Best Black and Landscape Foam

None of the eight black foam data sheets we read mentions reptiles, amphibians, vivariums or terrariums, so no maker in this set has said yes or no. The animal statements that do exist are about water features: Stanley F903 and DAP Touch ’n Seal Black say their foam is safe for plants and fish, TYTAN’s black foam sheet says "Safe around koi fish," and Kraken Bond’s straw sheet goes furthest, saying the foam "does not harm aquatic or terrestrial life above or below the waterline." None of the four names a test behind its statement, and the Sprayman and Akfix black foam sheets make no animal statement at all.

We hold no document for Great Stuff Pond & Stone, so we cannot compare anything with it, and the documents we hold for regular Great Stuff Gaps & Cracks make no pond or water-feature claim: its safety data sheet gives the identified use as "Polyurethane foam." Among the black foams we track, the sheets that name water features are Kraken Bond’s ("Pond and pool applications" on the straw sheet, "Ponds, pools, and water features" on the gun sheet), Sprayman’s ("Pond, pool and piscine applications"), DAP’s ("Ideal for ponds and waterfalls") and TYTAN’s ("safe for waterfalls and koi ponds"). Stanley’s F903 sheet names landscaping rather than ponds, and Akfix’s 892P sheet names neither. None of these sheets mentions a vivarium or an aquarium.

None of the eight black foam sheets we read asks for silicone or any other seal before water or animals touch the foam. The coatings they do ask for are against sunlight: Kraken Bond’s straw sheet says "Protect cured foam from UV exposure by painting or coating," the Stanley, Sprayman, Akfix and TYTAN sheets give the same kind of instruction, and DAP says its foam "Will not breakdown or discolor in sunlight." Kraken Bond’s gun sheet says "Cured foam is safe for use in underwater and above-water environments" with no coating condition attached. The only sheet that mentions silicone is TYTAN’s, and only to say the foam does not stick to it: "The foam displays lack of adhesion to polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, silicone and Teflon."

None of the eight black foam sheets we read states a wait before water flows over the foam or animals go back in, so full cure is the nearest figure the makers give: 24 hours on the Kraken Bond, Stanley, Sprayman, Akfix and TYTAN sheets, and "Approx. 1 hour" on DAP’s. Cutting time is shorter, 40 minutes or less on six of the eight sheets and "20-45 min" on Akfix’s, but Kraken Bond’s straw sheet says to "Trim or shape the foam after it has fully cured" and TYTAN recommends finishing work "after full hardening is completed, i.e. after 24 h." Several sheets add that cure depends on temperature and humidity, and DAP asks for "40% relative humidity or greater."

DAP’s and Stanley’s black foam sheets sell the foam as a stone adhesive, and none of the black foam sheets says anything about pond liners. DAP’s Touch ’n Seal Black sheet lists "Stone and block adhesive" and calls the foam "Ideal for bonding stones for landscaping and waterfall/pond applications," and Stanley’s F903 sheet says it "bonds quickly to porous and non-porous rock, stone, cement, wood, and various other materials." None of the eight black foam sheets we read mentions EPDM, rubber or any other liner material, and none prints a bond strength, so how much weight a joint will hold is not documented. TYTAN’s black foam sheet is the one that lists materials the foam will not stick to, among them polyethylene and polypropylene.

None of the eight black foam sheets we read lists glass among the surfaces the foam sticks to, so there is no maker statement either way. On wet surfaces they split: Kraken Bond’s straw sheet says "Surfaces must be clean, dry" yet "Moistening the surface improves adhesion and curing performance," Stanley’s F903 and Sprayman’s sheets also tell you to moisten the surface, and DAP’s says the "surface must be clean, dry, and free of all foreign material" with no wetting step. None of them describes applying foam under water; Kraken Bond’s gun sheet speaks of underwater use only for cured foam. TYTAN’s sheet names silicone among the materials the foam does not adhere to.

Stanley F903 prints "safe for plants and fishes" in its data sheet, and DAP Touch ’n Seal Black prints "safe for plants and fish" in its sheet and on its page. Kraken Bond's straw sheet says the foam "does not harm aquatic or terrestrial life above or below the waterline"; its gun sheet states underwater use with no statement about fish or plants. TYTAN’s black foam sheet says "Safe around koi fish" and calls the foam safe for "waterfalls and koi ponds". None of the four names a test. Sprayman’s store and sheet both name pond use, and neither makes a fish or plant statement.

The sheets make two different claims. "UV resistant" is a relative claim about the black pigment, and the instruction to paint or cover the cured foam is about long-term exposure outdoors; one foam can hold both, so the two sentences are not a contradiction. What none of the makers publishes is a UV exposure test with a method and a duration, so treat the color as an appearance choice and the coating instruction as the requirement.

DAP publishes a UL 723 result for its black foam because the same can is sold for RV and HVAC use, and TYTAN publishes one for its black foam because that can is sold for RV and automotive work; they are the two black foams in the set with a US surface-burning figure. DAP's sheet prints two different index pairs, 10/15 and 15/25, both within Class A. TYTAN's prints 15 and 10 for the 24 oz gun can.