This type of installation uses the adhesive properties of polyurethane foam, commonly known under the name of one of the trademarks "macroflex", and its ability to expand when dried (more precisely vulcanized), filling all the cracks and voids. After inserting the fittings, the box is assembled on the floor and, together with the door leaf on wedges, is installed in the opening. To prevent deformation of the box, gaskets are inserted into the gaps between the door leaf and the frame. Next, the resulting cracks are filled with foam, and after it dries, the wedges are removed, and the excess foam is cut off with a knife.
The advantages of this method include the fact that, working with the assembled block, the installer can easily evaluate its optimal location in the opening before its final fixation. As well as the lack of holes for mounting screws in the box and the accuracy of its assembly.
The disadvantages of this method are the high risk of damage, because. the master often has to pull out the block and insert it again, for example, in order to remove unnecessary irregularities in the opening. This, of course, is not very convenient, given its size, and sometimes weight. In addition, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, exactly, down to a millimeter, to "set the gaps" between the frame and the door leaf. The gaskets inserted into these places “tighten” the hinges, removing the existing backlash. After their removal, the canvas returns to its natural position, as a result, the gap between the end of the canvas and the box in the upper part decreases, and increases from below. During installation, it is difficult to check how freely the door opens and closes.
The expansion properties of the foam can be another disadvantage of this method. In order not to lock yourself in the room, the gaskets that limit the deformation of the box are removed after the surface drying of the foam after two to three hours. But polyurethane foam often continues to expand, and this process can continue, albeit less intensively, for quite a long time (a day or more). This often leads to deformation of boxes with insufficient rigidity, for example, in Spanish doors. And as already noted, it is enough just to move each rack by 1-2 mm so that the door leaf begins to touch the surface of the frame or the door stops closing altogether. foam on the canvas, and most importantly, you can leave the spacers until the foam is completely dry. But it is not always possible to install them with the required accuracy, again, this also depends on the amount of play at the hinges and the squareness of the door leaf.
If the installation is unsuccessful, after the foam has dried and the painting work has been completed, the door is difficult to fix. There are some ways, but in most cases you have to run to the "through mount", i.e. you need to drill holes in the wall through the door frame - in fact, the method loses one of its advantages.
Problematic only "on the foam" in the standard. Because due to the thin walls of the bathroom (4-5 cm), the contact surface is too small and you cannot do without fixing screws.

In modern construction, installation or repair, such a multifunctional, easy-to-use, reliable material as polyurethane foam is widely used. Its versatility and convenience greatly simplifies construction tasks for both professional builders and ordinary consumers who prefer to do some part of the repair or installation of door-windows on their own. Foam for installation in the construction market appeared relatively recently and immediately became one of the most popular, sought-after and capital-intensive products. However, it cannot be said that it was developed only today - the famous German technologist, chemist and industrialist Otto Bayer invented this substance back in 1947 - as a continuation of the development of the polyurethanes he invented. Polyurethane foam was originally used in the form of insulating boards for military purposes, as it is an excellent protection against the threat of radioactive radiation. In the 70s, the British company "Royal Chemical Industry" produced the first aerosol can with polyurethane foam, and the use in construction began in Sweden, at the dawn of the 80s of the last century.

Composition and scope

All mounting foams that are on the market contain almost the same composition and are polyurethane foam one-component sealant enclosed in an aerosol can. In addition to the liquid prepolymer, the can also contains propellant- gas under excess pressure, displacing the prepolymer. For hardening, the substance does not require mixing with other components - when sprayed, the composition inside the can solidifies on its own (polymerization process), under the action of moisture in the air, forming a porous material resembling foam plastic in properties. The cured foam is well and easily processed for the next construction steps - cut to the desired shape, puttied or plastered.

