Home Improvement Product Review: Dow Great Stuff Insulating Foam Sealant
Price and Availability
I bought a twelve-ounce can of Dow GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant at my local hardware for about five bucks. Builders Square, Amazon.com and even eBay has this product listed for around seven bucks a can.
Product Description
This sealant is an all-purpose product used to fill in small gaps, holes and cracks. “Small” openings in this case are considered to be less than a half-inch wide. It sticks to wood, glass, many types of plastics, masonry, and metal, so it works for many different applications. You can use it to seal around furnace air ducts, electrical lines and water pipes, plug up cracks in concrete blocks and brick, close up small holes where lines, pipes and wires used to be, and much more.
Dow GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant is a permanent fix. It’s hard once it completely dries, is water-resistant, sandable, paintable and stainable. It takes about twenty minutes to become tack-free to the touch; eight hours to become completely cured.
I’ve used this product before, so I know from experience that, if you use it outside, you need to paint or stain it to protect it.. Otherwise, the sun will turn it from a light tan to an orangey, rather unattractive-looking color.
Other Dow Sealing Products
If you need an insulating foam sealant for cracks, holes and gaps that are wider than a half-inch, Dow makes this same product for larger-scale home improvement tasks. No matter what size, Dow has you covered.
Product Warnings
Dow GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant is flammable until it cures long enough to become tack-free. When you use it, you cannot smoke. You must shut off pilot lights and other sources of ignition and flames first.
It’s also difficult to remove it from your skin- trust me on this one. So you need to wear protective gloves during application.
Directions
Dow GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant comes with a plastic straw-like applicator that has a trigger on it. The applicator helps you get to hard-to-reach places. It also dispenses the foam into a long, thin stream for easy application.
Then, all you do is shake the can well for thirty seconds. You then screw the applicator onto the valve on top of the can. The directions tells you to pull the trigger so the Dow GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant comes out slowly. Place the end of the applicator into, or along the place that needs sealed, and move the can along. Since this product greatly expands, you only fill in cracks, holes and gaps so they’re fifty-percent full. In case you fill an opening too much and it oozes out, don’t worry. All you have to do is to allow this product to dry. Then, simply use a sharp knife to cut off the excess. It’s as easy as that!
Conclusion
I highly recommend Dow GREAT STUFF Insulating Foam Sealant. As I said, I’ve used it before, and it does a fine job of not only sealing, but insulating small openings.
