Expanding polyurethane foam is best at sealing air leaks around window jambs. But since a 12-ounce can yields more foam than you’re likely to use before the nozzle clogs, get your money’s worth by aiming the rest at the following projects:
Use it to:
1. Shore up a wobbler. To secure a loose pull knob on a hollow-core bifold door, TOH general contractor Tom Silva injects foam through the screw hole, providing a solid backer in which to anchor the pull.
2. Hush a flush. To keep plastic waste lines from rattling when water runs through, Oregon homeowner Bruce Sullivan sprayed foam around the pipes where they intersected floor joists.
3. Pack breakables. Spray into a plastic bag, seal the opening, and press items on top to create a form-fitting, protective mold.
4. Tame a torrent. TOH landscape contractor Roger Cook uses foam to bond rocks together when building waterfalls.
5. Stymie squirrels. To keep ’em out of his attic, Iowa homeowner Mark Kane stuffed gaps under his roof eaves with chicken wire and foamed the filler for incisor-proof barriers.
6. Secure a window. TOH general contractor Tom Silva sprays foam around the frames of replacement foundation windows to anchor them in the masonry walls.
7. Hit a hive. When wasps built a nest in Connecticut homeowner Jeff Sherman’s wall, he sprayed pesticide through their entry and then sealed it shut with foam.
8. Nix knocks. Spray foam along washing-machine water-supply pipes where they meet walls to quiet spin-cycle vibrations.
9. Debug a garage. Inject foam between the back side of the garage door jamb and the stem wall to prevent pests from infiltrating this common entry point.
10. Bed a bath. Fix a tub floor that gives underfoot by filling the vessel with water and lining the space beneath it with foam. To reach underneath, extend the straw with 3/16-inch-ID (internal diameter) vinyl hose and spray through an open wall cavity, or the access panel near the drain.