The name itself - "assembly", clearly indicates the scope - the use of door frames, window sills, window frames and any other wooden, concrete, metal or plastic structures during installation or repair. Filling the gaps between structures and openings gives a much greater sealing effect than the use of cement mortar, tow, mineral or plain wool, foam rubber, moreover, such work requires much less time and is much more convenient. When using foam, no additional tools and devices are required, and no energy sources are needed.

Properties

The substance can penetrate into the most inaccessible places, turning into a fairly solid material in a few hours.

The resulting material is not subject to the process of decay, has good temperature and sound insulation properties, and is also a sealing agent. In addition to filling gaps, cracks and cavities, polyurethane foam is used for insulation, sealing structures, additional fixation of water or heating pipes, electrical wiring, sealing materials for roofing - tiles or corrugated metal sheets. It is also widely used in the installation of stationary refrigeration units and in vehicles for the transportation of frozen products. Also important are such parameters as stickiness and dielectric properties, fire safety (this parameter is determined by the flammability class of the foam).

• Sealing (thermal insulation)- allows you to insulate rooms by filling cracks - relevant for workrooms, warehouses, greenhouses, hangars, garages, etc. Filling gaps and cracks in the repair and installation of roof structures. Use when installing door and window frames - creating a moisture-resistant, heat-insulating seam. Filling the voids arising during the installation of water or heating pipes, which are formed when they pass through walls or floor slabs.
• Gluing- you can quite confidently fix door and window blocks even without the use of nails or screws. This property also allows you to fix insulating or insulating materials - for example, when insulating a room with foam, foam boards can be glued to the wall.
• Soundproofing- sealing the junctions of air conditioners and exhaust hoods, ventilation ducts, slots between pipes, allows you to reduce the noise level that occurs during vibrations.

Varieties

As noted above, the composition of the mounting foam is almost the same, regardless of the purpose of its use. But there are differences in the design of the cylinders themselves, and on this basis, the foam is divided into professional and household.

professional- or as the manufacturers themselves call it - pistol. Differs in existence in a cylinder of the special working valve. To work with such foam, it is necessary to use a special dosing device - mounting applicator gun. Such a gun is put on a balloon valve intended for it, as a result of which it becomes possible to dispense foam into slots and cavities. This mode will allow much more accurate control of the required amount of foam supply, while saving up to 30% of consumption. Also an important point is the ability to work with a gun with one hand. The energy-efficient handle and metering trigger make work much more convenient and, therefore, more productive. The presence of a long thin metal barrel allows you to supply foam to hard-to-reach places.

Balloon valves can be either threaded - screwed onto the gun, or "fastened" in one motion. Recently, almost all major manufacturers of mounting foam equip the cylinders with the so-called reusable valve, which allows the cylinder to be hermetically closed with the remaining foam and used after a while without the contents drying out. In addition, additional convenience is also inherent in it - you can work not only holding the can upside down, as was customary, but also with the valve up, which often makes work easier, and in some work, sometimes holding the can upside down is not only inconvenient, but also simple impossible.

The disadvantage of using an applicator gun is its considerable price, so it makes no sense to purchase it for occasional homework - this device is needed for builders and repairmen professionally involved in such installation work. In addition, additional costs will be required during its operation - after each use, the gun must be washed with a special solution that cleans the internal cavities of the applicator from the remnants of foam that has not yet thickened. Such a cleaning agent is also contained in a pressurized can having nozzles to facilitate cleaning.

household foam- either semi-professional or manual. Its use does not involve the use of any devices other than the cylinder itself. To get started, you need to put on the valve the plastic tube that comes with the cylinder, which has a lever - adapter. With small amounts of work, this option is convenient and practical. As a rule, it is used in cases where the expansion of the foam is not too important - in ventilation shafts, interpanel seams, installation of door and window frames.

If not the entire volume of the balloon has been used, the tube can be removed, washed with a solvent (for example, acetone) and reused after some time.

