# Spray foam around windows/doors



## Ron6519 (Mar 28, 2007)

The issues you describe are ones that occur when the wrong foam is used by people who don't know what they're doing.
The correct foam will be fine, just don't overfill the space.
Ron


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## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

Great Stuff makes at least three different foam formulations, one of them is for small cracks, one is for large cracks, and one is for windows and doors. The difference is that the windows and doors formulation does not expand nearly as much as the other two, hence is not as likely to bow out your jambs. Make sure you use the correct formulation. I have used it for several doors in exactly the way you intend, no problems. I have also used thesmall crack formula to insulate against the rim joist, and it seems to exert a large amount or pressure, and would almost certainly be big trouble in a door or window application, but I have not done the experiment.


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## RegeSullivan (Dec 8, 2006)

I have used "Great Stuff" for many projects. I always try to keep a couple of cans around. If you are using it in a particularly dry climate or when the humidity is low you need to mist the area with a little water before applying the foam to get the fastest cure time. It seems (at least to me) the quicker it expands the less pressure it exerts on the materials you are applying it to as long as it has somewhere to go. I always lightly mist the area with a spray bottle of water, just enough to make the material damp. This also help the foam adhere to dusty or dirty material.

Rege


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## vsheetz (Sep 28, 2008)

Get the one that has minimal expansion after initial application - saves bending things.


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## bjbatlanta (Jul 16, 2008)

What "vsheetz" said, if you want your windows and doors to function properly. It's really not that tough to "*****" the spaces with regular fiberglass insulation. You probably have scraps left over......


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## Thurman (Feb 9, 2009)

For the "For What It Is Worth" department: I just returned from a five week stay in Fairbanks, Alaska. My daughter bought another home, built in '76, and it needed a few minor things done to it. And Yes! I certainly wanted to visit my daughter and grandson. While I was there I was asked to replace an older door unit with a new, energy efficient type. There were some contractors working on a home in the area, so I went over and asked them about particulars of installing doors in this area. One thing I was told, it is _code_ in Fairbanks to use an expanding foam between the door frame and rough-in, no loose/fiberglass insulation is allowed. The door project went well. The non-expanding GreatFoam was used, the door frame did not move, and all is well. I learned valuable lesson on having different codes for different parts of this country, and a new experience replacing an exterior door in 27º weather. :yes:
Thanks, David


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## sprayfoamseal (May 29, 2013)

*Too Much Foam or High Expansion Spray Foam*

The over expansion problem can come from spraying too much foam or getting a product with high expansion rate. 

Also be mindful about how much product you are spraying into the crevice. Just a simple one over will do the trick. If you go with a polyurethane spray foam it will expand and contract to fill the space providing the ideal insulation


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

as mentioned. for windows and doors you HAVE to use low expansion foam.. the other thing is to not fill the void fully only fill it 25% because it will expand. what i do is spray a very light bead of foam to the back of the brick mould on the unit.. this will give a seal layer to prevent air leakage.. let that sit for 30 minutes. make another quick pass around it..thats all you really need,, 


if you do over fill hte void, take a recip saw blade and use it by hand to gough out the foam so the window or door can go back to its normal state.. occasionally you will have to add extra screws in the door frame to suck the frame back over to the framing so the door will operate


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

I find it's better to use a hand saw, the back saw kind, to trim the expanded foam. A sawzall (aka destroy-zall) recip saw could certainly do it but it's overkill. 

Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Shark-Corp-10-2440-Fine-Cut/dp/B0000224U3

I just had our new house spray foamed and did some touch-up around a few windows, doors and other places. The blue can (for windows) tends to puff out quite a lot, but without putting pressure on the door/window jambs. The red can tends to put a lot of pressure as it expands. The black can tends to stick to itself and other surfaces better, to help in filling a larger void. It does this without exerting as much pressure as the red can, but more than the blue.

Once the foam expanded I went around with the back saw and trimmed it. The long handle on it helped get to all the high and low points. The flexible blade made it easy to trim just the foam flush with the framing without cutting the wood too.

You WILL need more cans that you expect. It's easier to return the unused ones to the box store than it is to go back for more when you run out...


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

wkearney99 said:


> I find it's better to use a hand saw, the back saw kind, to trim the expanded foam. A sawzall (aka destroy-zall) recip saw could certainly do it but it's overkill.
> 
> Like this one: http://www.amazon.com/Shark-Corp-10-2440-Fine-Cut/dp/B0000224U3
> 
> ...



i didnt say to use a recip saw.. i only said to use the blade and cut it by hand.. a demolition blade can fit in their much easier and has an aggressive tooth pattern that wont clog up from the foam as easily.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

woodworkbykirk said:


> i didnt say to use a recip saw.. i only said to use the blade and cut it by hand.. a demolition blade can fit in their much easier and has an aggressive tooth pattern that wont clog up from the foam as easily.


