How to apply foam
Very many categories of repair work carried out in enclosed spaces and associated with the installation of such elements of building structures as door and window blocks, provide for mandatory sealing of the latter. To seal the existing joints, a special tool is used to fill them with assembly foam. In this article, you will be able to get acquainted with how the foam is applied to the interfaces, in need of reliable sealing.
Seal preparation
Before starting work, it is necessary to carefully examine the place of the intended compaction, and then thoroughly clean it from dust, debris, stains and other contaminants. After cleaning the working area, it should be moistened with water; at the same time you can resort to the help of a spray gun. The fact is that after moistening the articulation surface, the assembly foam interacts with it more actively and increases in volume faster.
In addition, before starting work it is recommended to heat the cylinder to plus 20 degrees Celsius, which can be done by simply lowering it in a container with water heated to this temperature.
Each time before pouring the foam it is necessary to shake the container vigorously so that its contents can mix well and acquire the necessary consistency.
Ways of applying foam
Nowadays, there are two modifications of cylinders with a single component composition used for sealing various joints. It:
- cylinders for domestic use;
- capacity for professional use.
The cylinders have a built-in atomizer with a tube for directing the flow of foam. In contrast, professional foam application involves the use of a more complex mechanism - the so-called assembly gun with a special nozzle for the cylinder.
The procedure for handling these devices is as follows:
- When handling the balloon, just direct the tube to the right place and immediately start spraying.
- When using a professional tool (pistol), it is necessary to install a cylinder on it and fix the adjusting screw in the position of the most effective foaming. You can adjust the intensity of foam release with the same screw or by changing the force of pressure on the start lever.
- The foam is applied by smoothly moving the nozzle of the sprayer, carried out in such a way that a flat strip is formed that fills the gaps at half their depth. Immediately after application, the foam will begin to expand and fill all available voids.
During the replacement of the used cylinder, the mounting socket of the pistol is recommended to be lubricated with a special compound that removes all the remaining foam.
Expert advice
- When mounting the door unit, foam should be filled only with the mating on the side of the wall partition. The gap from the side of the box is best closed with silicone sealant.
- Before you apply the mounting foam to the sealing area in winter, you need to remove the remnants of ice and frost from the surface.
- Excess material is removed in the simplest way, i.e. cut with a knife.
- If while applying the material you have stained glass windows with foam, you can wash off traces of it using a special liquid or acetone.
- It is not recommended to process the foam until it finally “grabs”, as this can slow down its hardening and lead to changes in the density of the material.
In intervals between gun inserts, the foam bottle should be placed vertically.
Video
You can see how to use assembly foam in the following video: