Mounting foam is used everywhere, especially when installing windows. This is a convenient and practical material, however, it requires protection from sun rays and moisture. That is why the question often arises - how to close mounting foam outside the window? There is a large selection of materials that you need to try to understand.
Why does the foam need to be closed?
What if you need to finish the slopes from the inside?
For internal works the same technologies can be used, however, in addition to plastic and plaster, you can also use it: it will hide the foam from the eyes, it can be painted or wallpapered. The only disadvantage of the material is moisture fear, so it cannot be used from the street side. Drywall is easily attached with self-tapping screws or dowels, helps to create a perfectly flat surface, and is inexpensive. After the panels are installed, they must be coated with a primer for better adhesion to the future fine finish.
Installing plasterboard slopes inside the building
Drywall lends itself well to any processing, but it is first desirable to putty all the cracks and caps of self-tapping screws.
Please note that a wooden profile is required for mounting the panels. If you have smooth walls, you can not use the crate. It is enough to glue the panels on a special glue. This greatly simplifies the installation task.
There are a lot of options for how to fix mounting foam on windows from the street. We have illustrated the most affordable and cheapest of them, using these tips, anyone who does not have builder skills can close the foam on the windows.
Polyurethane foam is a polyurethane foam sealant that is used in construction. The material quickly hardens and protects the base from aggressive influences. environment. However, the foam itself is vulnerable to external factors. Putty is used to protect the material. The main thing is to know how to choose and apply the composition.
The purpose of mounting foam is to fill spaces and holes. The service life of the material after application is 5 years. After this period, the foam is dismantled and a new composition is used. If this is not done, then the material will collapse, and in the voids there will be a favorable environment for the spread of mold and fungus. In addition, the mounting foam is destroyed by ultraviolet radiation. To prevent this from happening, the material must be protected. You can do this in several ways:
Application of sealing tape. The material will protect the foam from exposure to UV rays and degradation, but the product has a short operating period and is not intended for outdoor use.
Application of primer and similar compounds. Means provide waterproofing of the material, but do not protect against sunlight.
Puttying. The composition will protect the foam from moisture, ultraviolet radiation and other negative environmental influences. Professionals also highlight other advantages of putty - affordable price and ease of use.
In addition, it is used acrylic paint, sealant, putty and other compounds, but such products will not provide reliable protection material, if the excess funds have to be cut.
How to protect mounting foam?
How to putty mounting foam - such a question arises among amateurs who first encountered such work. For this material, any putty is suitable. Professionals recommend choosing a composition based on where the material will be used - indoors or out. For this, a remedy for internal and external works, respectively.
Work algorithm
If the repair is performed by a non-professional master with his own hands, he is advised to carefully familiarize himself with the algorithm for applying putty.
Choice of funds
As already mentioned, if work is carried out indoors, then the composition is used for internal work, and if outside, then for external work. In addition, the thickness of the agent layer is taken into account. To mask small defects and protect the material, a thin layer of the composition is applied, 2 mm thick. For this, only putty is used. The variety doesn't matter. To fill voids, the depth of which is up to 15 cm, plaster is used before puttying.
You will also need a primer. The composition improves the adhesion of the material and finish coat. Professionals advise using an acrylic primer. This composition is suitable for all types of surface and has good characteristics.
Puttying tools
For finishing works You will need a set of tools that includes:
stationery knife;
a set of spatulas for applying the product;
work gloves;
masking tape;
capacity and construction mixer(drill with mixer attachment) if dry mix is used.
Preparation of the building base
Surface preparation algorithm:
wait until the foam expands and hardens (the material dries in 12 hours, but to clarify the time it is recommended to carefully study the product packaging);
cut the protruding edges with a clerical knife so that the surface becomes even (as in the photo below);
fix the masking tape on the surface that does not need to be finished;
fill voids with plaster;
clean the base from dust and other contaminants;
apply primer.
Puttying
Putty on mounting foam is applied as follows:
Prepare the composition if a dry mix is \u200b\u200bused for puttying. Dilute the product with water. The amount of liquid for mixing the solution is indicated on the package.
Apply to foam. Thickness - 3-5 mm.
When the composition hardens, clean the surface. After that, treat the base with a primer.
Take a break to dry the primer. The hardening time is indicated on the packaging of the composition.
Apply finishing putty. Layer thickness - 1 mm. When the material has hardened, strip it sandpaper with small chips. Suitable material P 120 or P 150. Then treat the surface with a primer. After the composition has dried, finish and remove the masking tape from the untreated surface.
Puttying window slopes
If it is required to putty the window slopes, then the joints and putty will require additional protection, which will be provided by a paintable sealant. Instructions for using this tool:
treat the surface with putty;
dismantle the material from the seam 3-4 mm from the edge;
fill the resulting void with sealant.
Puttying the car arch
Mounting foam is also used for car repairs. The material fills the voids that are formed as a result of stripping rust. Most often, mounting foam is used when repairing an arch. The material also needs the protection that putty can provide. In addition, the composition will even out the surface. To putty a car arch, you can use any tool. As a starting composition, professionals recommend using fiberglass material. Used for finishing universal remedy or you can putty the surface with an aluminum-filled product. After the composition has hardened, the base is cleaned and primed. Then the paint is applied and the work is completed.
Calculation of putty consumption for mounting foam
Calculation of putty consumption per 1 sq. m of mounting foam is indicated on the packaging. Usually it is 0.6-1 kg per 1 m2 when applying a layer 1 mm thick. Therefore, the thicker the layer, the more putty will be required. It is necessary to perform an accurate calculation of the funds, since the finished composition cannot be stored.
How much does putty for polyurethane foam cost?
If we talk about how much putty for mounting foam costs, then it all depends on the product. For example, the price of a latex composition is 200 rubles per 1 kg. Dry mix is much cheaper. The price for 25 kg of funds is about 250 rubles. The cost of putty also depends on the manufacturer. The more popular the brand, the higher the price of the product.
The video in this article demonstrates how to properly putty foam.
Puttying the mounting foam is an obligatory stage of repair before finishing. Neglect of such work will lead to the destruction of the material and the appearance of an aggressive bacterial environment.
To find out how to protect the mounting foam, the first step is to take into account the conditions of its operation. Popularity polyurethane sealants spread not only to facade work, but also to interior decoration premises - respectively, and the methods of protecting the cured foam are quite diverse
Polyurethane foam - material properties and its varieties
The consumer characteristics of mounting foam for sealing extended linear gaps make one sincerely perplexed - how they managed without it before, before the era of advanced chemistry. The basic properties of foam sealants include:
- Magnificent adhesion, and selective character. with basic building materials(concrete, brick, cinder blocks, cement, plaster, etc.) mounting foam forms the strongest, virtually one-piece connection. But to moisture, ice, polyethylene, silicone and oiled surfaces, it sticks much worse. This eliminates accidental sealing of foreign elements;
- Volumetric primary expansion at the "exit" of the composition from the cylinder, it reaches 50 times the value, for the most modest manufacturers - at least 20 times. The process takes only a few minutes and proceeds quickly, with a characteristic hiss and rapid filling of sealed openings. Just one sprayer is enough to fill deep and long joints. It is very convenient when working at height, in hard-to-reach places, when plastering slopes with your own hands, when embedding ventilation pipes, when repairing balconies, etc.
- solid secondary seal. It is not enough to know how to seal the mounting foam - it is important to consider that it changes in volume for several more hours after application. For cheap manufacturers, this change is shrinkage in nature - as a result, gaps can form between the door jamb and the dried foam. High-quality sealants do not differ in the formation of "slotted gaps" after solidification;
- Viscosity and total installation volume of polyurethane sealants are highly dependent on application conditions - temperature and humidity, wind, etc. There are "all-weather" modifications of foam compositions, but they are also optimally used at air temperatures from +5 ˚C to +35 ˚C, moderate humidity and in calm weather.
In addition to direct installation tasks - that is, sealing gaps, filling seams, insulating dissimilar joints, etc. - the hardened foam has good thermal insulation and acoustic protection.
When installing window frames from wood and plastic, pay attention to the flammability class of the sealing mixtures used, it can be fire-fighting, combustible and self-extinguishing.
With the labeling of the combustible properties of dried polyurethane foam, some manufacturers show a certain cunning. They write on packages, cans and adapter tubes only the digital name of the flammability class, without verbal explanation. The average consumer may not be aware that:
- B3 is a combustible compound that ignites even better than a wooden frame;
- B2 is a self-extinguishing foam, and it can smolder for quite some time;
- B1 - non-combustible mounting compound. Of course, the non-combustible property will affect the price of the sealant towards a solid increase.
The greatest harm to polyurethane sealants is caused by direct sunlight. The influence of atmospheric precipitation and mechanical vibrations also has a bad effect on the durability of the treated joint, but to a lesser extent. Before sealing the mounting foam, you need to make sure that the additional protection to ultraviolet.
