A trigger mechanism that opens the feed;
3. Screw – regulates the feed;
4. Feed tube through which the contents of the cylinder are discharged out;
5. Lever.

Before refusing 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 cans of foam.

There are many more positive aspects:

1. Convenience. Whatever tube the “household” cylinder is supplied with, compared to specialized tool she will lose.
2. Consumption. The professional pistol is equipped with an adjusting screw, which is convenient to tighten during operation. Exit from household cylinder you will have to endure it yourself, pressing the valve, which inevitably leads to overspending by 2-3 times.
3. Accuracy. The nozzle of the gun is much narrower than any tube, so it is convenient to process even small seams without losing foam.

Of course, you can do without a gun if major work is not expected. But if you purchase 3-5 cans of foam, then it is better to stock up on an application device.

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 the light 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 term service, explains its indispensability during repair and construction work. 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 universal remedy, which 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 exception is winter types of 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 consequence, long process cleaning from 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’s 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, it is necessary to apply foam into the hollow space no more than a third. 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 permissible value three, 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, wallpapering, 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 must not touch it or 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 aerosol can at a higher price so that it will last all the way than buying 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 in open sunlight (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 that can be flammable. 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

Polyurethane-based polyurethane foam is indispensable for sealing cracks, holes, joints, heat and sound insulation, as well as for gluing various surfaces. It is not used when working with surfaces made of polypropylene, polyethylene, Teflon, silicone and wax. To understand how to use polyurethane foam, it is enough to understand the rules.

An assortment to choose from

Two types of polyurethane foam - semi-professional (household) and professional (pistol). Depending on the temperature conditions, winter, summer or off-season ones are selected.

For a small amount of simple work, a relatively cheap household one is suitable. It is sold together with a plastic tube, the output volume is smaller and is intended for one-time use, since after opening the container its contents dry out within 24 hours.

More expensive professional mounting mixture is sold complete with a special gun. It is designed for reusable use and precisely regulates the supplied volume of sealant.

High-quality pistols are made of metal and are completely dismountable. By rotating the adjusting screw located on the handle clockwise, the thickness of the supplied jet is reduced, and counterclockwise, it is increased.

Design of a special gun for polyurethane foam

This point is important because optimal diameter one applied layer after hardening is in the region of 3 cm. If a larger space is filled, then the sealant is applied in two or three layers with breaks for each of the applied layers to dry.

They take into account the fact that professional sealant shrinks less than household sealant .

Preparatory stage

In order for the use of mounting sealant to be effective, preliminary preparation is carried out, which includes the following:

• Before applying sealant, surfaces are cleaned of dust and debris. If necessary, degrease with acetone or solvent.
• For good interaction of the sealant with the surface, the latter is moistened abundantly, but at the same time make sure that no drops of moisture form on the treated surface.
• Adapt the temperature of the cylinder to the temperature of the room in which the finishing is carried out. To speed up this process, if the balloon is brought from the cold, place it in warm water for an hour and a half.
• Before use, shake the container vigorously 20-30 times to mix the components of the sealant. Then remove the protective cap and screw the tube onto it, and if it is a professional composition, screw the cylinder to the gun. Make sure that during installation the tube or nozzle of the gun is not facing towards people nearby.
• Wear a work suit, protective gloves and goggles.

Preparing to work with polyurethane foam

When working with a professional compound, which is used complete with a gun, before starting sealing, adjust the supply of sealant. The stream is adjusted during use by changing the force of pressing on the cap at the base of the tube.

Hardening occurs at temperatures from +5 to +35°C, air humidity of at least 60%. When working in the cold or in a dry space, hardening occurs in the presence of special additives in the composition. In this case, the sealant will harden at an air temperature of -10, or in conditions where air humidity reaches only 35%.

Rules and techniques for working with foam

To understand how to use foam correctly, you need to remember the rules.

The polyurethane foam is applied with measured, smooth movements from left to right and from bottom to top. The openings are not filled completely, but approximately half or one third, depending on the degree of shrinkage.