Use temperature

• summer foam- at the temperature indicated on the cans from 5C to 35C, the foam must be used at the temperature of the treated surfaces within the same limits. However, this temperature limit speaks only about the temperature during work, and the temperature resistance of the cured foam is in a much larger range - from -50C to + 90C - this applies to both summer and winter foam.
• winter foam- the operating temperature range is from -18C (some types -10C) and up to + 35C. "Winter" options in their composition have special additives and additives that allow polymerization at a low percentage of humidity, since frosty air is much drier than at warm temperatures. Moisturizing surfaces in frost is ineffective - the water quickly freezes and becomes ice. It must be borne in mind that the already expanded foam depends on the external temperature - the lower it is, the smaller the expansion value. For example, 300 ml of liquid foam at +20C will expand to 30l, at zero - up to 25l, at -5C - about 20l, and at -10 - only 15l.
• All season foam- appeared relatively recently, so not all manufacturers can offer it. It has the best properties of summer and winter foam, providing, thanks to an improved formula, a large volume of foam at the exit, fast polymerization and the ability to work with it at -10C without heating the cylinder.

Requirements for mounting foam

• Guaranteed Claimed Yield- competition for the market is often conducted by methods that are not entirely justified for the consumer - even manufacturers of high-quality and well-proven foam are trying to reduce the price of their products due to banal underfilling. For example, with a declared volume of 45 liters, only 37 liters actually come out, and no more than 50 out of 65 liters. Therefore, it is desirable to control the weight of the cylinder - with a volume of liquid substance of 750 ml, the cylinder should weigh 850-920 gr.
• secondary expansion- also a fairly important indicator, especially when installing window sills, doors and windows.
  The fact is that the expansion of the foam occurs in two stages - when the liquid polyurethane leaves the cylinder, the compressed gas expands, equalizing the pressure with the environment, and expands the pores of the composite, turning it into a foam with a much larger volume. This so-called primary expansion. Then, the foam, in contact with moisture, provokes a chemical reaction, as a result of which it hardens. But at the same time, CO2-carbon dioxide is released, which creates excess pressure in the pores of the foam, and its volume gradually increases over a fairly long period of time - even up to several days, although 24 hours are usually written. This is the secondary expansion of the foam. When installing window and door frames, the percentage increase in the secondary expansion in relation to the primary should not exceed 15-25%. But some manufacturers, saving at the expense of the main components, produce "uphill" products with a secondary increase of 50-60%. What it threatens - it's easy to guess - door frames concave inward, deformed windows and swollen window sills. Therefore, it is very desirable to purchase proven foam.
• Full exit of foam from a cylinder- this indicator characterizes the filling of the balloon with an "honest" volume of the composite. If there is underfilling, then during operation the pressure drops rapidly - as a result, there is still foam inside, but it is already impossible to use it - low pressure is not able to squeeze it out from there. As a result, not only the foam that "went into action" is paid, but also the remaining one in the cylinder.
• Approximate foam consumption can be estimated based on the following data - 300 ml of the composite gives about 30 liters of foam - with this volume you can "foam" a standard door frame with 3-5 cm gaps. 500 ml of composite will yield up to 35-40 liters - this is enough for one and a half boxes under the same conditions. 750ml - 45-50L output - Enough to process two or more standard door frames.
• A few more requirements according to the quality of the foam - it should stick well to surfaces without dripping from them, the degree of shrinkage should be small (shrinkage is a slight decrease in volume after final solidification). Also be elastic, do not crack or crumble after it hardens, especially in frosty weather.

Application rules

Training. Polyurethane foam sealant polymerizes using air humidity, therefore it will be advisable to moisten the surfaces with water before applying it - the curing time will decrease, and the expansion of the foam will increase. If work is carried out in winter, ice and frost must be removed from the surfaces.

Immediately before use, the balloon should be vigorously shaken for about a minute, and in cold weather, warmed up to room temperature, but without using open fire. These measures will help increase the foam yield and its density.

