Art House Mark Ham

If you’ve ever had something delivered in the mail or bought a fragile item, you’ve encountered a foam packaging insert. And whether it’s rigid white polystyrene or soft charcoal foam, keeping the extra foam for packaging, even after you’ve decided you won’t need to return what it originally protected, is usually a good idea.

 

The most obvious benefit of keeping foam packing around is that you can re-use it when the time comes for you to send something. Whether you’re mailing a friend or relative a gift or sending a product away for repair, you never want to under-protect what’s going in the mail. If you find yourself with a product that’s had its original custom foam packaging thrown away long ago, even creating makeshift packaging with soft polyurethane foam can keep it secure and help absorb impact.

 

Packaging peanuts are almost universally the least-liked packaging material, but even these have some value if you keep a few around.  For example, packing peanuts make great spacers behind pictures to protect walls, and when mounting them, are helpful for keeping fingers free of hammer swings when starting a nail into the wall.

 

Firmer open-cell packing materials meanwhile, can be repurposed acoustically. When coupled with a non-resonant piece of MDF wood for a stand, firm charcoal foam can be used under speakers or subwoofers to help decouple, which isolates the speaker from the floor. This will help reduce the travel of vibrations throughout the room, which can cause rattles and buzzing as they affect the various objects in a room. It may also help give your speakers a clearer sound as well, by lifting them to a better listening position. If you’ve got loads of packaging foam hanging around, don’t be afraid to put it to a whole new use or invent a new practical approach to getting the most out of materials.

In the world of foam, there are two main material varieties, open-cell and closed-cell. Almost every variety of normal foam can be placed into one of those two categories. Open-cell foam is soft and compressible, found in seat cushions and bedding, and the differences from one open-cell type to another are primarily in feel and durability. Closed-cell foam includes a much broader spectrum of materials, such as polystyrene, polyethylene, and neoprene. These foam types are so named because of their physical structure; open-cell foam’s cells are interconnected, while closed-cell foam’s cells are sealed off to one another.

 

One of the most unique closed-cell foams is also the most recognizable. Polystyrene is the white, rigid foam material used as home insulation, hot tub covers, and is formed into molded coffee cups and ice coolers. Expanded polystyrene (EPS) is almost totally resistant to moisture and will not rot, mold, or degrade from moisture or water vapor. It also possesses a strong R-value, a measure of thermal resistance and an important factor in the evaluation of insulation products.

 

Another noteworthy closed-cell foam, most neoprene features a matte, charcoal gray rubber color. In thicker cuts, it is able to function as mat camping pads and outdoor furniture pads, or when cut thinly, can be packed in a sheet roll for shipping and large purchases. Neoprene is soft, resilient, and also resistant to moisture, temperature extremes, and even Ozone. It can be used for stable but soft exercise mats, gardening knee pads, or even to cushion furniture at sporting events with cold, hard bleachers.

 

Polyethylene features what some consider a plastic feel and touts one of the largest cellular structures among foam materials in its high-density formulations. A superb packaging material, it has excellent vibration and shock absorption, and is able to be cut in thin sheets for wrapping items for shipping or storage. One of its most unique characteristics is its ability to be formed with anti-static compounds, resulting in a pink, static-dissipating material that guards sensitive electronics.

For those who enjoy crafting and sewing, one material that is an absolute necessity is polyester fiberfill, also known as polyfill. This fluffy, cottony-like material has been used in comfort products and soft toys for ages and is a go-to material for the creation of pillows, cushions, and stuffed animals.

 

Polyester fill is made of interwoven strands of hypoallergenic polyester fibers that can either be spun tightly into sheets or woven loosely into fluffy bunches. Tightly woven batting sheets are often used in wrapping chair and couch cushions for an extra layer of softness that doesn’t detract from the support of the main cushion. Loose fiberfill makes great pillow inserts for a homemade throw pillow that pads furniture, as it offers a visual fullness and physical softness that can be easily increased or decreased. In clump form, the pillow fill can be gently pulled apart by hand for a less dense filling, or compacted for a more consistent, fuller pillow. Fiberfill is one of the softest materials used in cushioning and fills many pillows sold in stores. Loose fiberfill is also great to have on hand for repair projects. Well-loved stuffed animals or torn pet toys can be easily filled out again to their original shape and size with the polyester fiber.

 

The tightly intertwined sheets of fiberfill are often called batting. These are particularly useful for quilting because they’re light, warm, and hold their shape to give the quilt or blanket even fullness. For a multi-purpose, practical crafting material, polyester fiberfill does many jobs easily and affordably.