The length of one applied strip does not exceed 10 centimeters. When working, the cylinder is held vertically with the bottom up. In the case when they perform work on the ceiling, which causes difficulty in complying with the last rule, buy special composition, which works in any position. Another solution to this problem is to extend the nozzle of the gun or the main tube using flexible tubes so that the inverted cylinder does not rest against the ceiling during operation. If necessary, it is better to start work from the ceiling, since the pressure in the cylinder is the maximum possible.

Sealing cracks with a gun

When hardening, polyurethane foam begins to exert pressure on adjacent surfaces, which causes their deformation. Therefore, if it is necessary to fill gaps on both sides, as when installing doors and windows, the mounting mixture is used on one side. The other gap is filled with silicone compound.

When applying polyurethane foam to the surfaces to be treated, make sure that the tip of the tube or gun is always inside the foam itself. Periodically remove material adhering to the gun nozzle using a cloth soaked in acetone or solvent. During a long period of operation, the container is shaken periodically. Extension adapters are used to process deep seams.

Shutdown

It is important not only to know how to use polyurethane foam, but also how to complete such work correctly. Wait until the sealant has completely hardened. This usually occurs within 6–12 hours. It is not advisable to touch the mounting mixture in this case, as this will disrupt the structure of the material. After which the excess formations are carefully cut off with a sharp knife or a hacksaw.

Removing excess foam with a sharp knife

Although cured polyurethane foam can withstand temperature changes from -40 to +90°C, it is sensitive to ultraviolet radiation. To neutralize this factor, the excess that is under such influence is covered with a layer of plaster, covered cement mortar, painted or sewn up with platbands.

The video demonstrates the stages of working with foam and how the gun is cleaned:

After using professional foam, clean the gun inside and out. For this purpose, a special flushing liquid is purchased along with the gun. Any remaining material that gets on your hands is washed off with a solvent. It is better to remove foam residues from surfaces immediately using a sponge soaked in solvent or acetone. If the foam has already hardened, it is removed mechanically.

If these simple rules are applied, self-sealing of all kinds of seams and cracks, insulation of the distribution network and other things will not be special labor even for someone who has never done this before.

This sealing is effective for spaces from 1 to 8 cm, no more. Smaller cracks are sealed with ordinary putty, and for larger ones, additional static materials are laid inside the empty space - polystyrene foam, wooden blocks or brick.

In contact with

Polyurethane foam is an excellent sealing agent, which is used both when performing full-scale repairs and when it is necessary to urgently patch a small defect in the house. The easiest way to work with it is with a special gun, but it is not always needed. In domestic conditions, it is possible to repair insulation or sealing without additional tools, thereby saving time and money. But in order to guarantee the success and high quality of the work performed, you should first learn how to use sealant, which is what we will talk about in this article.

On modern market sealants are presented in a wide range, and the choice among them can be very not an easy task for a home owner who wants to learn how to use polyurethane foam. You can find two types of such materials in a hardware store:

• household;
• professional.

Professional and household compositions differ in volume and application method

In terms of their technical characteristics, sealants from these categories are very similar, but they also have significant differences, expressed, among other things, in the volumes of the cylinders. Household materials are characterized by relatively small volumes (usually no more than 800 ml). The standard sealant kit includes not only a cylinder, but also a piece of tube with a small cross-section. The pressure level in the cylinder is quite low, which allows reducing the consumption of materials when performing repairs if the home owner does not use a gun.

Professional sealants are presented on the market in packages larger than 1.5 liters, as they are used to solve labor-intensive and large-scale repair work, for example, to seal seams during installation plastic windows and doors. The seal in the cylinder is kept under very high pressure, so it is very difficult to use it without a special gun. Professional cylinders are equipped special fasteners at the outlet, it is necessary to fix the product inside the construction gun.

It may seem like working with modern seals very easy, this is true, but only if the performer of such work has enough time to first learn how to use polyurethane foam correctly. If you do not study the technology provided by the manufacturers, you can make many mistakes that will affect both the material consumption and the quality of the seams.

There are several ways to apply professional polyurethane foam without a gun.

Before you begin the repair, you must select the appropriate sealant. This is important because, firstly, the required volume of compaction depends on the scale of the planned activities, and secondly, household products are often the worst technical characteristics than professional counterparts. If a sealant is needed to carry out large-scale and complex activities, on which the ease of use and comfort of the home will depend, then it is better to opt for more expensive and high-quality products.

