Going Where Foam Has Never Gone
Learn how to get spray foam into hard-to-reach spaces.
Whenever I have to spray canned-foam insulation in hard-to-reach cavities, I grab my roll of 3⁄16-in. tubing. It’s sold at my local hardware store and fits over the foam’s standard plastic spray tip. I thread the tubing through a 3⁄8-in. pipe about 12 in. long, then fasten the pipe to the tubing with some electrical tape. That’s it.
This solution works great when I have a narrow, deep crack that I need to fill and the can’s straw just won’t reach it. It is also helpful when I need to spray in a space—such as a joist cavity—where it is next to impossible to hold the can in an inverted position. Only the nozzle, not the can, needs to fit into the space.
— Bruce Harding
From Fine Homebuilding #250
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View Comments
I need to try this one. I have tried just flexible vinyl tubing before. It gave added reach but almost no control.
I have done this before. I advise also taping the extension tube onto the plastic tip that comes with the can. The back pressure of foam in the extension tube can make it pop off, and that, friends, is a mess you don't want.
When I needed to get into a 1/8" space, I used my hammer to flatten the end of the straw that comes with the can. It irritates me when the insulator can't get in a small space with his pro dispenser and just foams the surface. Can someone tell me if surface foam is sufficient? From northern IN.