Brian, As I said, I've used a total of two 24 oz. Here is a link to a document that declares that at least one Great Stuff product -- a canned spray foam called Great Stuff Pond and Stone Filler -- is both moisture-cured and closed-cell: Great Stuff Pond and Stone Filler. Single-part Great Stuff sealants are used to fill smaller areas where air and moisture can flow. This insulating spray foam Improves energy efficiency and reduces drafts. Those nooks and crannies can easily be filled with an open-cell foam. © 2021 The Taunton Press, Inc. All rights reserved. So....I went and bought the Pro 14 gun and four 24.0z cans of "gaps & cracks" to air seal my 215 square foot addition. cans of gaps & cracks with the gun so far....followed all of the instructions and it's working perfectly...not curing inside the gun. One has to be careful about application of the foam, of course, and not merely window dress it like paint...the nozzle end needs to get into/inside the crack and crevices and holes. This is a problem for many reasons - see Foam Fails - and one of them is excessive shrinkage. 99 ... Great Stuff™ Big Gap Filler, 340-g $8. Therefore, creating a suitable environment in which to apply OC is critical for product performance. But the high-expansion stuff can actually push the jamb inward, making them impossible to open. Find a New Store > Search. The 24 oz of Great Stuff PRO costs $12.47. Sealing around windows and doors is one of the most common uses for expanding foam. Not sure which spray to grab? You must be a magazine subscriber to access this feature. Thanks. As long as you’re careful about that, the gun will last a long time and is MUCH nicer to use than the one-time use straw cans. Closed cell or open cell foam for rim joist in Climate zone 5A, http://www.amazon.com/GREAT-STUFF-PRO-Dispensing-Gun/dp/B0002YOMJE/. The sealant forms an airtight, water-resistant seal on a wide variety of materials. In the trades, it is known as “medium-density” or “two-pound” foam. However, open-cell spray foam isn’t as water resistant as closed-cell. It’s formulated to fill the space around windows and doors without excess expansion. Products optimize energy efficiency in buildings and homes; improve indoor environment for occupants; and effect the reduction of seasonal energy costs. Half-Pound Open Cell Spray Foam This is the least dense of the foams, and has the advantage of being the quickest to install, as it can usually be applied with a single-pass installation. Expands to generate an effective seal; Does not distort or bow window and door frames when applied properly; Flexible sealant; Quick installation Wide temperature operating range (25°F to 120°F). They allow a more precise and fast application in tough-to-reach areas. If you need to leave the gun disconnected from the can for a while, run gun cleaner through it until it runs clean. Add to wish list. Avoid this by using minimal expanding foam. GREAT STUFF PRO Window & Door Polyurethane Foam Sealant is a specially formulated, minimal-expanding foam with a low pressure-build that remains soft & flexible after curing. It forms a water-resistant outer skin when cured. It's many times "cleaner"....and like I said.... for some reason the can went way farther than 3 cans of the other would have. The much better job it's allowed me to do is totally worth the cost to me...and I can clean it out with the cleaner and pass it on to someone who can use it when I'm finished with it (maybe even sell it at, say, 1/2 price to someone who could use it). Great Stuff Pro™ Window & Door Insulating Foam Sealant, 20 oz. Here are the top three insulation sprays to consider using. It is a minimal-expanding foam with a low pressure build that forms a durable, airtight and water-resistant seal between a window or door frame and its rough opening without bowing or bending the window frames. Some advice, the cans with a straw aren't that easy to use. It’s vitally important that the foam is never allowed to set up and cure anywhere in the gun mechanism. The lighter quality of this foam provides less support for walls, is permeable to vapor and air, and will lower noise frequency ranges. Quality + Performance = Savings. It expands quickly to block airflow and add warmth your whole family can feel. Ready-to-use insulating foam sealant forms an airtight, water-resistant seal on a wide variety of materials. http://www.amazon.com/GREAT-STUFF-PRO-Dispensing-Gun/dp/B0002YOMJE/. Do a thorough installation by filling all the voids and open areas left when you've fitted the window into the rough opening. Search ... Great Stuff Multi-Purpose Black Foam Sealant with Smart Dispenser, 340-g $9. GREAT STUFF™ Pond & Stone is a water resistant closed cell foam that will likely hold up being submerged for short periods of time but degradation could occur if submerged for long periods of time as GREAT STUFF™ products will chemically bond to just about all surfaces in a matter of minutes and once cured, it cannot be removed with solvents and the only option is mechanical removal. If you would like to read more in detail about functional differences between the open vs closed polyurethane cells, go here. GREAT STUFF PRO Window & Door Insulating Foam Sealant air seals the gap between a window or door and the rough opening to improve energy efficiency. It expands quickly to block airflow and … A google search said closed cell but I recall a GBA article on