JLC · AUGUST 1989 Filling Cavities: Retrofit Foam Update New retrofit foams raise hopes... and questions The foaming frenzy of the late 1970s, created by energy tax credits and high fuel costs, came to a crashing halt in December 1985. A highly publicized court case, a nine-month ban on ureaformaldehyde foam, and the public's suspicion that all inject-in-place foams contained urea-formaldehyde (UF) put the brakes on what had been a promising young industry. Most foam contractors hung up their hoses, but others went back to the drawing boards and quietly developed a new generation of foams to retrofit sidewalls. The new foam contractors report improvements in technology and product reliability. Critics, on the other hand, question the products, pointing to alleged installation problems and inconclusive test
