Many people in December complain that they cannot tune in to the New Year's mood in any way, and in 2020 this is especially difficult to do. It was especially hard for those who had repairs this year, because in some months the purchase and delivery of building materials, as well as the movement of teams of craftsmen around the city turned into a difficult quest. However, as they say, in any incomprehensible situation, turn to creativity. A specialist of the Technonikol company told the readers of the RIA Real Estate website how to make a New Year tree with the help of polyurethane foam, cardboard and paint.
Tools and materials
Polyurethane foam is a universal material, neither repairs nor construction can do without it. And if there are extra cylinders left, do not rush to get rid of them. With the help of polyurethane foam, you can make an excellent decor for the new year. And the process itself will surely capture the household.
In addition to the foam itself, you will need: an assembly gun, cardboard for the frame, scissors, a knife, tape or wire for fixing the elements, a spray bottle with water, a protective film. If you want to make your foamy masterpiece bright, you need to stock up on paint and brushes.
The decorators themselves also need to prepare for the creative process: choose clothes that you don't mind getting dirty, take an apron or a disposable painting overalls, a protective cap, gloves. Eyes must be protected with glasses.
In principle, any polyurethane foam is suitable for work, but it is best to take professional brands. They have a lower coefficient of secondary expansion (no more than 20%), which means there is less risk that our tree will be deformed.
The number of cylinders will depend on the size of the product. A two-meter beauty will take about six cylinders with a net filling of 885 g. A small Christmas tree will need about 2-3 cylinders.
Workspace
You need to work with polyurethane foam in a spacious and well-ventilated area. It is very important to keep the window open during the entire creative process! At the same time, it is better to create still inside the house. On the street, given the time of year, where there is snow, wind and frost, it will be difficult to create a masterpiece from polyurethane foam.
Christmas tree based on a cardboard frame
So, first of all, we make a blank for the future Christmas tree from thick cardboard. You can roll a sheet of cardboard with a cone and fasten its edges with a stapler, glue or tape.
There is another option: cut out three isosceles triangles from cardboard and fasten them together in a pyramid.
If you want to create a large Christmas tree, then a triangular frame can be made from wooden blocks, and sheets of cardboard can be attached to them with a construction stapler.
When the frame of the future tree is ready, you can use polyurethane foam. Each cylinder is equipped with a special tube (for household foams), but it will be much more convenient to work with professional foam with a special gun. If you have a professional tool at home, that's great. If no renovation work is planned in the house in the near future, you can purchase a disposable pistol - it will also perfectly cope with the task.
When working with polyurethane foam, it is important to remember that this is primarily a building material. Take precautions and do not leave children unattended. Explain to them that it is impossible to touch the foam with your hands until it is dry, as well as to approach it, as it may have a specific smell.
We put the frame on the film to protect the floor from possible ingress of material, and we begin. To make the foam stick well, we slightly moisten the frame with water using a spray bottle.
We shake the balloon, screw it onto the pistol, open it and bleed the first 10-20 centimeters of foam into a bucket of water.
An important point: work with polyurethane foam is carried out from the bottom up, so you need to start from the base of the Christmas tree.
We spread the first row of foam on the film around the frame as close to it as possible so that it sticks well. We leave it for 15 minutes so that the foam has time to expand to working size. After this time, on top of the first row, you can lay out the second.
All subsequent layers, up to the top, are applied with obligatory breaks for a few minutes, so that the foam has time to harden a little and does not slip!
The crown can be formed by the example of decorating cupcakes or cakes. Or you can make a star from polyurethane foam according to the prepared sketch.
The tree is ready, now it will take 24 hours to dry completely. After a day, a homemade beauty can be decorated. If desired, it can be painted with acrylic or water-borne paint.
We hang toys on the Christmas tree using ordinary paper clips, they will also fix Christmas beads and tinsel well. The final chord will be accents set with "artificial snow".
Christmas tree of difficulty level "master"
You can make a Christmas tree without a frame. This option is a little more difficult to execute, but the result will be excellent.
We need a monochromatic film, the length of which will correspond to the height of the future tree. Draw a sketch on the film with a special permanent marker.
We lay the film on the floor and churn it out along the prepared contour with polyurethane foam using a pistol.
In this state, we leave the workpiece for a day. Remove the film after 24 hours. We need about six such blanks.
When the elements are ready, they, like clamshell books, need to be placed vertically and fastened together with the same mounting foam. The result is a beautiful tall tree without a frame.
The tree can be painted in the desired color. We fasten toys, tinsel and other decorations with paper clips. You can also make figures from polyurethane foam, but without a frame, they will be flat.
This is how, in two days, from several cylinders with polyurethane foam, with the help of a good mood and imagination, a bright, truly exclusive New Year's decor is obtained.
