Does Fence Post Foam Really Work?

Okay, I've built a ton of fences with this and a ton with concrete and here's my 2 cents. 1. The foam does work but it is very picky. Has to be properly mixed, has to be kept at a narrow temperature range, etc. 2. You have to go deep with the holes. 3 feet minimum. 3. You have to do a great job staking out the post. The expanding foam will push the post side to side if not perfectly staked. 4. You can easily carry 10 bags of foam in one trip. You cannot carry the equivalent in concrete. 5. The posts do feel softer than concrete, but I live in a high wind area and despite my home fence feeling a little soft, it's still dead level after a year of heavy winds. There's something to be said about a little give and take with wind. Now all that being said, I still use concrete and here's why: 1. I use fast set concrete so I don't have to stake out my posts. That saves time. 2. I only have to drill 2 feet deep. That saves time and muscle. 3. I only need 8' posts instead of 10' posts. This saves money and the 8' posts are lighter/easier to move around. 4. I don't have to explain the foam idea to clients. Everyone understands concrete. 5. When I compare the extra weight of the posts, cost of the posts, depth of the post holes, and stabilization of the foam posts, I see zero benefit in doing 100% foam all day every day. So, yes it works. No, it isn't a game changing miracle. It's just another tool to be used correctly on the days you need it.

$12.70 price for the foam at home depot after seeing this I'll stick with $4.98 bag of concrete

I have used just foam insulation with pea gravel and it has held up for 4 yrs . I used it for a privacy fence screen around my pool equipment . This is an actual product manufactured specifically for fence post how cool 👍 enjoyed

Thanks for fully dissuading me against using foam on my gate post. It may work well somewhere inline on a fence .. maybe 30 -50% of the fence-line, but absolutely not at the gatepost. Great video.

At first I thought this was a paid advertisement for foam. I'm happy to see this was an honest review. Thank you!

Watching foam expand is a lot more exciting than watching paint dry

my local hardware store has a display made for this stuff, its a 4X4 post set with foam in a 5 gallon bucket, its been there in the store for more then a year , the post has actually come away from the foam and is lopsided in the bucket lol , yeah, wont be bothering trying it myself lol

Thank you for taking the time to make this video! Not the results I expected.

I've never used this foam, but have used a couple of sica 2 part epoxies holding 500lbs pieces of glass railing, both interior and exterior, and it was stronger than the special hydraulic cement we used to use. Really good stuff!

Thank you for the before and after. All the other videos I have seen reviewing these products simply show how they are using the product and fail to display the durability of the product. This video has sold me on using concrete for my upcoming fence project.

I used the SecureSet foam for posts that I sunk two years ago. I built a "perimiter deck" foundation and built a shed on it. It's held up well through freeze and thaw, and I'm very impressed with it. I was told Secure Set is far superior to the Sika product. The fact that you mix it with a drill motor makes it seem more thorough to me.

I used this product last year to install a new light pole in my front yard. It worked amazing. Mine is still solid as a rock even after our crazy Wisconsin weather. If I had multiple holes to fill I'd still use concrete though cuz this is an expensive product.

I used this recently to install roughly 300 feet of privacy fence at my house in southern Indiana. IT WORKED AWESOME!!! My father in-law was so impressed that when we install his privacy fence this summer he’s only using foam on his too.

You just saved me a lot of time a frustration. Thank you.

I always wondered if it would make good contact with the post. Glad you put this test out. Thanx brother.

I used a similar product when I installed my new mailbox and post. I was done in two hours and did not have any shrinking problem. Holding up quite well, almost two years old. True once mixed you have to work very fast.

Glad I found this video. I commented on a recent vid about building my next fence for my home and yeah, traditional concrete it is. There is something to be said sometimes that doing things faster is not always better. There is a reason why structures that were built out of mud, clay and stone are still standing today. I'll stick with concrete.

I'm a professional photographer building my own fence in Wisconsin. I have to commend you on the quality of your videos. Keep up the great work! Also using steel posts for my privacy fence, so cool to see you doing the same :)

I used this stuff on a 4x4 post I put in my backyard (South Florida) - has not had any problem in 3 years. Solid as a rock, been through all our storms etc and all good.