How to seal mounting foam - preliminary preparation
Some repair tips seem obvious, but the truth does not fade from repetition. Before puttying the mounting foam or tinting it upper layer, wait for the composition to dry completely. Make sure that it tightly fills the entire installation opening, that there are no gaps and delaminations, unevenness, etc. Deep gaps and cracks should not be protected from the sun, but re-sealed. Most polyurethane sealants turn yellow or yellowish when dry, this is normal.
- First you need to decide how to protect the mounting foam - putty, special tape or paint. The fact is that under the putty or other "volumetric protection" it will be necessary to cut a recess in the sealant, it is difficult to get used to it. Paints, adhesive tape and varnishes are applied to a flat surface;
- With a sharp knife, cut off any excess material that protrudes beyond the dimensions of the slope or jamb. It is most convenient to take a special shoe knife with an oblique triangular blade - then it is easier to maintain an even cut line. And do not rush to quickly cut off the influxes. This is dangerous with an accidental cut of the hands, feet and damage to the hardened foam or a brand new frame;
- After the cutting stage, a grinding procedure begins (it is not needed when puttying the seams). The dried foam is cleaned with fine sandpaper. You will have to act manually and carefully - grinding mechanical devices can damage the frame, slope, door jamb, etc.
How to protect mounting foam - basic repair methods
Under the influence of sunlight, any mounting foam decomposes. Initially, it looks like a darkening of the material, after which it becomes brittle and crumbles from the cracks, like leaves in the wind. More precisely, even the wind is not required to destroy the sealant scorched by the sun. The process of "ultraviolet destruction" of mounting foam takes from 1 to several years - depending on the thickness of the layer, the angle of incidence of its rays, the quality of the foam itself and the thoroughness of its application, etc.
Of course, even the maximum four years is an unacceptably short period for overhaul. And the replacement of windows, doors, ventilation, etc. must be no less durable than the installation shower tray- with your own hands it makes sense to create comfort for decades to come. When the preparation of the outer layer of foam is completed, we proceed to its processing using one of the selected methods:
- Putty. How to cover the mounting foam on the windows? First, modified finishing plaster- with the addition of frost-resistant additives. Secondly, special liquid plastic. Thirdly, ordinary window putty with the addition liquid glass. All compositions are applied from the bottom up with neat strokes using a conventional spatula, the excess is wiped off with a sponge;
- Special mounting tape. The fastest and cheapest method of protection - and it is also the most questionable in terms of aesthetics. Even if you match the adhesive tape to the color of the frames, you won’t be able to paint over it from above (coloring compositions will lead to peeling of the adhesive tape). If you are ready to glue all the joints with new tape every few months, you can try a quick decoration;
- Paints and varnishes. Best to choose acrylate coloring compound, it has good adhesion with polyurethane foam. The paint is applied with a thin brush, moving from the bottom up to the corner of the frame or jamb. If you want a particularly strong protection of the foaming sealant, you can combine putty and acrylate painting - then the service life of the mounting foam will be comparable to the durability of the whole house.
The secret of the popularity of this material lies in its composition, as well as in operational characteristics. Polyurethane foam is a polyurethane foam sealant, the main components of which are polyol and isocyanate. Manufacturers also add a variety of auxiliary substances to the composition: blowing agent, stabilizer, catalyst, etc.
The main characteristics of the foam are: adhesion, output volume, viscosity, primary and secondary expansion. By composition, this building material is divided into two-component and one-component mixtures. In addition, foam can be professional and household, summer, winter and all-weather.
But few know that this multifunctional material itself requires protection. Sunlight and moisture have a detrimental effect on the mounting foam. Manufacturers do not forget to indicate this on foam cans. Maybe users read these recommendations, but do not know how to fix the mounting foam.
The solution is simple, processing the mounting foam with paint, sealant, putty or special materials will avoid future sad consequences. If protection is not carried out, then it begins to crack and stain under the influence of moisture and the sun.
Of course, this process also takes time, but rather short, about 4 years, and after this time, the construction joints on your building will lose their thermal insulation properties. Under the influence of temperature changes, moisture and sunlight, the porous body of the foam loses its thermal conductivity, because. does not possess hygroscopicity and eventually completely collapses.
How to protect mounting foam?
Thus, the protection of this material is vital so that it retains its properties and does not have to be repaired frequently. Before covering the mounting foam with sealant or putty, it is worth trying PSUL (pre-compressed sealing tape) specially produced for this purpose.
