As winter approaches, everyone wants to enjoy a cozy, warm home despite the dropping temperatures outside. Achieving this, however, can be challenging without the right door and window installation foam. A high-quality foam not only ensures a tight seal but also helps prevent the growth of mold and mildew inside your home. The FOME FLEX range of door and window installation foams offers advanced solutions tailored to your specific needs, featuring some of the most innovative properties available on the market.
The key to success lies in making the right choice
“Quality window and door installation foams must, first and foremost, ensure that your home is airtight,” says Daniel Počikovskij, product manager at Tegra State. “These foams are designed to retain heat during winter and maintain cool temperatures in summer. They should also feature both open and closed pores, allowing the sealed materials to breathe and preventing the development of mold.”
“For foams to effectively ensure the proper installation and airtightness of windows and doors, they must possess several key properties,” he explains.
“When selecting foam, it’s important to consider its thermal conductivity, which should be as low as possible,” says D. Počikovskij, discussing the key properties of foam. “For doors and windows, flexible foams are preferable, as they adapt to the movement of the structure, preventing tearing or detachment from door and window frames. In contrast, low-quality foam tends to be rigid, breaking easily when the structure shifts, which then allows heat and moisture to seep in.”
“For ease of use, foams should have low secondary expansion and low curing pressure; otherwise, they can cause structural shifts. The setting speed is another critical factor—high-quality foams cure more quickly, allowing excess material to be trimmed off in as little as 20 minutes, saving valuable time for craftsmen.”
Delivering the Best Performance on the Market
D. Počikovskij highlights three FOME FLEX products worth considering when selecting an installation foam.
The FOME FLEX “7 Doors & Windows” installation foam is specifically designed for the professional sealing of windows and doors, offering exceptional thermal and acoustic insulation. With an impressively low thermal conductivity of just 0.030 W/mK—among the best on the market—this foam ensures superior energy efficiency. Its elastic seam can accommodate up to 25% displacement, while maintaining extremely low secondary expansion. Additionally, the “7 Doors & Windows” foam provides excellent sound insulation and is suitable for outdoor use in a wide range of conditions, functioning effectively in ambient temperatures from -5°C to +35°C, even during rain or snowfall.
Another popular choice among window and door installers is FOME FLEX installation foam ”DOUBLE PISTOL FOAM”. It has a very low secondary expansion of just 30%, an extremely low thermal conductivity and can be used at temperatures as low as -10 °C. Another advantage is the new ”Double Pistol” technology, which makes it possible to work with both the pistol and the adapter supplied with the bottle. This is particularly useful for reaching narrower and less accessible areas.
D. Počikovskij highly recommends the FOME FLEX “FAST CUT 75 L,” the fastest-setting professional polyurethane installation foam on the market, known for its exceptionally high yield. This foam, designed for sealing and insulation, delivers a yield of 75 liters per bottle with a secondary expansion rate of just 30%. It polymerizes remarkably quickly, allowing cutting to be performed in as little as 10 minutes and achieving full curing in just 1.5 hours—significantly faster than the 12-hour curing time typical of conventional foams.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
D. Počikovskij emphasizes that to fully enjoy the benefits of FOME FLEX installation foam, it’s crucial to avoid several common mistakes.
“The surfaces where you apply the foam must be clean and free of grease. It’s also very important to moisten both the surfaces before application and the foam itself after it has been sprayed. This ensures the best possible result,” explains Počikovskij.
For foams designed for use in sub-zero temperatures, he notes that the bottle should still be kept warm, and the foam should not be moistened. Additionally, the foam’s expansion properties, though minimal, should always be considered.
“You need to be aware of the foam’s expansion rate and leave enough room for it to expand when applying it to gaps,” advises Počikovskij, product manager at Tegra State Ltd.