The selected polyurethane foam without a gun can be applied to the surfaces to be treated in different ways:

1. 1. Use of household products. The household material is designed for use without a gun, so you just need to fix the tube on the cylinder valve and you can start repairing.
2. 2. Application of professional material through a tube. A small diameter tube is fixed on the cylinder valve and through it the sealing agent will be supplied to the cracks being sealed. This method is very simple, but often leads to excessive release of sealant from the cylinder due to high pressure.
3. 3. Supply of professional sealant through two tubes different sections. This method involves attaching a large diameter tube to the valve, after which a smaller cross-section tube is inserted into it and securely fixed. This sealing allows you to reduce consumption, and therefore reduces the cost of repair work.

To achieve a good effect when applied, you first need to carry out a number of works

After choosing the most suitable method After applying the sealant, you can begin preparing the surfaces to be treated. With polyurethane foam, you can achieve high-quality compaction and good sealing even without a gun, only if the following work is first completed:

1. 1. Cleaning of treated surfaces. It is necessary to remove all dust, dirt and other foreign objects from the cracks and seams being sealed.
2. 2. Filling large seams with foam. This will reduce the consumption of materials used, as well as increase thermal insulation characteristics object. Without filling the opening with foam, sealing seams no larger than 8 cm is allowed.
3. 3. Wetting the area to be filled with water. It is best to use a spray bottle for this.

Before you start filling a gap or seam, you should make sure that the temperature environment complies with the parameters recommended by the seal manufacturer. It is best to carry out work at air temperatures between 5-20 degrees above zero. At temperatures above 30 degrees, it is better to postpone repairs, and in case of frost, use special frost-resistant materials.

Working with selected polyurethane foam without a gun - instructions

The principle of sealing openings without a gun is exactly the same as when using special tools. When the surface to be treated is ready, shake the can thoroughly. Manufacturers recommend shaking it vigorously for 30-40 seconds, which will ensure uniform release of the sealant from the package.

Now you should remove the protective cap from the sealant and attach the PVC pipe that came with the valve to the valve. household product. For professional products, tubes will have to be purchased separately. The free end of the tube is brought to the opening to be sealed. The gap needs to be filled with foam by 30-40% (sometimes 50%) of its size, this is due to the fact that the sealant significantly increases in volume when hardening. Partial filling makes it possible to reduce consumption and overall repair costs. If, after the sealant has dried, its obvious shortcoming is revealed, you can always add another layer, although most often this is not required.

Foam begins to come out of the container under pressure when the valve is pressed. The triggered valve causes the sealant to flow into the tube and then onto the surface being treated. Complete drying of the sealant is almost always completed within 8 hours after work. If, after drying, the foam swells and some of its parts protrude too much from the sealed seam, the excess is very easy to cut off stationery knife.

Disadvantages of using professional materials without a gun

If you use polyurethane foam without a gun, the container of which is designed specifically for this type of application, you should be aware of the disadvantages of such work. The gun, of course, significantly simplifies the sealing work performed, but this is not the only reason why experts recommend buying everything necessary tools for repair.

Sealing through a tube has the following disadvantages:

1. 1. High consumption. When repairing, you have to very carefully control the intensity of the material output when the valve is pressed. Too much pressure inside the package causes excess material to escape. Most often, the overspending is 200%, and sometimes 300%.
2. 2. Not all valves of professional cylinders can be connected to a tube. If the product is intended exclusively for use with a gun, the sealant simply cannot be removed from the packaging.
3. 3. Time costs. To work with professional products Without special tools it can take quite a long time. Using a gun, even a large seam can be sealed within 20-30 seconds, whereas manual sealing will take 15-20 minutes.

In order to carry out repairs quickly, efficiently and without unnecessary financial costs, it is recommended to first calculate the required volume of sealant. In most cases, for simple household work, a household cylinder is sufficient, which is designed for use with a tube, which will speed up and reduce the cost of repairs. If the sealing involves large-scale sealing, it is better to purchase a professional sealant with a special gun.