JustJimAZ

Spray foam has become a staple of haunting. If you are new to this material, this might help you out.



1& 2 - This stuff gets everywhere! This is especially true if you are using it for the first time. You don't want it on anything important, including your EYES, hair, or skin. I've accidentally foamed my shoes when a glob fell unnoticed off a project and landed on them. You might feel like a dork getting all covered up, but you'll feel worse if you get this in your hair or eyes!


3. Acetone will dissolve uncured foam. You can get a bottle for a buck at Walmart or maybe even a dollar store. MAKE SURE it's acetone! Alternatively, Goof Off or Goo Gone adhesive removers can be used. This is good to know if/when you accidentally get it on your hands or anything else you do not want it on.

4. Many first time users will use half a can then set it aside for tomorrow. This is a mistake, since the foam will cure in the nozzle and render the can unusable. If you DO wish to save some for another day, Great Stuff now comes with a "reusable cap". You can also clean out the nozzle with Goo Gone or Goof Off. I recommend these over acetone because while acetone works, it ALSO dissolves the seal on the GE foam cans. All the propellant leaks out, rendering the can unusable. I've made all the mistakes!


5. Start slow. In the beginning, I would basically fill whatever I was putting foam into. Then inevitably it would expand and waste 1/2 of it. Don't do that. Spray some, let it cure. See if you want to add more.

6. It's the water in the air, not the air itself that makes the foam cure. When filling a brain mold up with foam, I just filled it up. Guess what? The outside of the foam looked done the next day, but when I tried to pull it out of the mold, it tore in half. The center of the thing had been protected from moisture by the outer foam, so it was still uncured. If doing a large project, or just wishing to accelerate the curing, I recommend spritzing it with water as you go.

7. Allen Hopps has several videos showing him taking advantage of water's ability to skin the foam. He'll spray down his plastic covered work surface. He'll draw out the basic shape in Loctite foam. He'll spritz it again. In a few minutes, the skin has formed and he can manipulate and mold the shapes until they please him. Pretty cool.

8. The cans are meant to be sprayed while upside down. Many a first-timer will try top use them like spray paint, and will waste all the propellant.


9. People use spray foam to make vines, guts, toxic waste, hot coals - basically anything kind of lumpy. To get the effect you are looking for, you may just need to vary how far away from the surface you are spraying. Personally, I usually prefer to be very close - even touching the surface. I keep as light a pressure on the trigger as I can and I get nice, thin streams. Your requirements may vary!


10. A lot of people don't know that Great Stuff comes in several colors. These are all more expensive than the regular stuff because they are all intended for different applications. If you just NEED black foam, though, it's available!

At the time of this writing, a 12 oz. can of GE spray foam at Walmart is about $3. A 12 oz. can of Loctite foam is about $6-$8, depending on the type. Great Stuff is about $12-$13 for a 12 oz. can. Great Stuff multi-purpose black is about $18.

In my experience, you can spray paint all of them once cured with no trouble. They don't really like latex paint much. It tends to roll off, but a spray paint primer coat will help that out.

Got any Spray foam tips to share? Please put them in the comments!