When installing and sealing window and door frames, you need to remember about a two- to three-fold increase in the volume of sealant, therefore, to prevent deformation of door or window blocks, they must be strengthened with spacers, without removing them until the foam has completely hardened.

Usage. When spraying, the can must be kept upside down so that the composite is near the valve, otherwise, as a result of the release of compressed air, a decrease in pressure will occur and a significant part of the foam will remain in the can.

The seam must be filled from the bottom up, evenly moving the balloon, while filling the void volume by no more than half. If the cavities are larger than 50 mm, they must be filled not in one go, but in several stages, waiting for each layer to harden.

You need to know that the foam, although it has a fairly strong bonding property, is not suitable for working with polyethylene and silicone - it will not stick to these materials.

End of work. If the foam gets on clothes, some objects or hands, it can be washed off either with a special agent, or simply with acetone.

The initial hardening of the foam surface occurs after 20 minutes - you can already touch it. But it will finally harden no earlier than after 7-8 hours - this largely depends on the ambient humidity and temperature.

After complete drying, you can cut off excess foam fragments with a knife, after which the surface must be protected from external influences, in particular from sunlight - it can be plastered, puttied or covered with paint.

Precautionary measures

Liquid foam may cause skin, respiratory or eye irritation. Therefore, when working, you need to use gloves and goggles, with poor ventilation and large volumes of work - respirators, since the concentration of vapors can be increased.

If earlier cement mortar or mineral wool tapes were used to fill building cavities, today the old materials have been replaced by polyurethane foam. It is much more convenient and much more practical. Foam is easy to apply, and at the same time it is able to fill the smallest gaps and cracks. It is easy to use as it is immediately ready for use. It is distinguished by good heat and sound insulation properties. And due to its astringent properties, foam is even used for gluing various insulation materials on walls or ceilings.

After the door frame is already installed in the opening and adjusted vertically and horizontally, . First you need to protect the door frame, as the foam that has fallen on the surface will then be very difficult to remove. Still “fresh” foam, you can try to eliminate it with a solvent or some kind of alcohol-containing liquid. But hardened foam can only be removed mechanically. Therefore, the box, and if necessary, the door, is pasted over with masking tape or film, and the work itself is carried out with gloves.

Due to the ability of the foam to increase in volume by 50-250%, the opposite bars of the door frame are reinforced with spacers in advance. If this is not done, then the pressure created by the foam may well lead to deformation of the door frame.

Before use, the foam bottle must be shaken (30-60 seconds), and the outer side of the door frame and the opening itself should be moistened with water. Moisturizing will improve the adhesion of the foam and also speed up its curing. Only the main thing is not to overdo it with water, otherwise you can achieve the exact opposite effect. And it is important to know that while working with the balloon, it should be constantly kept upside down. This is done so that the lighter foam-displacing gas mixes better with all the components of the cylinder.

Mounting foam adheres well to almost all types of building materials (stone, concrete, plaster, wood, metal, glass), so there are usually no problems. Difficulties will appear only when you have to deal with chemical materials (polypropylene, polyethylene, silicone, Teflon), with which the foam does not adhere. When working with it, it is desirable that the air temperature be in the range from +5 to +30 ° C. But in the cold season, you can use special foams designed for use in the winter (up to -10 ° C). Also, when working with foam, it should be taken into account that when the air humidity is less than 35%, it will not be able to harden.

In order to be safe from possible distortions of the box (when the foam hardens), the mounting foam can be applied in two stages. First, it is applied “point by point”, and then (after 1-3 hours) all remaining cavities are filled. If the distance between the door frame and the opening is very narrow, the end of the spray tube is pre-flattened in order to more conveniently fill this space. And if the distance, on the contrary, is too large (from 8-9 cm), it is advisable to lay this space with a suitable material, and only then fill it with foam.

