I hate expanda-foam...

[saximus]

Plenty of people have made rock walls like this with no issues though...? What if you coat it in a good sealer? Would that hold the fumes in? Maybe you can do a test run with a heat light aimed at it for a day then stick your head (very briefly) in and see if you can smell anything

 

[melluvssnakes]

Problem is that the enclosure is heaps ventilated so you wouldn't be able to tell if there are any fumes.

Oh good lord, I swear I am usually not that dumb. Let's rephrase that last post. One good thing, is that the enclosure is really well ventillated, so any fumes would dissipate very quickly.
Oh, and no I am not blonde. I swear

 

[Khagan]

So.. Is this stuff safe or not? =\ 1 second having people saying it is, then next it isn't. Was planning on using it myself cause i'm too lazy to carve out foam lol.

 

[J-A-X]

I"ve had a scan through several different manufacturer MSDS, and apart from the standard, health warnings about contact and sniffing the stuff, they seem to vary a bit in their extra info, One states it should not be exposed to temps >50c which would mean that if the expanda foam is ' naked" (not covered by several layers of grout/render etc) then exposing it to temps above 50c (EG heat emitter) could produce highly toxic fumes/or catch fire. one of the MSDS commented on not suitable for aquariums, so if anyone is thinking of using expandafoam for aquariums or frog tanks then please reconsider !, if you are using it to shape a unique water bowl for your reptiles then I would recommend triple/quadruple sealing it with an appropriate sealer.

Like most things, common sense should be your guide. If something smells 'chemical' then theres a good chance it has a 'flash point' (a temp that it will ignite without direct flame)
common sense should also tell you that being a plastic type of substance, both the expanda foam and the normal styrofoam will melt if they get too hot and heat sources placed accordingly. and above all if in doubt look for a better alternative and above all STAY SAFE ! !

its all looking good so far Mel, how many more coats of render/liquid sandstone have you got to put on (I can see white spots in one of the last photos)

 

[melluvssnakes]

I'm pretty sure it'll be fine. There is heaps of ventilation, the heat light is only 60w (may change that to 40w) and it is a fair distance from the background. Plus, it is a spot bulb, so all heat is directed straight down on top of the tiles, rather then focusing onto the foam.

 

[Snake_Whisperer]

Yeh, it's just one of those things you know from years in the building industry. I see Jaxrfm has poked around with some MSDS'. Best bet would be to have a squiz at the product specific MSDS. For future reference, stock standard styrofoam does not have this problem. It may or may not cause you grief, as someone mentioned, plenty of people have used it. Just something to be aware of.

 

[J-A-X]

but do be careful if you are using a flame to shape your styrofoam.... nasty fumes. i run a small desk fan behind me to push the fumes away, not very comfortable in the winter but sure beats 'dancing on the ceiling' LOL

 

[Jewyy95]

looks good post some pics of end product