Pink foam sheets q's

[drewmitch44]

Hey im just wondering i see a lot of people useing these pink foam sheets for flotation in all kinds of ways. The last one i saw was used cut to shape and glued together and then they used the spray foam to shure it into place. Anyways i work a a home inprovement store and i have chance to buy that same foam boards for 90% off if the corner is crushed. Is it a good option? Im not trying to start a for or no foam war! Just wondering if this stuff is closed cell and wondering anything anyone can tell me about the stuff. Thinking about going that route. THANKS!!!!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

Works fine. I would leave gaps so water can escape and maybe glue a few pieces together with gorilla glue or even tie them together with string. They will be below the deck and held in place.

90% off...... great deal! I priced a 2 x 8 x 1.5 at $9 last night. If they offered it to me for under a buck I would buy a tractor trailer load and find a use for it

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

the 90% thing is for ones that the corner is busted off and there was a whole hack that were damaged. They cant sell for full price so they want to get rid of it real quick. They get full credit from the company that shipped them but they still sell them and its next to nothing since they got full credit. So im pretty sure thats what i will use then. Is it closed cell? Thats my question though. Thanks Bob

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

ohh and there is 23 in a hack. Sorry i should have said that

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

Yes pink and blue board are closed cell foam boards and will not absorb moisture.

 

[halas]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

Pink Sheet: It was designed to be used bellow grade like outside insulation for basement walls. So you can guess that it will not hold water.
You don't need to glue them together in the bottom of the boat if you are in a hurry ( I am usually). If you can get that "Great Stuff" aerosol expanding insulation, use that in key areas to hold the pieces together from bouncing and shifting. Don't worry about it "not being marine grade".
It is pretty much the same thing. If you have doubts about the "Great Stuff"
you can test it at home:

-spray a tennis ball size foam to small piece of pink foam.
-let it cure for a day (it will get bigger and form a skin around it)
-put it in a 5 gallon bucket 1/2 full of water ( or salt water)
-weigh it down with a brick and forget about it for a month
-After 30 days take it out for inspection.

You will find that it will not be permanently water logged and it will be perfectly adhered to the pink sheet.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

I have been wondering and have to ask... I know that many of the insulation foams we're talking aobut here are polystyrene. and that they dissolve in a flash when exposed to gasoline or other organic solvents - things they won't be exposed to in a home construction environment but that might very well be encountered in a boat... any thoughts on this?

 

[halas]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

I think you are right gasoline and most solvents will melt all these styrofoam type foams and the "marine grade" is no exception. Could be a big problem with gas leaks.

 

[BWR1953]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

Man, it almost sounds like a reason to go around breaking off corners in stacks of the stuff!

Dude - I'd buy as much of that as I could at that price!

Keep us posted!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

I think you are right gasoline and most solvents will melt all these styrofoam type foams and the "marine grade" is no exception. Could be a big problem with gas leaks.

That's not entirely correct. The marine grade foam is polyurethane closed cell foam and is not affected by gasoline or most other solvents like alcohol, styrene or acetone.

The pink and blue home center foam is styrofoam and does dissolve in most petroleum distillates.

BTW, the foam that most people find water logged in their boats from the 70's and 80's is polyester foam, and it does break down in contact with water over time. Hence the water logged foam problem. Most companies have switched over to the polyurethane foam now. Same stuff that floating docks are made from that sit in water 24/7 and don't suck up water.

 

[wambs8]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

Man, it almost sounds like a reason to go around breaking off corners in stacks of the stuff!

My Grandfather like to take a hammer to the grocery store and dent the can goods

 

[halas]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

That's not entirely correct. The marine grade foam is polyurethane closed cell foam and is not affected by gasoline or most other solvents like alcohol, styrene or acetone.

The pink and blue home center foam is styrofoam and does dissolve in most petroleum distillates.

BTW, the foam that most people find water logged in their boats from the 70's and 80's is polyester foam, and it does break down in contact with water over time. Hence the water logged foam problem. Most companies have switched over to the polyurethane foam now. Same stuff that floating docks are made from that sit in water 24/7 and don't suck up water.

That is good info. Mark, thanks for clearing it up.
Tomorrow at the shop I will test the Home Dep. aerosol expanding foam in gasoline just in case, but I think it will melt also.

 

[Paul Bell]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#
A contractor told me to use the PL foam board adhesive (home depot sells caulk tubes cheap) because other adhesives like PL Poly could eat through it.
I planned to glue but once pieces were cut and I fit as much as possible into each area. Gluing together was not needed.That stuff is not going anywhere.
It allowed for nice drainage also.
My pics show my experience.
Good Luck!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

http://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#
A contractor told me to use the PL foam board adhesive (home depot sells caulk tubes cheap) because other adhesives like PL Poly could eat through it.....

I tried that foam board adhesive. The problem is it is designed to glue the foam to something like wood or wallboard where moisture will be absorbed by the wood or wallboard and the adhesive will cure. But gluing foam to foam, it never cured for me. It was about 2 weeks and two pieces of foam board I glued together just pulled apart showing uncured adhesive.

I found that Gorilla Glue works well for gluing the pink foam boards together.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

you're spot on about modern polyurethane foams... they're also very resistant to the vast majority of solvents - the highly crosslinked rigid polyurthenae foams will resiste most solvents as well as they will water... and will not dissolve in anything. Period. they would be swelled and penetrated by solvents like dmf, nmp, dmac, etc...

 

[halas]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

you're spot on about modern polyurethane foams... they're also very resistant to the vast majority of solvents - the highly crosslinked rigid polyurthenae foams will resiste most solvents as well as they will water... and will not dissolve in anything. Period. they would be swelled and penetrated by solvents like dmf, nmp, dmac, etc...

So Mark and Tim,
Is this material available in expanding foam form to us the consumer or maybe in sheets??

 

[drewmitch44]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

You gotta kinda watch out for when they have the broken pannels. I didnt get them they were gone the next day. Im not sure if someone bought them or if they got credit from the company and just threw them away. That happens a lot of times with stuff that is damaged like that. But ill still use that type of foam though even if i get it a full price. But thanks for all the comments!

 

[Mark42]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

So Mark and Tim,
Is this material available in expanding foam form to us the consumer or maybe in sheets??

I think the foam kits on the market today are polyurethane foam. Just double check before buying.

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

You're talking about the two part mix it, pour it and watch it form kits, right?

If so, I think all of them are isocyanate based polyurethane (producing) formulations. And are substantially more water resistant than those of past days...

I'm not sure where to get pieces / sheets of already formed closed cell foam off the top, but a search of the internet would probably yield some answers. I will say that polyurethane chemistry is lots nmore expensive than polyester and styrene chemistry... they're going to be pricier that's a pretty sure bet.

 

[Mark42]

Re: Pink foam sheets q's

Polyisocyanurate foam is available in Depot or Lowes. Polyester resin will not melt this stuff. It has a foil face on it, and its a very low density, so it crushes easier than the (pink) styrene foam. I don't think its good for boat flotation though. I tried using it for the hard top project so I could use polyester instead of epoxy, but the foam was just too flimsy and the darn foil did not come off easy and my fingers kept leaving impressions in it. Might be good for making live wells and built in coolers with polyester resin.