Thread: Styrofoam question

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Ok, I am doing a project with Styrofoam and the strips I have to work with are 4ft in length.
My question is this: to "bind" them together to make one 8 foot long piece, what would you recommend? the strips are 4ft x 4.5in x 1inch. I want 8 x 4.5 x 1

Trying to find the best way to do this and the best products to use.

Thanks all. I KNOW the experts here will know the answer!

gorilla glue is good and liquid nails works. have used both.
you will need to find a way to keep pressure on them for the glue to set up.
will you be attaching them to something or will they be standing alone.

I use either Gorilla Glue (adds extra stability) or 3M Super 77 spray adhesive (for projects already primed). I then wrap the edges together with masking tape as tight as I can and weigh the pieces down with scrap wood.

To do what you want to do, I would suggest cutting the 4 foot strips as follows:

2 4 foot strip
2 3 foot strips
1 2 foot strips.

You would stagger the pieces. Sandwich a 4' piece to a 3' piece. Then connect the second 3' piece to the 1' overhang. Then connect the second 4' strip to the 2' overhang. Then fill in the gap on the back with a 2' strip.



Forgive the cropping. I just did this up on an online image editor real quick.

This would, unfortunately, give you a 2 inch thick plank. It will be really strong, though.

If you absolutely need 1 inch, I would recommend using dowels and a non-expanding glue (not Gorilla Glue). Use a tool (I love using the cheap craft hot wire cutter for this) to create pockets for the dowels on both sides so the pieces sit flush together. Then, slather on the glue, stick them together, wrap them up tight with masking tape, and wait for the whole thing to dry.

I would use dowels between the pieces and liquid nails for adhesive. It should hold as long as there's no weight on it... :-) Good luck!

thanks ya'll. I will give them a try!

You can use some strapping wood as a frame and glue the foam to the wood. Hot Wire Foam Factory sells a special foam glue.

Always trust Baker! lol His body of work stands alone, dont believe me? Watch his vids on YouTube