digest
Short Summary
Main recommendation: The host tests a two-part expanding foam fence post product as a faster, cleaner alternative to concrete for setting a 4x4 fence post in a three-foot hole, and finds it holds the post upright after about three minutes. He stresses that the foam is still soft after 30 minutes and that the post's long-term anchoring was not yet confirmed. The product also has to be mixed carefully, or it will not expand properly.
Key Points
- The product is a two-part expanding foam, sold in bags, that the host says sets one or two posts in his condition and sets up in about three minutes.
- The first mix failed to foam because the material was not mixed thoroughly enough, so mixing technique matters more than the instructions' apparent simplicity suggests.
- The post was supported level with a homemade level and held upright after roughly three minutes, but it was still movable.
- Compared with concrete, the host finds the product faster and cleaner, at a higher cost, and considers that tradeoff worthwhile for this job.
- The host jokingly mentioned being skeptical of a 'Home' approval on the package, sarcastically remarking that TV personalities 'never get paid for their opinion.'
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: Break the seal in the middle of the two-part bag, then mix it by rolling or shaking it in the direction the arrows indicate, for about 20 seconds, making sure all of the material is fully mixed before pouring. Cut a corner of the bag, pour the foam into the hole while keeping the post level, and avoid pouring from high up to prevent staining the wood. Keep the post level during the roughly three-minute set time, and do not let go or touch it while it sets. Trim the extra foam after it sets. The host drilled a three-foot hole with a six-inch auger bit and used a 4x4 post, with the instructions suggesting half to one bag for that size.
- The host notes that anchoring the post with another piece of wood would be a better practice than relying on the foam alone, as he was testing whether the product could work without it.
- He used electrical tape wrapped around the post to help manipulate it while holding the level.
- He plans to add water the next day to help compact the surrounding ground, and to recheck the post with a shake test later that afternoon.
- The ground was mostly compacted gravel, which he considered a reasonable base for a post.
Bottom Line
The foam product appears to work as advertised for quickly stabilizing a fence post, but it still needs a few hours to a day to firm up, and its long-term performance was not yet shown in the video.