adding water vapor increases it’s expansion during curing so that implies open cell, doesn’t it? 3M TM energy-saving products are designed to keep warm air in, and cold air out, while keeping energy bills down. What am I missing here? Is Great Stuff (in the can from Lowe’s or Home Depot) open or closed cell foam? Canned foam like GREAT STUFF™ is a closed-cell foam that comes in "single-component" form. Due to its high resistance, closed-cell spray foams can help resist water from seeping into the insulation, which creates moisture build-up. GREAT STUFF is even Greater! Granted, more cans to waste but I recycle those. This feature has been temporarily disabled during the beta site preview. GREAT STUFF PRO™ Window & Door Insulating Foam Sealant is a one-component, minimal-expanding, low pressure-build, flexible polyurethane foam. 3M TM products. Closed-cell foam insulation is denser than open-cell foam, which breathes; closed-cell foam is essentially incompressible once cured. I think part of why the pro-guns are so awesome is that you can adjust the amount you're letting out of the gun and use no more than you need (for example in stud bay joints) This also allows for far more control and far less over-spray where you don't want it. of each and every stud bay...plus various other gaps found in other areas where existing drywall had to be cut out. The gun also lets you use the cab multiple times. It only took me 2 cans to seal all penetrations (electrical..vents...plumbing vents... all eight (corners?/ joints?) Brian Lengel, Austin, TX. GREAT STUFF PRO™ Window & Door Insulating Foam Sealant, in the high yield pro can, is a minimal expanding polyurethane insulating foam sealant designed specifically … I'm with you. The higher the R-value results in greater insulation. I was wondering the same thing about the cost of the 24oz can vs. the smaller cans with a straw....but after viewing a few videos on the pro gun...and even though I'm only using this thing for my own personal one-time project, I splurged on the gun after trying one can of "windows and doors" foam in the plastic straw version with disappointing results (little control...have to use it quickly or trash it... and I got very little coverage from one standard sized can of it. As you may have expected, open-cell spray foam is similar to closed-cell in nature. It just has a lesser R-value. Open-cell foam is usually less expensive to install that closed-cell foam. Great Stuff can be used to fill punch outs for plumbing and electrical, air spaces around windows and doors, seal between panels and as a panel adhesive. Brian, Same Great Stuff™. Closed-cell polyurethane foams have R-values around 6.0-7.14/in. The little cans with straws are a one-time deal — you have to use the entire can in one quick job or it seals itself and has to be trashed. Reason Foam Fails #5 Excessive Shrinkage Fine Homebuilding, Feb/March 2012 With the growing use of foam plastic insulation in building construction, first in commercial roofing and then too often metastasizing over the entire building enclosure, it is being used increasingly as an air barrier component. Tack free in six minutes. Great Stuff™ Window and Door sealant has a low-pressure formulation that won't distort or bow window and door frames when properly installed. Two-part closed cell spray foams have R values ranging from R-5 to R-6 per inch. The foam can be formed without trimming to create long-lasting, airtight and water-resistant seal proven not to bow window or door frames when properly installed. I don't think the fact that a foam produce is moisture-cured has anything to do with whether or not the cured foam is open-cell or closed-cell. The nozzle quality on Great Stuff blue cans is very poor and calling their customer service gets … Our latest shed is also a pavilion—and you can build it, too! This next generation of foam sealant dispensing is a game-changer: Reusable for up to 30 days; now use it again and again, No drip dispensing, eliminates mess, Easy to use, greater control, Fill gaps efficiently and quickly, Available only from GREAT STUFF Insulating Foams! In fact, there are some window and door manufacturers that have tested and endorsed GREAT STUFF Window & Door. GREAT STUFF PRO is closed-cell foam. Closed Note: Holiday hours may vary. tack free time (at 74°F / 50% rel. Alternatively, with foresight, a straw nozzle fits nicely into some 3/8" OD potable water white tubing (caulk applied to "glue" the arrangement so the straw won't 'blow out' under pressure). When I’m done for a while, I clamp down the adjustment knob to make sure things are sealed. Introducing the new patent-pending GREAT STUFF SMART DISPENSER. Great Stuff™ Window and Door sealant has a low-pressure formulation that won't distort or bow window and door frames when properly installed. Be quick when changing cans, don’t let the gun sit open any longer than absolutely necessary, and blast some of the new can through the gun into a bag immediately after attaching the new can to clear any partially set foam from the gun. 99 (18) View Wishlist Added to Wishlist GE Silicone II Window & Door Sealant, Clear, 299-mL $7. While most closed-cell spray foams will be above 6.0 per inch, open-cell is much lower at 3.6 to 3.8 per inch range. If the item is opened and/or seal is broken then we will open … So if you are looking for a strong insulation, a closed-cell spray foam is what you want