How to wipe the mounting foam from the door?

When working with mounting foam for door installation, moments are not ruled out when the material falls on the surface of the door leaf. In this case, it is important to know how and how to wipe this material correctly without harming the door. Consider the important nuances, given the features of pollution and different types of surfaces.

The base of the mounting foam is polyurethane, which is supplied from the nozzle of the cylinder under the pressure of the displacement gas mixture. Polyurethane can consist of one and two components: polyurethane and hardener. Good foam has high adhesion to almost any surface. Exceptions are polyethylene, teflon, oil and silicone. In the composition of any foam there are surfactants that directly affect its ability to uniform foaming. If the composition is not verified correctly, large bubbles and voids will be visible in the frozen foam.

Used professional foam is usually characterized by a controlled yield, a small change in volume, a large volume of suitable product.

When repairing premises, they mainly use a single-component composition. It can be pumped in liquid form into cylinders that differ in the way the foam is fed: for domestic use and for professional work. Consider the features of each type.

• Household spray cans equipped with a nozzle in the form of a plastic tube-nozzle. The supply of the composition of such devices is extremely uneven, the pressure is not regulated. Therefore, often the foam goes jerky and served in more quantity than necessary.
• Professional cylinders equipped with a nozzle device that feeds the composition through an assembly gun.

The likelihood of excess foam after the operation is completed is high if the work is carried out using household cylinders. In household cylinders, uncontrolled consumption of the composition leads to the fact that it increases in volume up to 100%. In addition, the gas is supplied unevenly, the cylinder begins to “spit”. As a result, the foam displaced from the seam filled by it can more than half cover the surfaces on its two sides. Usually there is a wall on one side, which is not so scary to get dirty, on the other hand there is an element of decoration.

Since the composition of the foam has high adhesion to almost any surface, contact with the trim elements in the form of MDF doors, slopes, flooring and others is not recommended. It is extremely difficult to erase or rinse this building composition. When using a professional pistol, the likelihood of staining the foam with the trim elements is negligible, but it exists.

To avoid accidental contamination during the installation of structures, it is necessary to protect their decorative surface. For protection, a PVC film or masking tape of the desired width can be used.

In the process, the mounting compound may fall onto your hands or trim elements, which it may ruin. Getting the composition on hand is not as catastrophic as if it falls on the interior or front door. All doors have a different coating, therefore, the algorithm of actions will depend on the material of the upper layer.

There are various solvents for the foam that destroy it. These include acetone, solvents 646, 647, dimexide (sold in pharmacies), white spirit, ready-made tools for washing mounting guns, as well as cosmofen different activity.

Various formulations can be used to effectively remove stains from the foam. Professional tools include Penosil Foam Cleaner, Waller, Ultima Professional, Oppa.

It is preferable to choose the means of one manufacturer, since each of them has its own secrets-additives in the foam.

• Soudal Pu Remover. One of the good preparations is Soudal Pu Remover paste, designed for the same name foam. To remove the composition that has fallen on the decorative surfaces, the paste is applied with a brush and left for 15 to 20 minutes. Residues are removed from the surface with a spatula (preferably not rigid). After the procedure, the surface is wiped dry.
• Acetone. Like any solvent, softens stain material. When carrying out work, accuracy is required. It is important to ensure that the composition does not destroy the treated surface.
• Tools for cleaning mounting guns. Usually it is easy to clean them with fresh foam that has not had time to completely polymerize (dry). For hardened foam, these compositions may be useless.
• Dry Foam Products. These formulations are good enough, but before using a particular drug, you need to check its effect in an inconspicuous place. If the decorative surface does not collapse, does not become cloudy, the composition can be used on an open area of ​​the door leaf or frame.

• Cosmofen. The most powerful of the products for removing foam is considered to be the composition under number 5. Number 20 is the most sparing. Cosmofen is a popular tool, and No. 20 can be used to clean polyurethane foam from clothes without damaging fabric fibers.
• Cloth napkin. Removes adherent foam without curing.After mechanical removal of the defect, after 20-30 minutes, treat the stain with an ordinary detergent, soda or solvent that does not spoil the surface being cleaned.

