[TK421]

I'm going to build some props with styrofoam (mainly the extruded polystyrene) and I am wondering what the best strong, all weather glue I should use?

Please help!

 

[TK421]

I use Liquid Nails Heavy Duty Construction Adhesive with very good results. Some of my stuff is going on 6 years and holding like new.

Fantastic! Thanks, I'll pick some up tomorrow and give it a try.

 

[TK421]

Just another couple cents worth...

Liquid Nails is great if moisture will be getting to the glue...and it holds foam together - both the styro as well as the extruded.

Sadly, it's hard to cut and shape...so if it's in the way of your carving, you'll need to work around it.

Ugly Joe, thanks for the field test knowledge, this is really helpful. What I am hoping to do is create a styrofoam sheet roof for my new, 2009 Cider Shack. The old Cider Shack is build entirely out of lumber and is too heavy to move -- especially with the roof attached. So, I am going to rebuild the Cider Shack with wood sides and posts, but with an ornate, styrofoam rooftop (with a 1x2 support skeleton beneath.)

So, I will be cutting all of the pieces before hand, and then gluing them together. No need to worry about post glue sculpting.

I think the Construction Liquid Nails is the way to go. I'll definitely get at least one tube to experiment with.

 

[TK421]

Here are some pics showing what I'm hoping to build. (Pictures courtesy of Hazelwood Manor)

 

[TK421]

And here is my sketch of how I want to build my new 2009 Cider Shack. The roof section will be build from 1" Expanded Polystyrene foam sheets.

And, for reference, here is the former Cider Shack. I built this three years ago from old fence boards and OSB sheathing.

 

[TK421]

Thanks YHJ, I like the original shack, too, but it's just too heavy. The roof alone weighed over 100 lbs. It was a pain to move, and not really designed to be taken apart easily. It has actually just sat in our driveway for the past two years because the most I could do is drag it from the street up to the garage.

It's served it's purpose, but this new "shack" is far lighter and easier to assemple/disassemble, and store.

 

[TK421]

Wow! Styro and liquid nails rock!! I built the three base sections of the new shack last night in the garage while the rain fell. I built very sturdy frames out of 1x2 and 1x4 and then secured the 1" foam with liquid nails.

Each section is pretty dang light -- which is a real plus -- but the wood frame makes it very, very sturdy.

Here's a pic.

 

[TK421]

Thanks! I did peel the film off the outside already. Figured I should do that before gluing details and painting. I'll definitely remove the film from both sides before I do the roof.

 

[TK421]

That's a neat idea, but I don't know if a styrofoam roof can support that much weight. The first thing to do is see if I can even build it. How it looks painted, etc. Then I will see what I can put in the windows.

For right now, I was actually just thinking of a dim flicker bulb.

 

[TK421]

Specter, The LN seems to have worked great on the 1" white styro, but I did leave the film on the side I glued. I'll see if the LN eats through the white styro when in direct contact.

 

[TK421]

Okay, I had the time so I went ahead and built the frame structure for the new cider shack roof.

Here is the basic angled frame. It is 4 ft wide, 5 ft long, and 3 ft tall.

Here it is with the dormers and windows framed out.

And here is the frame for the roof at the end of the day, with the dormer roof angle pieces added. I have built this frame so that each side can come apart with the removal of a few screws.

 

[TK421]

My next step will be to start cutting and gluing on the styrofoam panelling. I will also be putting on some bracing to the base, and a seperate section will be built for the roof.

 

[TK421]

I used to be hardcore for the Liquid Nails, until last season. I used white beaded foam for my walls- used the LN to secure it. It soaked right through the foam, and carved out HUGE impressions on the backside, ruining the wall. I've never seen it do that before- but this foam was more poroused than the pink foam.

So I would say if it's Pink/Blue foam- LN is fine. I am going to be trying silicone caulk this season my my tombstones tho- seems to be the way to go...

LEARNED SOMETHING NEW TONIGHT!!

Specter was right! When using the white "pill" styrofoam, the Liquid Nails will disolve the styrofoam over time. This can be reduced greatly by keeping the film on the styrofoam and only removing the film on areas you intend to leave exposed and paint.

My Cider Shack is fine because I left most of the plastic film on the styrofoam, but I had to reglue a few small pieces on the mausoleum.

From now on, when I'm securing white "pill" styrofoam sheeting to wood framing, I will be using Titebond All Weather glue. The stuff rocks and is nice and solid when it dries. It does take a bit longer to set, but it's worth it to have your styrofoam intact.

 

[TK421]

Does liquid nails work good on the pink styrafoam, and not dissolve it?

Sorry I haven't responded sooner, but my experients with pink foam tell me Liquid Nails will work just fine. The Liquid Nails seems to react to the white, pill styrofoam. Pink and Blue are denser and do not seem to react negatively.