3M Scotch Foam Mounting Squares

Once again, we join the freak in the midst of home repair as she continues to sink more time and money into the dwelling she somewhat affectionately calls.. "The Money Pit"

If I had the realtor that called this house a "charming and lovable place that you'll love to come home to" in front of me, chances are I would skin her alive. I can deal with most things in stride; the bathroom wasn't completed, the sink leaked, the dishwasher made horrible noises, the drains were almost all backed up and the bathroom tiles are possessed by demons. Yeah, I can deal with all that. What I can't take are walls that you can't sink a nail into. These plasterboard el cheapo walls that are there for looks, not function or purpose. I learned the hard way that you can't put a nail into this stuff to hang a picture frame in it if your life depends on it. If you do manage to get a nail to go into it straight, any type of weight you put on the nail will eventually, thanks to gravity, loosen the hole and your object will come crashing to the ground. Enter Scotch Permanent Foam Mounting Tape Squares, a lifesaving product if there ever were one.

Scotch Permanent Foam Mounting Tape
16 1 Inch Squares Per Package

I've always loved working with double sided tape but it isn't exactly strong enough to support something like a mirror or picture frame. I used the smaller form of these squares to hang decorations in the past and always had good luck with them but the ones that I used were the removable ones, not the permanent ones. When I had the first battle with the livingroom wall and it's utter refusal to hold even the smallest of frames I decided that I wasn't going to take the battle any further, no, I was going to take the high road and invest a couple of dollars into the Scotch Permanent Foam Mounting Tape Squares. These are strong enough to support two pounds but what Scotch doesn't tell you is that each square will support this weight so if you are using one for each corner you can have up to eight pounds. That doesn't mean that you can go all hog wild and start hanging shelves with these but they are a little stronger than Scotch says. When in doubt, use a few extra squares around the corners for added support but remember, these are designed for light weight items.

If you are someone that likes to rearrange things then this isn't the product for you, go with the removable ones so you won't have to scrape off the gunk that these leave behind when you remove them from the wall. Likewise, don't use these on anything that you value more than life itself because when you remove the foam from it, you will get some left over tack and foam that you will have to carefully remove. These are two sided adhesive squares that you can use to hang things around the house. They are great if you have pot holder hangers that have lost their ability to stick to the wall as well as if you want to hang towel holders in the bathroom but can't use a screwdriver or have cheap thin walls like the money pit. I'd suggest against using these for mirrors or anything that could cause injury if it falls - you never know when something is going to come loose and come crashing down. To lighten the load, try replacing glass in picture frames with plastic.

Directions

The key to using these is to make sure you are working with a clean dry surface. Figure out exactly where you want the square to go, mark it with pencil, peel of one side of the adhesive and press firmly into place. Then remove the second piece of adhesive [the piece that is facing you] and apply whatever it is you are hanging to it. You can do it the reverse way but it really does help if you mark off the area so you get it centered and aligned the right way. Once you press this into place you can remove it but you will have to clean off all the foam and tack from both surfaces before you start over again. You can use these on almost any type of surface however if you are going to use these in the bathroom to hang towels, make sure you try to keep the moisture level to a minimum.

Common sense should tell you that you shouldn't exceed the two pound limit and that you shouldn't use these to secure things that could cause bodily harm if they fell from a wall. These shouldn't be used to try to fix something that is broken like a door jam or window frame, these are designed to make hanging things easier, not home repairs. Since these are thicker than a regular piece of double sided tape you will have to apply even pressure to get the squares to adhere to the wall and the item that you are hanging. When working with uneven surfaces or things with uneven corners, trim the excess before you remove the second piece of the adhesive cover so the tack won't stick to the scissor blades.

Price

You can pick these up for under two dollars at most retail stores that have a housewares or home improvement section. There are some brands that are cheaper but you aren't going to get the Scotch sticking power from them. There are sixteen one inch squares per package and they come with an adhesive backing on both sides. If you do not need something that is permanent or you think you will be removing the items from time to time, consider going with the removable version. These aren't as strong but they are a lot easier to remove from walls and the items that are being hung. If you don't need the one inch size you can purchase rolls of the foam tape to use, these are better for heavier items but you need to people to apply it so you can cut it and apply it to the surfaces correctly and without any kinking.

The Bottom Line

These squares were a godsend when I was trying to hang things around the house and nails just weren't an option. After having a few frames come crashing down I decided that I needed a safe alternative to the nail and hammer approach. For the price they are well worth it since you don't have to cut the foam off of a roll or have to worry about things getting stick to the sides of the roll. The only downside to this is that you have to make sure that you keep the package sealed when you are done using it. If you don't and it is tossed in a drawer you are going to end up with dust, dirt and lint inside the package and it will find its way to the sides of the squares. If you are someone that considers him or herself a 'do it yourself' person then these are great to have around when you want to hang something and they are great for those picture frames that always seem to lean off center. Read the instructions on the package and don't exceed the maximum weight and you'll get great results from Scotch's Permanent Foam Mounting Tape Squares!


As always, thanks for the read!

~^V^~ Freak ~^V^~

© 2005 Freak369


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