It is not for nothing that in the construction market, means for removing polyurethane foam are presented in a wide assortment. In each case, it is necessary to use a certain tool. Consider several options for removing foam from the surfaces of different materials, given the different coating of the doors.

Powder-coated metal doors or painted with baked hammer enamel are particularly resistant to paint. Solvents will not spoil it.

You should not try to remove the foam while it is not in the polymerized state. This will result in a smeared area of ​​a larger area remaining on the door. It is necessary to wait until the entire surface of the lump is covered with a film and dries a little. Then it is necessary to gently grab the formed ball and break it off.

If the foam didn’t get a drop, but crept into a fur coat, you can cut it off with a sharp paint knife. The defective area should be cleaned with a small abrasive so as not to leave scratches. This will help clean out the remaining foam.

If a stain remains, it is best to treat it with a suitable solvent from the list. If it is possible to buy a foam remover from the same manufacturer whose product was used during the installation of the door, this will be the best solution. You must carefully read which surfaces can not be treated with the proposed composition.

It is imperative to wait until the polymerization of the foam to the state of thick dough or soft rubber. Pulling the upper part of the lump lightly, it is necessary to separate the foam from the blurred surface. Typically, with such manipulation there is no trace left on the surface of the door. Small splashes can be easily removed with a dry microfiber cloth. If there are traces of foam, you can soak them with dimexide (it softens the foam in 2-3 minutes) and remove the rest with a napkin. If the varnish is cloudy, it can be polished using a regular furniture polish.

These materials have a raised surface. If you try to use dimexide to remove the mounting foam, it can destroy the pattern that imitates wood fibers. Therefore, you should first try mechanical cleaning of the surface. To do this, you can use a knife or a plastic spatula. You can try to lightly clean the surface with a fine grain abrasive.

After mechanical cleaning, the surface must be washed with a damp sponge, using the hard side, then wipe dry with a clean cloth. To consolidate the result, the surface is treated with a solution of soda.

Decorative exhibitions enhance the look of any design element. But when they get spray of foam, they lose their decorative appeal and seem sloppy. To clean the glass from the foam, first use the mechanical method of cutting the defect with a sharp paint knife.

If the foam stain remains on the surface of the glass, how many drops of vegetable oil are applied to it. This foam softens. The stain is wiped with the hard side of the household sponge, then the surface is wiped dry with a cloth.

This surface is the most unpretentious. Foam from it is usually considered a mechanical method. Do not touch the contaminated place until the installation compound has completely dried. After that, particles of dried foam are removed with your hands.If spots remain, in the places where the foam gets, they are removed by sanding with a fine abrasive or with a solvent that does not affect the metal coating.

The recommendations for cleaning a wooden surface are the same as for cleaning a varnished surface. The task is simplified by the fact that the surface of the wood is usually matte. If after cleaning there is a small spot that differs in color from the rest of the surface, you can use wax crayon for furniture of a suitable color. Such crayons are sold in any specialized furniture hardware store. Simple chalking gives a matte finish.

Application of furniture wax in the molten form allows you to get a shiny, as close as possible to the varnished surface. After application, it can be polished if the decorative coating requires it.

Try not to use household cylinders. They are only relevant in case of minor repairs, they cause a lot of inconvenience if it is necessary to fill a sufficiently deep seam. Sometimes foam fill large openings between the wall and the door, left after the builders. In this case, you should come up with some additional filling material: cardboard, polystyrene foam, crumpled paper.

After complete drying, cut off all excess foam with a sharp paint knife, without touching the main surfaces.

Do not rush to use a solvent, dimexide or helium solution. First you need to try to remove defects from the sprayed composition mechanically. Only if the effect of this cleaning is zero, it is worth switching to chemical cleaning methods, not forgetting to wash the surface afterwards and wipe it dry.

Getting the mounting foam on the decorative part of the door is a fixable thing if you follow the step-by-step instructions of professionals. The attached video contains a phased scheme for the removal of building material.