PLUGGING

[Mindy]

I have an area of space of about an inch wide which is at the end of my counter top which meets the wall. I want to plug it with a foam sealer which I purchased that I have never used. When I have the thin nozzle spraying the foam in... is it going to fully secure the area hard enough?? How much will be behind it since the wall is 4 feet further behind. The counder is.. I would say the same height as my range. I want to have enough thickness with the sealer that is flush with the cabinet front & know that I am getting thickness as well as behind. Do I spray up & down to get a thick plugged up effect? Thanks! ..Mindy

[Vox Humana]

Honestly, after the third sentence, you lost me. I will attempt to give you an answer to what I think is your question.

First of all, you can fill areas with spray foam like "Great Stuff." It works fine for filling gaps in wall, around wires and pipes that penetrate your exterior wall, and around windows and exterior doors. It isn't appropriate, in my opinion, for interior finish work. The foam will expand considerably after it is dispensed from the can. You have no way of controlling the final size. You will end up with a partially filled gap, or more likely, an over-filled gap. In the latter case, you will have to use a knife to trim the excess, leaving a rough surface. The surface is going to collect dirt and will be impossible to clean. The petroleum based foams are extremely flammable until they are cured and are extremely messy.

Here is what I would recommend. Return the foam and get some calk saver and calk. Calk saver is a compressible foam rope that comes in various sizes. You wedge the calk saver into the gap securely, leaving about 1/4 inch of space above it. Mask off the area around the gap with masking tape. Get some silicon calk or latex modified silicone calk and an inexpensive plastic putty knife. Apply the calk to the gap on top of the calk saver and smooth with the putty knife. You might want to practice with the calk to get a good result.

A one inch gap is very large even for calk.

[Dawn]

I can't help with foam filler, I have never used it. Do you want the gap filled in for cosmetic and hygeine reasons or is there something else you're planning to do once it's filled?