If you’ve ever walked along an even, smooth sidewalk, or kicked back in a toasty log cabin during a blizzard, you owe a debt of gratitude to a product you’ve likely never seen. That product is foam backer rod; an incredibly important building material in masonry and construction that gives structures durability, flexibility, and longevity.

 

Backer rod, also known as expansion joint filler, is a thin waterproof foam cylinder that is packed into the joints between poured concrete, logs in cabin construction, and cracks or fractures in the repair of similar building materials. Its role as a bond breaker between substrate base surfaces and the waterproof sealant applied to the joint is vital, because if caulk completely fills the joint, a three-point bond is formed. If this happens, due to the expansion and contraction during seasons and temperature changes, the adhesive will pull against the two materials it is sealing and the substrate, causing damage or failure when it tears away from one. It also is important to fill these joints for the purpose of keeping joints free of moisture. Cover foam and sealant protects against the damage and degradation of building materials during freeze cycles. If a joint between two slabs in a sidewalk remains unsealed and fills with moisture and freezes, the expansion of water into ice can crack the cement.

 

Caulk and sealant do not bond to the foam backer rod which is packed in tight enough to expand with materials. Keeping that space filled allows the sealant to stretch and compress, much like a rubber band. Filling the majority of the crack’s space with foam is also much more cost-effective than doing the same with caulk, making backer rod a cost-saving measure as well, in addition to its structure-saving benefits.

Whether you’re rooting on your team at the Super Bowl or cheering for your kids at their little league game, team spirit always makes games more fun and interesting. And while we can hoot and holler until we’re hoarse, showing our spirit is much easier than saying it, and foam products are one of the best ways to let your allegiance be known.

A cornerstone of the cheering world is the foam finger. These have come a long way since their original papier mache versions, and it’s difficult to attend a game at any level without seeing the foamy affirmation that your team is number one. These decorative foam accessories are bulk-cut from soft foam blocks and are often used in fundraisers or contests because of their affordability. Today, there are various novelty designs used, many tailored to individual teams. Hammers, talons, claws, and pitchforks are just a few of the newer patterns fans enjoy cheering with.

Cheering all day at the game can become uncomfortable though, whether you’re subjected to hard molded seats or cold metal bleachers. This is where foam steps in once again, to make showing your fandom that much comfier. In stadiums that allow them, cushioning bench pads soften hard seats, relieve pressure, and make it much easier to comfortably sit through a whole game. It cushions, pads and softens, but can also be used to show spirit as well. Cushions come in multitudes of colors so you can keep your team look consistent, and some even feature logos to go further in showing pride for your team. Before you head out to the ballpark, make sure you’re equipped to let your favorite team know that you’re on their side.

When an individual needs reduced noise or improved sound, the first areas that receive acoustic treatment are often the walls. However, in large rooms, open-space offices, and multi-story homes, more can be accomplished if you also address the space above you with acoustical treatment for your ceilings.

Ceilings are often neglected when a space is being treated for sound reduction with acoustical treatment. But in multiple-story structures, sound travels upward and downward just as easily as it moves outward. Ceilings are like noise lids, containing sounds and allowing echoes and reverberation. In large areas, like offices with multiple departments sectioned by dividers or cubicles under a shared ceiling, single departments are subjected to the whole floor’s noise. In an expansive classroom or auditorium, just a few voices can create sound reflections distracting enough to make hearing difficult for others. For these reasons, insulating sound in ceilings is vital for the acoustical treatment of a room. Fortunately, products exist for this very task, with foam mat sound barriers being affordable and fairly easy to implement.

In basements, acoustical drop ceiling tiles are great for clarifying sound and reducing noise sent to the floor above. Drop ceiling tiles are also very beneficial in offices or classrooms for cutting down on sound reflections, resulting in increased productivity and focus. Foam can be also factored into the acoustic construction of rooms. Closed-cell foam material sheets added between floors act as a sound deadening layer that can reduce noise, and some varieties also provide the added benefit of thermal insulation.

If you encounter noise issues and have looked all around for a solution, perhaps the problem isn’t all around you, but rather, above you.

No matter how attentive and protective a parent is, it’s unavoidable that a child will take a tumble at some point in their life. And as they say, an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. So for parents who realize they can’t hold their child’s hand around the clock, there are things that can be done to help reduce the chances of an accident happening as a child learns to walk or play.