Yes that would be less worse. But you'd lose the reach of a saw with a handle and the flex. Both came in very handy when touching up the areas around our windows. We've got 10' ceilings and it'd have been a lot of extra effort to schlep the ladder around just to trim the few points where the short insulation crew missed by the tops of the transom windows. I found the rougher pattern on the pull saw most useful on the red & black can foam. The finer pattern worked better on the blue can and some of the places where fireblock had bubbled out.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

wkearney99 said:


> Yes that would be less worse. But you'd lose the reach of a saw with a handle and the flex. Both came in very handy when touching up the areas around our windows. We've got 10' ceilings and it'd have been a lot of extra effort to schlep the ladder around just to trim the few points where the short insulation crew missed by the tops of the transom windows. I found the rougher pattern on the pull saw most useful on the red & black can foam. The finer pattern worked better on the blue can and some of the places where fireblock had bubbled out.



how would i. most windows only have 4" - 5" of recess into hte opening. depending on the framing detail. most people use a 9" recip blade. i only buy 12" milwaukee axe, and wrecker blades. this method was shown to me by a window service technician whose been at it for 25 years


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## jammy54 (Jul 31, 2013)

This might sound strange and amateurish, but I use a serrated bread knife to trim the cured foam. Works like magic, and less destructive than a saw blade.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

Sure, that'd work too. It'd depend on how much you're doing and how wide the sections are that need trimming. A short serrated bread knife would work, as would any similar sort of short hand saw. I liked using a flexible back saw as it gave me more reach for trimming the stud bays on 10' walls.


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## bbo (Feb 28, 2010)

I think you guys are talking about two different things.

Kirk, you are talking about if the cavity gets overfilled and using a demo blade to get inside the cavity to remove material so the jamb/window opening can retract back to normal, right?

and Bill, you are talking about trimming excess foam outside the cavity of the window/door, right?


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

Yeah, I'm talking about excess foam that's protruding out beyond the level plane of the framing. Not trying to dig out into a cavity that's been overfilled with the wrong kind of foam; putting pressure on the window sashes and keeping them from opening smoothly. For that you'd likely want a pretty stiff and aggressive tool. 

But I've found saws don't really do a great job of pulling any depth of foam away. For that I found it was better to use a wrecking pry bar to dig it out in chunks. Either the typical 18" size or a smaller one with a cats paw end typically used to get at embedded nails. Tedious but more accurate and less prone to coincidental damage than a recip. saw.


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## ovahimba (Dec 25, 2007)

Here are some more tips

When using the foam I cover the edges of the window, sheetrock or any trim with painters tape. Take it off only when it is fully set after an hour.

To cut off excess, I prefer just a few easy strokes with a steak knife. Anything larger or without serrations tends to just tear the stuff.

Forget trying to save half used cans by jamming a screw or stick in the nozzle. Just place the nozzle, trigger and top of the can in a ziplock bag with a little acetone. Swish around the parts until completely clean and dry on paper towel. I have been able to use one can half dozen times doing this.


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## wkearney99 (Apr 8, 2009)

Ah, nice tip about the bag and acetone. I'll have to try that next time.


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

Ron6519 said:


> The issues you describe are ones that occur when the wrong foam is used by people who don't know what they're doing.
> Ron



Ha. This is me a few years back on my first window install. The slider is tight to this day. :laughing:


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## RoyalAcresRod (May 27, 2009)

If anyone does a fair amount of remodeling, do yourself a favor and get a Hilti foam gun. 

The valve is in the metal tip, so you don't have to use the whole can at one time. 

For cutting the foam I like a Japanese hand saw...just my preference.


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## HandiMandy (May 30, 2010)

DAP makes one that cleans up with soap and water. I've only used it to make a zombie piñata so I don't know how well it insulates. 

You could tell which window I started with when I spray foamed our house (once the trim went on, it looked fine). Be sure to follow what the others said about only filling a little and letting the expansion do the rest. Wear gloves, that stuff is sticky, hard to remove from skin and uncomfortable to wear until you outgrow that particular patch of skin. Seriously, I'd rather deal with super glue exploding on my hands. Also, I wish I'd known that tip about using painter's tape. I still have to fix this farkakt piece of work.












Don't drink and foam people.


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## 123pugsy (Oct 6, 2012)

MissKat said:


> Don't drink and foam people.


No worries. I prefer to foam animals rather than people. :thumbsup:


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## HandiMandy (May 30, 2010)

123pugsy said:


> No worries. I prefer to foam animals rather than people. :thumbsup:


Hah! Not the worst dropped comma I've seen but that's what I get for hitting send, then editing.


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## woodworkbykirk (Sep 25, 2011)

yes, in regards to getting the foam out of the cavity in order to draw the window or door back so it operates

as for the water based foam.. i dont trust it.. if the window sweats whats stopping the condensation from breaking down the foam thus losing your insulation in the cavity over time.. as it breaks down it creates more air space allowing more warm moisture laden air in there which can then lead to rot


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## Gary in WA (Mar 11, 2009)

http://books.google.com/books?id=a2...CBMQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Proskiw (1995)&f=false

Gary


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