Given the property of the foam to expand, voids and cracks are filled only by one third of their depth. In this case, it is better to start filling vertical cavities from the bottom up. So she will create a support for herself. Full curing time of the foam varies considerably and takes approximately 3 to 24 hours. More accurate information about the drying period can be found in the instructions for a specific type of mounting foam. After the final hardening of the foam, its excess is removed and proceed to the next stage of door installation (attachment of trim, if necessary - "additions" and seals).

Although polyurethane foam is resistant to mechanical stress and has many advantages, it also has its own small disadvantages. So, it is destroyed by direct sunlight and absorbs moisture quite well. Therefore, it is important to provide mounting foam with reliable waterproofing protection, and if necessary, additionally “hide” from the influence of sunlight. For these purposes, you can use paint, putty or sealant.

Mounting foam greatly facilitate the installation of door frames. However, this attachment must be used with caution. Excessive zeal, caused by the desire to fix the door frame as firmly as possible, can lead to a disastrous result - its curvature.

But it is better not to allow this. And if this does happen, you need to know how to eliminate the defect that has arisen.

To properly install the door, first of all, you need to choose it for the size of the opening in the wall, and the door frame - taking into account the thickness of the wall. Modern doors allow you to do this.

Before fixing the door frame with mounting foam, it is necessary to carefully set it vertically and fix it so that it stands firmly.

At least in three places - at the level of the door hinges and in its middle part - the box is bursting with wooden blocks with linings or expanding struts. The surfaces of the box that the foam can get on must be covered so that you do not have to suffer with its removal later.

How to remove mounting foam if you made a mistake?

If necessary, traces foam, while it has not yet hardened, can be removed with acetone, thinner or cleaning agent. The cracks are filled with foam completely, but in any case it should be introduced into the cavity carefully and in small doses.

Spacers are removed only after the foam has completely hardened. This takes from 45 minutes to several hours - depending on the type of foam, the width of the gaps to be filled and the air temperature. Foam is one- and two-component. The first one is easier to work with, but the second hardens faster, does not put so much pressure on the enclosing structures and does not require moistening of the internal surfaces of the cavity to be filled.

There are times when, when hanging a door leaf, they suddenly discover that it clearly does not “fit” into the door frame. The reason is the inward curvature of the vertical racks of the box. And it happened under pressure polyurethane foam introduced into the cavity between the box and the wall in an excessively large amount.

When the first signs of deflection of the door frame appear under the pressure of the hardening polyurethane foam the foam must be removed immediately. After that, the box is bursting with bars suitable in length. The gaps formed after cleaning are again filled with foam. But to prevent this from happening, it’s better not to “save” on spacers, even if they interfere with the passage from room to room.

CHINIM BUGING BOX

1. Where the door frame is kicked out, the hardened mounting foam is cut off with a fine-toothed saw.
2. The box is expanded in the appropriate place using a bar of suitable length and wedges or an adjustable spacer.
3. Having given the box the desired position, the cleaned cavities are again filled with foam.
4. Having installed the door frame in the wall opening, it is fixed in the opening with the help of wooden wedges and spacers.
5. Loosening and knocking out the wedges, expose the box vertically.
6. Using a square, check the squareness of the box.
7. For reliability, the box can also be fixed in the opening with clamps using wooden slips.
8. With a large width of the slots between the box and the wall, pieces of cardboard are inserted to prevent the foam from sliding down.
9. Foam is injected into the cavity continuously, but in small doses

Modern builders often use mounting foam to install doors and plastic windows. This is a convenient, inexpensive material that can not only provide reliable fixation of parts, but also isolate openings from wind and moisture. There are different mounting foam for PVC windows; which one is better for its task, it is worth figuring out.

What compounds are used?

Most foams have the same composition. The main substance is polyurethane foam one-component sealant. Thanks to the aerosol packaging, it is easy to apply on surfaces without getting your hands dirty. The second substance in the can is the propellant - this is a gas due to which the polymer we need is displaced.