One of the best ways to protect a child is with a foam play mat. Using closed-cell foam, these mats are firm enough to provide a stable and comfortable surface for play and walking, while having enough give and cushion to protect a child in a fall. Floor cover foam is incredibly versatile by nature of its size, made in very thin sheets that can be rolled and stored away when not in use, or implemented in seconds. And with children’s tendencies to make the biggest messes possible with whatever they are eating or playing with, a durable material is necessary. Foam floor mats are just this, as cushion cleaning is a breeze since closed-cell foams are water-resistant and most water-based inks can be washed off with soap and water. Being able to clean and sanitize a play area is invaluable for parents, especially after a child drops an ice cream cone or some juice.

For people in residences dominated by hardwood flooring, foam pads are an excellent way to keep younger children safe against the firm surface, without permanently changing the look of a room. When placed back in storage foam mats leave a room the way it was before. If you’re looking to outfit a child’s play area or trying to prevent bumps and bruises while learning how to walk, a firm and cushioning closed-cell foam floor mat is a versatile, practical product.

Memory foam products becoming more popular for mattresses, and the internet shopping slowly replacing traditional store shopping has led many people to ask how foam products get to where they need to go. Because of the hefty dimensions of large products like mattresses, people may cringe at what they imagine the cost of shipping such a large item may be. Fortunately, foam manufacturers have perfected ways of packaging foam as economically as possible. One style, typically used for bulk orders by major manufacturers, is tightly rolling with heavy machinery. The other method, and the one used more often on individual purchases like mattresses or pillows, is vacuum packing.

Vacuum packing is one of those rare things that is as simple as it sounds. The item to be shipped is attached to a vacuum that sucks air from the sealed package, drastically reducing its size. The reason this works so well is because the majority of foam filling is air. And with all the cells in open-cell foam being interconnected, in a vacuum sealed bag, you can quickly shrink a product down in size.

While it may seem like it would take quite a powerful machine to attain the compression foam needs to economically ship, many companies don’t need a vacuum any more complicated or powerful than a simple shop vacuum. Once the form is reduced by as much as 75 percent, it is sealed, wrapped, packaged, and sent on its way in the most cost-effective way possible.

The uses for protected and secure foam-filled briefcases go far beyond what we’re typically shown in movies. Few people need to keep an easily assembled, silenced pistol in a briefcase for their job as an international secret agent, and not many of us are transporting gems and jewels for a gig as a mining tycoon. Polyethylene foam packaging cases have plenty of real-world applications though, that can apply to people in nearly any walk of life.

A specialized case, packed with custom-cut shipping foam, isolates an item from impact, and prevents its movement within the case, whether alone or sharing the case with other components. One of the most popular uses for foam insert cases is in photography, as costly camera equipment and spare lenses need to be kept safe while getting to where you plan to shoot. The hard shells of these cases do a good job protecting against the elements and external dangers, and the interior foam design stabilizes and absorbs shock.

And while you may not be an agent, you may still be a hunter or a marksman who wants to ensure the safety of your firearms. These cases are made to be locked, keeping their contents secure. Padded security cases are important items in the scientific community as well. Many experiments and tests require on-site measurements and calculations, which requires delicate and expensive instruments having to be transported to the location. Custom shapes carved into the foam will hold every part and component in place, preventing damage and making it easy to get all the necessary data back to the lab.

Even on a smaller scale, students and professionals can use this kind of casing to protect their computers and electronics. For these situations, as well as for the previously mentioned testing equipment, foam inserts are also made in anti-static formulations to help prevent the invisible buildup and damaging transfer of electro-static energy into components.

Man-made sponges are a unique product, modeled after one of nature’s most interesting creations. Many people would be surprised to learn natural sponges are not plants, but animals, albeit the simplest ones on the planet. Their bodies, if they can be called that, are designed to pass water, filtering the nutrients they need to survive. This design, when removed from the water, makes them very absorbent, and is what our synthetic sponges also achieve.

Made of polyurethane absorbing foam, sponges hold water and soap for cleaning, dishes, and bathing. They have enough abrasiveness to remove grit and dirt without scratching or damaging skin, dishes or surfaces. Many cleaning sponges also have an abrasive scouring pad attached to one side of the polyurethane shaped foam to give extra cleaning ability for difficult stains or marks.

Sponges aren’t all work however, and many are made into fun foam shapes that children enjoy in the pool, in the bath, or for crafts. Their absorbent nature makes them interesting and helpful learning tools, and they are soft without sharp edges. Dipped in ink or paint, foam sponges can also be used for stamping and arts and crafts.

Sponges offer many DIY uses around the house as well. Putting bars of soap on a sponge pad in the bathroom keeps the soap dry, helping it last longer. Wrapped around shovels and rakes, they can offer a pressure-relieving pad for sore hands. No matter where they’re used, sponges bring a unique set of characteristics to help do their jobs better than any other product.