News Articles

Effects of Temperature on Polyurea, Urethane, & Hybrid Spray Coatings

Effects of Temperature on Polyurea, Urethane, & Hybrid Spray Coatings Temperature has a big influence on the performance of protective spray coatings, like polyureas, urethanes,... Read More

Why Is My Spray Pattern Inconsistent?

Why Is My Spray Pattern Inconsistent? If you’re not getting a consistent finish when spraying a high-pressure material, there may be something wrong with the... Read More

VFI Liquid Urethane Plastics for Low-Volume, Custom Part Making

VFI Liquid Urethane Plastics for Low-Volume, Custom Part Making VFI has been manufacturing urethane plastic for decades at our Brookfield, Wisconsin facility. These materials are... Read More

How to Make Lightweight Parts & Molds by Backfilling with Foam

How to Make Lightweight Parts & Molds by Backfilling with Foam An alternative to making solid rubber or plastic parts and molds is to make... Read More

How to Make Liquid Rubber Molds for Decorative Concrete Casting

How to Make Liquid Rubber Molds for Decorative Concrete Casting Making concrete molds is a process that requires careful planning and preparation. The materials used... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Plastic Part Shrinking?

Why Is My Urethane Plastic Part Shrinking? If you’re new to working with urethane materials, you may not know much about their dimensional stability. While... Read More

How to Seal Foam for Durability on Theming Projects

How to Seal Foam for Durability on Theming Projects Do you have to repeatedly replace your foam props, sculptures, custom signs, and other structures due... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Foam

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Foam Understanding the properties of expanding urethane foam is important to optimize performance and success when using the material. They... Read More

Why Can’t I Paint My Urethane Plastic Part?

Why Can't I Paint My Urethane Plastic Part? Because urethane plastics tend to have high surface energy, most can be primed and painted, providing part... Read More

7 Benefits of Using a Urethane Hard Coat for EPS Theming

7 Benefits of Using a Urethane Hard Coat for EPS Theming Using EPS foam to build props, statues, architectural forms, and more is becoming more... Read More

Celebrating 30 Years of VFI

Celebrating 30 Years of VFI Volatile Free, Inc. is celebrating its 30th anniversary in 2025, and we’re reflecting on the many years the company has... Read More

Why Isn’t My Urethane Plastic Part Curing?

Why Isn't My Urethane Plastic Part Curing? If you’ve ever used urethane plastic for your part-making or prototyping projects and it won’t dry or cure,... Read More

Qwik Spray vs High Pressure Spray for Truck Bedliner: Which to Use?

Qwik Spray vs High Pressure Spray for Truck Bedliner: Which to Use? VFI offers several products to accommodate the application of spray-on truck bedliner. The... Read More

What’s the Difference Between Advanced Detail and Simple Formliners?

What's the Difference Between Advanced Detail & Simple Formliners? The main difference between advanced detail and simple concrete formliners is the complexity and depth of... Read More

Why Does My Urethane Plastic Have Bubbles?

Why Does My Urethane Plastic Have Bubbles? When making industrial or prototyping parts out of thermoset urethane plastic, the last thing you want to see... Read More

How To Determine Coverage Rates for Coating Projects

How To Determine Coverage Rates for Coating Projects Before applying a protective coating, the most important thing to consider is how much material you will... Read More

Why Is My EPS Foam Bending After Applying a Hard Coat?

Why Is My EPS Foam Bending After Applying a Hard Coat? If you’re working with long, thin EPS boards and urethane hard coats for your... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Plastic

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Plastic In the part making and prototyping world, understanding the properties of urethane plastic is essential for choosing the best... Read More

When to Use Silicone vs Urethane Rubber for Decorative Concrete

When to Use Silicone vs Urethane Rubber for Decorative Concrete Knowing which liquid rubber is right for your decorative concrete project can be tricky since... Read More

Why Is My Concrete Casting Shiny?

Why Is My Concrete Casting Shiny? Decorative concrete elements are used to enhance the architecture of residential and commercial structures with various colors, textures, and... Read More

TDI vs MDI Urethane Rubber for Concrete Casting: Which to Use?

TDI vs MDI Urethane Rubber for Concrete Casting: Which to Use? Urethane rubbers are versatile 2-part materials used in the concrete manufacturing industry to produce... Read More

Liquid Rubber for Decorative Concrete Stamps

Liquid Rubber for Decorative Concrete Stamps When it comes to making decorative concrete stamps, liquid rubber is typically the most desired material for the job.... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Foam Not Expanding / Collapsing?

Why Is My Urethane Foam Not Expanding / Collapsing? If you’re familiar with rigid or semi-flexible urethane foam, you know that each product has its... Read More

High-Quality Foam Coatings for Small Theming Projects

High-Quality Foam Coatings for Small Theming Projects Foam coats for theming projects like sculptures, props, and architectural shapes are desirable for small fabricators, scene shops,... Read More

Protect Work Trucks with Abrasion & Slip Resistant Coatings

Protect Work Trucks with Abrasion & Slip Resistant Coatings Construction, emergency, and utility vehicles are all integral parts of day-to-day life in various industries. Heavy-duty... Read More

What Is Causing Bubbles or Blisters in My Polyurea/Hybrid Coating?

