How to Close Off Soffit Vents for Spraying Foam

Soffit vents, also called under-eave vents, are used to ventilate attics by drawing cool air into attic spaces. This cool air then pushes hot, stale air out of the attic through turbine vents in the roof. While newer homes are generally built with soffit vents, these type of vents usually need to be added to older homes. If your home has soffit vents in areas where you may need to spray foam that hardens, it's important to properly close off your vents to avoid getting foam caught in the opening that can harden and permanently damage your vent.

Ladder
Masking tape

Instructions

- 1
  Position your ladder beneath your first soffit vent. Climb your ladder so that you can comfortably reach the surface of your soffit vent without straining or leaning on the ladder.
- 2
  Pull a strip of tape off your roll of masking tape and stick the end of your strip in the upper left-hand corner of the vent, smoothing down the strip horizontally across the vent and ripping the strip off from the roll using your fingers. The length of your tape strip does not need to be identical in width to the vent, but it's important to make sure the vent's surface is properly covered by being generous with your tape application.
- 3
  Repeat Step 2 with a second strip just below this first strip. Continue adding strips of masking tape horizontally across the soffit vent until the vent's surface is completely covered.
- 4
  Spray your foam. Residue may land on your vent area, but the masking tape will act as a barrier to protect its surface.
- 5
  Peel off the masking tape from your soffit vent when you are finished spraying foam. The vent's surface should be clean and free of foam.

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