UGH!! Waterfall Foam!

[Lisak1]

"Paint or stain the foam if it is exposed to the sun." Yup! Right in the instructions. Weird. I've never seen that before!

 

[addy1]

Mine was not painted and it has just aged into a natural looking glob of stuff. Algae covered. Has not really degraded over time.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

It says on the can that exposed foam needs to be painted or stained. If it means that the sun will eventually make the foam degrade or turn color, then I guess it would need to be finished. My main concern is for my pond and it's safety -
So, thank you for helping me @Lisak1 & @EricV! I'm going to trim it back as best I can!

That must be a lower quality foam than what I used for many years. Never needed painting, never bleached out.
Where did you buy it and what is the brand name?

 

[Lisak1]

what is the brand name?

The OP said it was made by Total Pond. I looked it up and sure enough - the instructions say to paint or stain any exposed foam. We mainly used Aquascape Black Waterfall Foam, but we also used some of the Great Stuff waterfall foam for some touch up - on that product is says:

• Cured foam can be trimmed, shaped, sanded, painted or stained.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

On the Total Pond website, the description of this product has no mention of painting it.
https://www.totalpond.com/waterfall-foam-sealant/

Great Stuff is IMO considerably less than 'great' as they use the same formulation as their insulating foam which is high expanding. Better quality foam is low expanding meaning easier to use and less waste.

Having the option/ability to paint this product after drying is not the same as must be painted.

The main reason that this expanding foam was formulated in Black was to eliminate any reason to paint it.

 

[Lisak1]

the description of this product has no mention of painting it.

"Paint or stain the foam if it is exposed to the sun."

That quote came from their product description -

 

[Meyer Jordan]

"Paint or stain the foam if it is exposed to the sun."

That quote came from their product description -

Is this from some other location on the company website or from a separate description provided by a vendor. Do you have the link to this?

 

[Lisak1]

I don't see it on their website but found it here:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Total-Pond-Waterfall-Foam-Sealant-A16523/202017080

Check the "product overview" section.

Also here:

https://www.ruralking.com/total-pond-waterfall-sealant-a16523.html

 

[Lisak1]

Interesting that it also says it requires 48 hours to cure. The Aquascape foam says 15 or 20 minutes.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

I don't see it on their website but found it here:

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Total-Pond-Waterfall-Foam-Sealant-A16523/202017080

Check the "product overview" section.

Also here:

https://www.ruralking.com/total-pond-waterfall-sealant-a16523.html

This is what happens when vendors write ad text for a product indtead of using what the manufacturer provides. I wonder if this is 'painting' reference is on an actual can.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

Interesting that it also says it requires 48 hours to cure. The Aquascape foam says 15 or 20 minutes.

The Aquascape foam is an example of the higher quality minimally expanding foam. I have usually been able to trim any of this minimally expanding foam withing a couple of hours.of application.

 

[Lisak1]

My issue is that exposed foam needs to be painted or stained, as per the instructions on the can.

This is from the OP @Meyer Jordan - she's trying to follow the instructions on the product.

 

[Meyer Jordan]

This is from the OP @Meyer Jordan - she's trying to follow the instructions on the product.

I understand that. I am just pointing out that if this is black foam it does not need painting.

 

[GBBUDD]

I know this is an older thread but along with covering with small rocks and pebbles you can also throw sand onto the foam after the foam has a few minutes to set. fresh foam will collapse if you time it correctly it will alow for items to stick to it and hold it's shape. If possible really bury the foam so it expands onto the sand thus sticks and just wash off the access and you have similar to rock on a roll.

 

[Lisak1]

I think we scared off the OP @GBBUDD ! But thanks for reviving this - I enjoyed reviewing the conversation Meyer and I had about this topic. He was always so patient with his responses and generous with sharing his years of experience.