After drying, all types of foam become solid. The excess is easily cut off with a knife, the foam itself is puttied, lends itself to any fine finish. Mounting foam for PVC windows is used , door frames, filling gaps in various structures, installation of window sills, fixing parts made of concrete, wood, metal. The foam seals the cracks well, has a pronounced fixing effect.

Installing flashings is a more modern way of finishing plastic windows. Read more about them in our article.

Are your new windows not perfect? What to do, if ? More about this in our material on the site.

Material Features

Mounting foam for windows is able to penetrate into any cracks, hard-to-reach places, fill them, leaving no holes for cold air. After a few hours, the material will become hard enough to hold the attached part well.

Foam for mounting plastic windows has the following features:

• The material does not rot.
• It is a good heat and noise insulator.
• Seals well.
• It is used not only for fixing structures, but also for their insulation.
• It is a fireproof material.
• It has strong fixing properties.

Varieties of mounting foam

Window foam comes not only from different manufacturers, but can also have different properties. Despite the same composition, the material may foam better or worse, give out a different volume. These parameters depend on the design of the cylinder in which the foam is enclosed.

The tubes are usually enough for the full use of one cylinder. If necessary, it can be washed with acetone.

When choosing which foam is best for plastic windows, you need to consider the packaging method. If you need to install one or two windows, it makes no sense to purchase a professional variety and spend money on a gun to go with it.

At what temperature can you work?

Manufacturers divide products into summer, winter and all-weather. Let's consider the differences in more detail.

How to choose mounting foam?

Which mounting foam is better for windows is quite difficult to choose. It is necessary to take into account not only the seasonality of the application, but also other factors, for example, the following:

• Claimed Yield: Most cans are the same size, but may contain varying amounts of foam. Most manufacturers sin by underfilling the material, so it should be noted that the actual volume will be 10-15 ml less than the declared one. Too light cylinders should not be taken. 750 ml of a substance weighs about 900 grams, if the mass is less, then the substance, respectively, is less.
• Secondary expansion is also quite an important indicator. As the foam leaves the balloon, it expands - this is the primary expansion. When hardening, the material increases in size many times over. Typically, this increase is 20%, but some products increase up to 60%. Such foam is not suitable for installing window sills: they will rise strongly.
• The total foam output may vary. For questionable products, the pressure in the cylinder drops quickly, and there is a lot of unused foam inside that cannot be removed.
• High-quality foam adheres well to almost any surface, does not roll, and gives minimal shrinkage.

Which mounting foam is better is difficult to answer. High-quality products include materials from Macroflex, Brigadier, Titan. However, this is not an exhaustive list: many manufacturers meet quality standards; when choosing, you need to pay attention to the information on the packaging and the weight of the cylinder.

Why do we need platbands and what are the advantages of plastic read in our article.

Detailed instructions for making slopes for PVC windows with video are located at the link

It looks beautiful, how it will decorate your window so that it is not faceless, read on our website.

How to apply the remedy?

Before starting work, any surface must be prepared. Dirt needs to be removed since the foam interacts with moisture, it is desirable to moisten the surfaces with water, but this can only be done at positive temperatures. In other cases, this action is undesirable. If work takes place outdoors, at sub-zero temperatures, ice and snow must be removed from the surface.

In order for the foam to willingly leave the balloon and gain sufficient density, it should be kept in a warm room for about a day before starting work. It is forbidden to artificially heat the cylinder with an open flame. It may explode as it is under pressure.

Foam output in different cylinders

Mounting foam is the best idea for fixing the door frame, but using it, you need to firmly fix the frame with props and leave enough room for the foam to expand, otherwise you can get a deformed structure. You need to use the balloon, holding it upside down. The foam must be shaken well before use.

The decision which mounting foam to choose for window mounting is up to the buyer, the main criterion is a careful study of the packaging. Too light balloons should be avoided.