Thread: Pool Noodle Question

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I have a idea for a prop for next year but before I start getting stuff I need to know something. Can you paint pool noodles? If they can be painted what type of paint should I use?

You will have to be careful because they are Styrofoam and like any Styrofoam out there, certain paints, like spray paint will actually deteriorate the foam. Any water based paint like acrylic paint would work and latex paint I am pretty sure will be fine as well but don't quote me on that.

I don't know that it is the best solution, but I've painted styrofoam and foam with black enamel with good results.

krylon sells H2O latex spray cans i also use interior latex paints. as long as it's latex you shouldn't have a problem.

I painted these with just a plain old rattle can from HD with no problem.

Terra used sculpted pool noodles for the top part of her transformers in last years haunt. She did a tutorial last year and it might be included in there. I know for sure that they were painted.

I just threw out two pool noodles that had changed consistency to that of floral foam (brittle, breaks into dust with pressure, weak and inflexible). They were at least 5 years old and could have been 9 at the most. They were stored in a hot Florida garage but I wouldn't expect heat to damage it that much. I would have expected that more if they had been left out in the sun for a long time. I do wonder what the lifespan of these things are. Maybe they were Dollar Store noodles or something.

I guess even a 5 year lifespan isn't bad, but I tire of things not being durable enough to survive, it's enough that I'm about ready to start making everything out of steel and fiberglass.

I suspect anything made of a foam will either go gummy or dry out after a period of years. Curious if your noodles were in their natural state or painted. The distintegration is one of the reasons I would rather have a vinyl mask over a latex in some circumstances. But even vinyl will have a "shelf" life.

Were the pool noodles ever in a pool? Cholrine might have a lot to do with them breaking down over time.

It's more likely that they were in the sea than the pool, actually. They weren't painted or used for props. It's just that I had planned on making lifesize figures next year and was going to use pool noodles to bulk up the arms and legs. Now I'm having second thoughts. Everything I make is going to be intended to be used outdoors for at least 2 weeks in Florida's bad weather so it had better be tough. Things like bubble wrap would trap water and become seriously icky very quickly. I'll have to look up aging/durability ratings for pipe insulation foam.