to grab. Pack of 10 nozzles. Spray foam can help regulate your house temperature, keeping the indoors cool during the summer and warm during the winter. The foam dispensing gun costs $49.95. It just has a lesser R-value. Thanks. Moisture build-up will promote bacterial and mold growth, something you do not want inside your walls. The Great Stuff replacement nozzles work with Great Stuff Pro 14 (TM) foam guns. Here is a link to a document that declares that at least one Great Stuff product -- a canned spray foam called Great Stuff Pond and Stone Filler -- is both moisture-cured and closed-cell: Great Stuff Pond and Stone Filler. The average U.S. home has gaps and cracks that run 1/2 mile long from end to end. Home House & Components Parts of House Insulation. It helps to insulate the air within (and outside) of the insulated object, prevents mold growth, and can even strengthen the wall. It is the more common of the two types of polyurethane spray foams. My $99 gun got irreparably clogged. I don't think the fact that a foam produce is moisture-cured has anything to do with whether or not the cured foam is open-cell or closed-cell. It’s considered a “closed” cell due to its high R-value. The differences have to do with the type of job that the foam will do once sprayed onto a surface. Adding my two cents...four years later! The award-winning Smart Dispenser™ provides a level of precision, control, and reusability unheard of in a disposable straw. 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. To the best of my knowledge, many moisture-cured one-component spray foams (including Great Stuff) are closed-cell when fully cured. We are no longer supporting IE (Internet Explorer) as we strive to provide site experiences for browsers that support new web standards and security practices. Become a GBA Prime member and get full access to GBA articles, enyclopedia, videos, CAD library, and more. I think the most important thing with the gun is to wipe the tip thoroughly with acetone every time you’re going to stop using it for more than maybe 10-15 seconds or so. I went back to the $4 cans from the hardware store. These black plastic nozzles can be toss after use with any of the Great stuff pro (TM) family of foam sealants. For indoor and outdoor use. I wish I could find the GBA article about can spray foams because I do not understand the economics: Foam can be formed without trimming to create long-lasting, airtight and water-resistant seals proven not to bow window or door frames when properly installed. I’ve repaired a lot of rotting trim in the past few years—mostly window sills, door framing trim, and garage door trim. Energy efficient windows add greatly to your home's value. Our stores are closed on December 25. Apply using a GREAT STUFF PRO Series foam dispensing gun. Closed-cell foams can be formulated into winter blends that are designed to withstand colder environmental and substrate temperatures. While most closed-cell spray foams will be above 6.0 per inch, open-cell is much lower at 3.6 to 3.8 per inch range. The R-value is the material’s capacity to insulate and resist heat flow. Window & Doors. The average U.S. home has gaps and cracks that run 1/2 mile long from end to end. humidity): 10 min As for smaller fill-ins (or one of these 12 brilliant uses for spray foam), an open-cell foam will do just fine. I’ve come to the conclusion that they all have their place in the hierarchy of repair options. Half as much, the 12 oz can with the straw, costs $4.25....meaning the 24 oz PRO is almost 3x the unit cost not counting the dispensing gun. Freeze/thaw stable. In this article, we will review those ubiquitous Great Stuff, DAPtex Touch ‘n Foam cans found at your local big box stores. As you may have expected, open-cell spray foam is similar to closed-cell in nature. It's absolutely worth getting a dispensing gun for anything more than very small projects: Closed-cell polyurethane spray foam is known to be the most common of the two. (brand new to GBA subscription). 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. This insulating spray foam improves energy efficiency and reduces drafts. Closed-cell foam provides a vapor barrier, a harder finish and higher R-value. However, when going out to buy spray foams, there’s one small obstacle that people face: Do I buy open-cell or closed-cell? FAQ: Why Do Some Builders Avoid Foam Insulation. The closed-cell foam that contractors use on large-scale spray foam jobs is also known as "two-component" foam or polyurethane foam. 99 (3) View Wishlist Open-cell will expand as soon as it’s applied, making it the perfect foam for hard to reach areas. Latex (open cell) or Polyurethane (closed cell) foams. Enerfoam™ Professional Foam Sealant is designed to form a durable, airtight, water resistant bond to common building substrates such as wood, brick, concrete, foam board and most plastics. For hard to reach areas $ 4 cans from the can for a while, run gun through! $ 8 effect the reduction of seasonal energy costs acetone to keep air! Air in, and they have two very different purposes lets you use the cab times. Projects: http: //www.amazon.com/GREAT-STUFF-PRO-Dispensing-Gun/dp/B0002YOMJE/ Window and Door Sealant has a low-pressure that. Can be formulated into winter blends that are designed to withstand colder environmental and substrate temperatures will. 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