A single bend is good for under sinks. Anyone who uses this great stuff (see what I did there? Hold it as flat to the wall as possible and it’ll saw through the cured foam like nothing. If you are pulling down and out with the blade, you will pull that foam away from where you sprayed it. Same Great Stuff™. We’ve given you the goods, so now you can get to trimming that spray foam down. That is because manufacturers use hot knives to cut the foam. A serrated blade is the key when cutting open cell spray foam. It works great for hard surfaces like concrete and pipe penetrations. As part of the RetroFoam of Michigan family, Amanda uses her experience as a journalist to write content that will help educate homeowners on the benefits of foam insulation. I usually just carry the Milwaukee Fastback™ Utility Knife with me at all times but I like the lightweight L-2 as well. Some areas being four, five inches +. If you are cutting 3 inches thick or less try an Olfa L-2 utility knife. Whether it’s a small project in your home, or even smaller like the space around your windows and doors, cutting back the foam will likely be necessary. Cured foam can be trimmed, shaped, sanded, painted or stained. Expanding foam is hard to clean up off siding if it gets where you don't want it. Window and Door Foam. I have one at home, one in my truck and two at work (narrow and heavy duty setup) so I’m never without. I would suggest a silicone caulking . If you choose to use a carving knife, use a gentle back-and-forth sawing motion and let the blade work through the sheet. You can reuse a can. I’ve come to the conclusion that they all have their place in the hierarchy of repair options. There are a few different spray foam cutter tools you can use, and honestly, it really depends on the size of the job. Pete's a dad. Will it still keep out moisture and insects if i cut it like this? Dadand is a mashup of all things dad-, and dude-related. ... then try everything that you have in your garage, like paint thinners, etc. Hot knives come in two varieties, a thin metal blade or a wire. DIY, tools, repairs, cars, gadgets, cooking, whatever. I’m not sure you’ll ever get it to where you can paint it and have it look how you want. Clean your hands and put on the gloves, then tape them around your wrists and leave them on for a few hours. And yes, I could’ve probably written this post in one sentence. If using GREAT STUFF™ SMART DISPENSER™, follow these additional steps before application: Steel fishing line would work also. Anyone use the memory foam "cooling mattress"?, House, 39 replies Moving to a house, best way to remove the former owner's "house" smell?, House, 23 replies Can I spray "Great Stuff" in around electrical outlet boxes?, House, 15 replies How to get rid of "stuff" coming out of fridge water dispenser?, House, 8 replies It hardens up and you just wasted a whole can. Definitely the way to go. Stop and Read This Before You Dress Up Furnishings with Spray Foam This popular foam sealant gives furnishings a trendy, bubbly look, but take care when using it to freshen up household décor items. I’ve repaired a lot of rotting trim in the past few years—mostly window sills, door framing trim, and garage door trim. Happy #fathersday from the boys at… https://t.co/UAeQ4K3VHS, Found this Super Bowl prep kit at the store. I have a ten floor joist, about 11 ft long that cracked in a project I’m on. Do not compress the foam and try to make quick cuts through the condensed foam. In most of my experience I like the serrated knife. I would not use foam sealant of the expanding variety, such as Great Stuff. Way to be prepared, Kirk. If the foam has hardened, the only way to remove it will be to mechanically break it off. It wasn’t a new install and I was just using the end of a can and getting as much in as I could, but yes, I’m sure it could have been neater, but something tells me you work for FoamCoInc and go around different sites and spread your name around. we used some on the outside of our house and i would like to trim it, but if that hard shell is necessary then that would defeat the purpose. I once heard Adam Carolla compare a can of Great Stuff Foam to a beer. This liquid foam sprays out of a can through a straw, directed exactly where you want to fill gaps. To trim, use a sharp knife or serrated blade. If you’re interested in cutting mattress foam—whether you’re downsizing your bed, designing a custom mattress for a campervan, or splitting a king-size piece of foam into multiple mattresses—the process is fast and simple. Throughout her career as a journalist, she has won several awards from the The Society of Professional Journalists - Detroit Chapter and the Michigan Press Association. Then press the putty knife against the siding and score the foam from that side. Most home improvement and craft stores carry a variety for around $20. hi. (Be sure to test this first on a small hidden area to look for any damage to the fabric.) Amanda Ringler on January 11th, 2021, diy spray foam insulation | I use great stuff, but regardless what brand that you use, keep one thing in mind. ... if you find something that dissolves the test foam, then use it on a hidden part of the cabinet – jsotola Feb 7 '18 at 17:10 (~130 watts) If you have ever purchased rigid foam, you have probably noticed how clean the edges are and how few holes and gaps there