This tape is used to fill gaps in the opening when installing new structures. Old structures are best protected with a diffuse membrane-type waterproofing tape.
In addition, the protection of the mounting foam is carried out:
- finishing plaster or putty, a prerequisite is resistance to negative temperatures;
- mortar consisting of cement, sand and white grout;
- polyurethane sealant;
- acrylate paint;
- liquid plastic;
- window putty and more.
Before puttying the mounting foam, you need to prepare the tools: a knife, a container for mixing the solution, a trowel and gloves.
Before plastering the mounting foam, it is necessary to cut off the excess of dried material from the outside of window or door blocks, etc.. If putty will be used for protection, then it is better to deepen the outer seam by a few millimeters, but if the sealant, you can limit yourself to a cut without deepening. The surface of the hardened foam must be leveled.
Many novice craftsmen often wonder how to putty the mounting foam? As mentioned above, it can be any frost-resistant putty that is sold in construction stores. It is sold in the form of a dry mixture, to which it is necessary to add the right amount of water to obtain a special solution.
After preparing the solution, it should be applied to the repaired surface and leveled. If the putty is applied in a very thin layer, then when it dries, it may crack, therefore, it is advisable to apply this finishing material with a layer of at least 3 mm.
After complete drying finishing material, working surface rubbed with sandpaper or construction mesh to remove roughness and give the seams an aesthetic appearance.
After installing windows and doors, owners and master finishers often ask themselves the question - how to close up the mounting foam? You can cover it up using putty, sealant, paint and other materials. It is important to do this correctly, using the appropriate technique, which we will describe below.
Polyurethane foam - a convenient material
Today, polyurethane foam is used in many construction work. It is a polyurethane foam two- or one-component sealant, which is available in a special aerosol can. It is applied in two cases:
- for thermal insulation;
- seam sealing.
Suitable for materials such as wood, glass, metal, concrete. The main component of the foam is polyurethane, which was first created by Bayer in 1947. In the 1970s and 1980s, the first spray cans began to be produced and used for finishing work.
At the same time, in addition to polyurethane, polyisocyanate and some catalysts were added to the composition. The first country to implement given material was Switzerland. Later, other countries began to use the foam. Today it is used in Europe, Asia, USA, Russia. This widespread use is due to the unique properties of the material. Foam easily penetrates into any gap and seam, fills the space and quickly hardens. Thus, this area is perfectly protected from various adverse events.
Why do you need foam protection?
As already mentioned, the composition perfectly fills the space inside the gap and the seam. But at the same time, she also needs protection. The fact is that the foam is destroyed under the influence of UV rays and moisture. If you do not protect it, then the total operational life of such a seam will be no more than 5 years. That is why, after application, it is additionally covered with special compounds.
But the question arises - how to protect the mounting foam and what kind of means is better to use? For these purposes, sealant, putty, liquid plastic, acrylic paint, can be used. In this case, the coating must be water-proof and vapor-tight. That is, to provide proper ventilation and protect against water penetration. Therefore, when choosing compounds, pay attention to their properties (usually they are described on the packaging). Also, some consumers use a special sealing tape for protection. It is quickly glued to the desired area and is suitable for both old and new structures.
Plaster protection and what you need to know for this?
So, the question of how to close up the mounting foam has already been answered. But here's how to do it? Consider an example of finishing using plaster. Processing begins with the removal of excess material. This is necessary in order to level the base. In the case when plaster or putty is supposed to be used for protection, it is better to further deepen the surface by a couple of millimeters.
The second task that arises before the master finishers is the question - how to putty the mounting foam? What kind of putty and plaster to choose? It is better to use a frost-resistant composition for this, which is sold in building supermarkets. A good brand is Rotband. The composition is sold in dry form and is prepared immediately before use. And if the question is settled, then you can proceed to the direct preparation of the mixture. The recipe is always written on the package.
The solution is poured into water and thoroughly stirred so that there are no lumps. If the composition is too thick, it is better to add a little water.
Putty is applied with a spatula or trowel. The layer must be at least 4 mm. Since if you apply too thin a layer, it may crack soon (usually this happens when it dries). At the next stage, the coating is given some time to harden, but do not wait for complete drying. Then the surface is rubbed with fine-grained sandpaper or construction mesh.
Please note that you can easily perform all the described work yourself. It is only important to follow the instructions. Therefore, the question of how to cover up the mounting foam should no longer arise. Also, when performing work, it is necessary to wear gloves to protect the skin of the hands. All tools are washed after use warm water. The rest of the composition is removed in a dark place.
