Achieving a perfectly flat, plumb, and square substrate is the secret to a flawless finish. Whether you are installing kitchen cabinets, tiling a shower, or hanging drywall, traditional shimming methods can be slow, inaccurate, and frustrating.
Built With Foam® invented a patent-pending, color-coded shimming system to eliminate guesswork. This guide breaks down the differences between foam shims and hard plastic honeycomb shims so you can choose the right tool for your next project.
Foam Shims vs. Honeycomb Plastic Shims: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Foam Shims | Honeycomb Hard Plastic Shims |
| Primary Use | Waterproofing systems, showers, pinning floors for tile or other hard surface materials | Pre-drywall stud flattening, doors, cabinets, windows, pinning floors or all materials |
| Material Strength | Lightweight, highly flexible | Heavy-duty (9,000 PSI rating) |
| Best For | Moisture-heavy zones & budget-conscious jobs | Hard wall panels (Cement board, HardieBacker, Drywall) |
| Storage | Lightweight bulk | Compact, neatly stacked |
Deep Dive: Honeycomb Hard Plastic Shims
Engineered for heavy-duty structural applications, honeycomb shims offer a 9,000 PSI rating. This makes them ideal for demanding surfaces like cement boards, HardieBacker, drywall, ceilings, and hard wall panel systems.
Perfect Framing Before Drywall
Using honeycomb shims behind drywall or before setting closet cabinets ensures that the face of your wall studs forms a perfectly flat plane. This prep work simplifies the installation of all subsequent finish materials:
- Cabinets align perfectly along the walls without requiring additional shimming.
- Countertops sit flush against the wall, entirely eliminating gaps.
- Tile Backsplashes maintain a flat surface, eliminating tile lippage.
Advanced Honeycomb Design
Standard solid plastic shims often spin out of position when a screw hits them. Additionally, screws can force solid plastic to flare outward—creating a “volcano” effect that alters the thickness of your shim and ruins your measurements.
The engineered honeycomb design solves these problems:
- Zero Screw Jacking: Fasteners pass directly through the open cells easily.
- Locked Position: Shims stay exactly where you place them, even when the surface material blocks your view.
Deep Dive: High-Efficiency Foam Shims
Foam shims offer a lightweight, cost-effective alternative optimized for specific construction environments.
Optimized for Waterproofing
Foam shims are the preferred industry choice for setting foam wall panel waterproofing systems in showers.
Jobsite Flexibility
- Easy Snap Customization: Hand-break them into smaller pieces to match precise jobsite conditions and save money when pinning floors
The Pro Shim Kit Advantage: Save Time and Money
Both variations are featured in our Pro Shim Kit and Built With Foam® systems. They work together to optimize your jobsite workflow.
Color-Coded Depth Gauge System
Forget calculating complex fractions in your head over and over. Our system includes a specialized depth gauge that instantly identifies the exact shim thickness needed for each location. Because the shims are color-coded by thickness, less-experienced crew members can master the system in minutes.
Better Jobsite Economics
- Reduced Labor Costs: A single worker or a small pre-drywall crew can flatten an entire room before the drywall installers arrive. This frees up high-paid, highly skilled carpenters for more complex tasks.
- No Material Waste: The system completely eliminates the need to buy sister studs, requires no electricity, generates no cleanup waste, and involves no blades to sharpen or replace.
- Thinset Savings: Plumb, flat walls drastically reduce the amount of thinset mortar required to lay tile. Saving just one bag of thinset completely offsets the cost of the shims.
Ready to Upgrade Your Precision?
The Built With Foam Pro Shim Kit is built for professionals and DIY amateurs alike. Getting your substrate perfect before finish work brings peace of mind and guarantees a premium result.