What Is Causing Bubbles or Blisters in My Polyurea/Hybrid Coating? Once you’ve applied a fresh layer of polyurea or hybrid coating to a surface, the... Read More

How to Create Durable Foam Halloween Decorations

How to Create Durable Foam Halloween Decorations Since most Halloween and holiday décor or facades are meant for the outdoors, they must be strong enough... Read More

Do I Need a Protective Coating for My Trailer?

Do I Need a Protective Coating for My Trailer? Because trailers take a beating in transport, a protective coating is essential to keep them in... Read More

Why Isn’t My Polyurea or Hybrid Coating Adhering to the Surface?

Why Isn't My Polyurea or Hybrid Coating Adhering to the Surface? If you notice your polyurea or hybrid coating isn’t adhering to the surface, several... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Sticky?

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Sticky? Some urethane rubber users have come to us and are confused as to why their rubber is sticky... Read More

Liquid Rubber for Concrete Stone Molds

Liquid Rubber for Concrete Stone Molds Ensuring you have the right liquid rubber material to make concrete stone molds is important to the success of... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Mold Deforming?

Why Is My Urethane Mold Deforming? So, you’ve done everything right in the process of making your mold, but after you’ve demolded it, it’s begun... Read More

Why Can’t I Remove My Casting from My Urethane Mold?

Why Can't I Remove My Casting from My Urethane Mold? Some urethane rubber users have run into issues with being unable to remove their concrete... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Not Drying?

Why Is My Urethane Rubber Mold Not Drying? VFI has had customers using two-component urethane rubber come to us saying their material is not drying... Read More

Do I Need to Use a Release Agent with Urethane Rubber?

Do I Need to Use a Release Agent with Urethane Rubber? Release agents are required for any application when making a two-part urethane rubber mold... Read More

Why Are There Bubbles in My Urethane Rubber?

Why Are There Bubbles in My Urethane Rubber? We’ve come across urethane rubber users in the past who have wondered why there are bubbles in... Read More

How Much Liquid Rubber Do I Need to Make a Mold?

How Much Liquid Rubber Do I Need to Make a Mold? Before making a mold, the most important thing to consider is how much liquid... Read More

Qwik Spray vs High Pressure Spray for Hard Coat: Which to Use?

Qwik Spray vs High Pressure Spray for Hard Coat: Which to Use? The two most common spray methods VFI hard coat products utilize are Qwik... Read More

How to Use a Brushable Hard Coat + Testing for Recoat Window

How to Use a Brushable Hard Coat + Testing for Recoat Window Knowing how to use a brushable hard coat can save you money on... Read More

Why Is My Hard Coat Cracking?

Why Is My Hard Coat Cracking? Hard coats are supposed to be durable protection over surfaces like EPS foam for theming, so why are customers... Read More

How to Fix Holes or Cracks in Urethane Hard Coat

How to Fix Holes or Cracks in Urethane Hard Coat Accidents can happen when using urethane hard coats over EPS foam shapes, signs, and props.... Read More

Why Is My Hard Coat Project Failing?

Why Is My Hard Coat Project Failing? In the past, we’ve had customers think they could use a hard coat in a casting capacity for... Read More

Why Isn’t My Urethane Hard Coat Drying?

Why Isn’t My Urethane Hard Coat Drying? Customers of urethane hard coats have called VFI asking why their urethane hard coat isn’t drying. Mix ratio,... Read More

Why Should You Hard Coat EPS Foam Props?

Why Should You Hard Coat EPS Foam Props? There are several reasons that you should hard coat EPS foam props. If they are being used... Read More

Why Is My Urethane Hard Coat Bubbling?

Why Is My Urethane Hard Coat Bubbling? Customers of polyurethane coatings have called VFI about bubbles forming while mixing their material or when the material... Read More

Differences Between Silicone, Latex, and Urethane Molding Rubber

Differences Between Silicone, Latex, and Urethane Molding Rubber Learning the differences between silicone, latex, and urethane molding rubbers can help you determine which material is... Read More

VFI Coatings to Protect Flexible Surfaces

VFI Coatings to Protect Flexible Surfaces Volatile Free, Inc. has formed a niche line of softer coatings that provide certain applications with much-needed flexibility and... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Industrial Polyurea and Hybrid Coatings

Understanding the Properties of Industrial Polyurea and Hybrid Coatings Understanding the properties of industrial polyurea and hybrid coatings is essential for proper use. Some industrial... Read More

When to Upgrade a Qwik Spray Gun to a High Pressure Spray Rig

When to Upgrade a Qwik Spray Gun to a High Pressure Spray Rig For those who have been spraying two-component polymer coatings for a while,... Read More

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Hard Coats

Understanding the Properties of Urethane Hard Coats Understanding the properties of urethane hard coats is essential to picking the best material for theming projects. They... Read More