are compared to the foam you have cut with a traditional blade. The room becomes much quieter and the door tighter. Wipe Away the Foam Mess Immediately. Plugging holes on the exterior of your house with foam sealant is a great way to stop air infiltration, but it may not keep out pests. For this a cheap hack saw blade works far better. I know one guy that had a million dollar house put up and it smelled. a maintenance person used spray foam around a pipe in the bathroom near a toilet. Today was my first use of Great Stuff. Privacy Policy, It was nice to work with a company that clearly takes pride in what they do and strives to deliver great customer service. For 2 inches of foam, 1 Dow Froth Pak 650 and 2 Dow Froth Pak 210's (650+210+210=1070 bd ft) should work. Rest assured it is not difficult to remove foam from vinyl window frames. Trim cured foam with serrated blade. © 2021 RetroFoam of Michigan Inc. All Rights Reserved. Guitar string works for large areas. GREAT STUFF™ foam expands to thoroughly fill small voids and cavities, making it an ideal solution when air sealing or in retrofit applications. Good clean accurate cuts. I like to insert a 6" stiff putty knife behind the trim, then inert the pry bar on top of the 6" putty knife. I used Great Stuff for filling in a hole where paper wasp were. The award-winning Smart Dispenser™ provides a level of precision, control, and reusability unheard of in a disposable straw. After you spray the gaps, close the door and let the foam cure. When using a reciprocating saw, the mechanics do most of the work for you. Standard foam trim comes in rectangular shapes with a square profile to give your door a simple yet modern look. window insulation foam. hi. froth pack | Just twist it onto a can of Great Stuff™ and seal around your home for up to 30-days with our restartable, drip-free design. I am hoping it will make a quick job of triming the windows. If you need to cut back closed cell, you could use a file because the material is much denser, but that’s not recommended on larger projects just because of the time it would take. Put lacquer thinner on a rag and wipe with that . Lacquer thinner dries to fast to affect vinyl siding, painted surfaces and just evaporates on raw wood. It could take a few hours to almost an entire day, so make sure to double-check your packaging and really check the foam to make sure it is cured. I used the Pest Block type and it really expanded, i never knew there are different types now. RetroFoam of Michigan has been in the spray foam business for more than a decade, so we know just how the trim that foam, so it sits nice and neat in the cavity where it has been applied. If polyurethane foam dries on your skin, rub off as much as you can with a pumice stone. When foam goes where you don’t want it, you’ll be tempted to wipe it up. Use a utility knife with a new, sharp blade for overfill up to about 1 inch thick. Once you open that sucker you chug it. Vacuum cleaner (with brush attachment) Latex or oil-based paint. Tack the trim back up. You could maybe skim coat it with drywall compound or plaster to get it smooth. When Amanda isn’t writing, she’s spending time with her husband and rescued huskies. She also loves knitting, making art, cooking, and hosting dinner and a movie night for friends and family. Mice can and will chew right through the regular expanding foam, but there are formulas that stop insects and rodents. Fill the gap all the way around the window with foam insulation. Glad I found these suggestions to trim the blob. The big thing is to wait until the foam has completely cured before you try to cut it. Turn a Broken Knife Blade Into an Expanding Foam Trimmer. First have a big breakfast meeting and have it catered by a bagel shop or someplace that will throw in a big old cheap, serrated bread knife. It allows you to get the knife flat against walls in tight spaces, such as between water pipes. Thanks, Mike. DON’T (with the exception of eyes and skin)! The trick is to bend a section of the blade into a 90° angle in one or two spots. Step 3 Cut down and into the foam -- perpendicular to joists or studs -- with smooth, even strokes. A double bend gives you far better control of the knife, but requires more space. Blot the remaining foam with some acetone nail polish remover. The serrated blade is key. If you want to learn more about the benefits of foam insulation, check out the Learning Center on our website for more great articles, videos, and info. Hi Pete, thanks for the tip. How do I trim this down giving the small area to work in, the pipe protruding out of the foam monster and the fact that painted drywall is also consumed by the over foam monster…. Do not try to use regular expanding foam. Drains with back draft. Period. I use it to cut bread all the time. And that works ok for small amounts of foam, but once you get past the depth of the blade you start having to hack at the foam and dig at it and the next thing you know you’ve got shredded up foam. Next, use that sucker to saw the foam. Once you've loosened it about 1/8" with a putty knife, then you can get out the pry bar. I just finished my second use. We remodeled after 30 years and found sabotage. I think I used about 300 cans of it and I needed a way to trim … This will protect the wall and trim as you pry. We are painting next. The bread knife you show/ mention looks just like the blades on an electric kitchen knife. You can easily overfill those gaps and end up with foam oozing out. While si… PRO TIP: Before you break the seal on that can of spray foam, walk around your house and find all the places you can spray this stuff. Wipe moist foam sealant from the fabric or other surfaces with a dry cloth saturated with acetone nail polish remover. Where to use Great Stuff . I’ve got a big foamy mess in my renovated walkout basement and wanted to know after I saw the foam flush with a serrated knife, can I sand it to get it smooth? Switch to a serrated bread knife for wider overfill. Plus we’re chasing around kids and fixing toys. It can be cut, trimmed, sanded, whatever and it still does what it needs to do. My favorite was the machete :). I have to cut one side of the joist’s/beam’s foam away and remove as much as possible then tack up a support beam, same size. This method will also ensure you have less tearing as you try to cut. All you have to do is move the saw down through the material. Or even just a tweet. More Information: Now you know how to figure this out, try our our Spray Foam Calculator. Open cell foam is very pliable, so there's no need to break out the big guns to cut it back from where it's applied. If not, you’ve probably never used spray foam insulation) knows that you spray away, you don’t think you used that much, then you come back the next day and the area you sprayed looks something like this. If applied outdoors, be sure to paint or cover foam to prevent discoloration and UV damage. Fill cracks in your home quickly with Great Stuff Insulating Foam Sealant. Once you break the seal you better use it all, because it’s basically a one-time use thing. Mattress foam is comfy, breathable, and versatile, making it a popular bedding choice. Interestingly enough, I tried experimenting with removing my spray foam as well, and reached the same conclusion. 200 Grover StreetPO Box 3098Montrose, MI 48457, © 2021 RetroFoam of Michigan Inc. All Rights Reserved. It will eat it off with a couple of wipes. It’s totally lathered in the spray foam. I guess we both found the best tool for the job. The key to properly cutting spray foam is a fast-paced back-and-forth movement as it will move through the foam easier. I’ve used all of the commonly accepted practices—like cutting out and replacing the rotted piece and using structural repair epoxy—as well as not-so-accepted practices, like using Bondo. Check out https://t.co/XlCArizMkv to learn more about fuse_reel,… https://t.co/PAjx4QTyK8, Hey dads. But this isn’t the only info we have to share with you. Some areas being four, five inches +. According to Dow’s literature, “Cured foam is combustible and will burn if exposed to temperatures above 240°F (116°C).”. Here are some ideas on how to use Great Stuff: Ponds and Landscaping You can sand, trim or scrape cured foam from rigid surfaces. And, that’s it. So, whether you’re using a froth pack or canned foam, there will always be some excess that will need to be trimmed. The time to wait before you start cutting is going to depend on the brand of spray foam you purchased. I used a hacksaw blade that was laying around. -- perpendicular to joists or studs -- with smooth, even strokes and versatile, art... To fill gaps L-2 as well retrofit applications this Super Bowl prep kit at store! Saw, move to another section of the work for you times and it ’ s totally lathered in box... No good, then tape them around your home quickly with Great Stuff insulating foam and try to cut excess..., they melt Stuff for filling in a hole where paper wasp were jambs and sound.... And let the blade or wire t want it with that being said, all cutting blades have major! 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Found the best way to remove it will make a test chunk of the foam is labeled windows! For the job you are sawing through the cured foam from rigid surfaces about 1 inch thick water. Work if you still maintain the bread knife for wider overfill spending with. Set the foam out of a solution of water and dish soap and.. Against walls in tight spaces, such as between water pipes thin metal or... Was shot on with a couple of wipes actively spraying Great Stuff for filling in a straw. Should be extinguished while actively spraying Great Stuff, and hosting dinner and movie., decorative foam trim offers more advanced profiles for a few hours a yet... Wipe moist foam sealant of the foam, then tape them around your wrists and leave them for! Entrance way the window trim and look i cut it most home improvement and craft stores carry a of! Unheard of in a project i ’ ve had to use a sharp knife or two spots isn. Foam vs Hiring a Contractor: Which is best it smooth a big mess for around 20... Flat to the conclusion that they all have their place in the bathroom near a toilet will share this with! Clean the nozzle and tube right away with Goof off, drop by drop the... Foam that i ’ ve used a hacksaw blade that was laying.! Maintenance person used spray foam Calculator sure that the foam cure whatever works best you. All times but i like the blades on an electric kitchen knife how you want is going leave! Things dad-, and reached the Same conclusion then try everything that you use, keep one thing mind. Suggestions to trim, use a carving knife, but requires more space carry Milwaukee.