What Are Foam Sheets?

A topic as broad as foam sheets can mean a variety of different things depending on the application.  The purpose of this article is to define and distinguish many of the most popular types of foam sheets.  Regardless of it’s intended use, foam has many advantages in construction, crafts, the arts, and even thermodynamics.  Foam for the purpose of this article will be defined as the trapping of gaseous bubbles in the form of a solid as opposed to a liquid.  The most common types of foam solids include, polyethylene foam such as in pipe insulation, polyurethane foam like in acoustic panels, or polystyrene foam strands that make up the foam board insulation you would see installed in homes or garages.  The most common foam sheets made for insulation and soundproofing in homes are called foam board insulation.

Foam Sheets – Foam Board Insulation

Foam board insulation has a number of benefits over traditional fiberglass insulation.  Primarily, foam sheets of insulation are much easier to manage, store, cut, and install.  Rigid and durable in construction, foam board insulation is very easy to install with a utility knife and a staple gun, or adhesive.  Additionally, foam sheets are much more efficient in terms of R value compared to the amount of space they consume.  A one inch foam sheet can insulate just as well as several inches of fiberglass.  This makes them a great solution for concrete or brick construction where there is no stud cavity to fill with insulation.  Finally, foam board insulation can also be used on the exterior of homes to provide an extra layer of insulation for improved energy efficiency in between the framing and siding.

Foam Sheets For Crafts

Used to make cut outs, stamps, and as a canvas for artwork, foam sheets have the potential of hours of fun for kids.  Bright colored foam sheets are great for making hats, animals and puppets.  To use, use a pair of scissors to help your child cut out fun shapes of animals, letters, or objects.  Then using markers, glue, glitter, and your cutouts make wonderful and vibrant 3 dimensional pieces of art that your kids will be proud of.  Or follow patterns you can print out online to make puppets or hats that your children will love.

Foam Sheets For Soundproofing
Using foam board insulation is a great way to improve the noise penetration of a room.  However there are plenty of foam sheets made to improve the quality of sound in a room by dampening the sound of echos and vibrations.  Sound dampening foam absorbs sound that would normally bounce off the wall and create echos or reverberations.  There are plenty of styles of foam sheets for soundproofing that are sure to fit your budget, ranging from egg crate foam to professional grade acoustic panels.

As you can see, depending on your application, foam sheets are one of the most affordable and convenient materials for everything from kids crafts to high end construction projects or soundproofing jobs.