Thread: working with Polystyrene or Polystrizawhatsit

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Back in the day... which is getting disturbingly far back lately... before I had the budget for such things as solding irons and hot wires - I seem to recall spraying the foam insulation (blue or pink - you choice) with spray paint to purposely melt back the foam around a stencil to create a relief...

Now my memory is a little dim on the detail... jokes aside I think I was 11... Have things changed? Do they coat the sheets you buy in home despot these days to prevent such chemical interactions? I know/remember one needed a light touch with the spray can, I just want to make sure the laws of physics still apply as I remember them, before I help/inflict my freind in her first yard prop construction.

btw - what the heck DO you paint foam with.

Yes, spay paint will still eat away at the foam as will acetone misted from a spray bottle. I recommend testing on a scrap piece of foam. Paint the foam with latex paint or Drylock for that concrete look.

Yep the spray paint still works to eat away at foam. Homestead Haunt has good info above too.
I actually have a couple of pics with the melting foam of a tombstone in progress that I'll post. I think I used some cheap clear matte sealer spray paint from HD.
Some of the thinner sheets of foam may have a thin layer of plastic on them that has to be pealed off tho, fyi.
I use primer then Dryloc then exterior latex paints to give it a weathered look. For carving I use a hobby wood burner, razor blades and a dremel. Misting the tombstone with water and using a blowtorch over it will give you some interesting effects also.
Sounds like you have some fun times ahead! Good luck

thx guys - back to the foam props I go.

It's pretty obvious if the foam has a protective coating on it. The 1/4" stuff they sell around here has it, but the 1" and up stuff doesn't.

I've used the clear sealing spray like FirstSpartan. Never thought about using acetone from a spray bottle...

I paint my foam using both latex house paint and acrylic craft paints. I have also used powdered iron and rusting solution I got from Michael's to make metal items like sword blades.