Polyfoam and polystyrene - how and what can be painted?

In the market of finishing materials, a large number of products are made of foam. The popularity of the material is high due to its physicochemical properties and low price. Thanks to its good user characteristics, it produces products of various shapes, such as ceiling panels, ceiling skirting. And since they are sold only in white, sometimes the question arises of how to paint the foam.

Content:

• Polyfoam and foam: similarity and difference, the need for staining
• Expanded polystyrene foam painting
• Ceiling Panel Painting Technology
• How to Paint a Styrofoam Skirting Board

Polyfoam and foam: similarity and difference, the need for staining

Polyfoam and polystyrene are two very similar materials, both made of expanded polystyrene foam. However, small differences in production technology give them different properties, which affects the scope of their application:

1. Polyfoam is a more pliable and porous material, more often used in interior decoration, although it can also be found as a facade and roof insulation.
2. Penoplex is more dense and resistant to mechanical stress, it is mainly used for outdoor work, and in apartments it can be found as a loggia heater.

Penoplex rarely needs painting, since it is used mainly for insulation of facades, socles, roofs. In this case, it is covered with other materials: fiberglass, plaster, vapor permeable or windproof membranes. But still, if you need to apply the paint directly to the surface of the foam, then when choosing a paint and varnish coating, you can use all the recommendations that will be given for the foam.

Expanded polystyrene foam painting

Various types of solvents are very detrimental to the structure of the foam and the foam. Under their influence, the surface of the polystyrene foam begins to change, and if there is a pattern on it, then it simply disappears. Unfortunately, many paints are based on such solvents. Substances that adversely affect the foam include:

• petrol;
• kerosene;
• acetone;
• White Spirit;
• epoxy resin.

When choosing a paint, you must carefully read the composition to exclude the presence of these compounds. There is a large class of water-based latex coatings. Such latex mixtures are absolutely harmless to the surface of expanded polystyrene foam. We are talking about various types of acrylic polymer blends.

Aqueous emulsion is usually sold only in white. The necessary color is given to it with special pigments - tinting.

Using two or more colors at the same time, you can get complex color solutions. You can do it yourself or ask for a service in a building materials store.

Ceiling Panel Painting Technology

The panels are painted already after their stickers on the ceiling.In this case, the seams and the surface of the panels should be prepared for painting. Here is the procedure adopted:

1. Seams must be putty. Then they should dry completely, after which it is necessary to clean them with a sandpaper.
2. From the panels you need to brush the dust and wipe it with a rag.
3. To apply the paint more evenly and more economically, the panels can be primed first.
4. Now you need to prepare the paint: dilute to the desired consistency, if it is too thick, and give it color using tinting, if it has not already been done.
5. To check whether the consistency is suitable, you need to apply paint to a small area of ​​the panel and evaluate the result.
6. The aqueous emulsion mixture is applied with a roller, and hard-to-reach spots are painted over with a flat brush.
7. After applying the first layer, after a few hours, you can apply the second, as the emulsion dries quickly.
8. If there are volumetric patterns on the panels for painting, special low-pressure spray guns for water-based paints are used. They evenly apply a coating layer to the relief patterns.

How to Paint a Styrofoam Skirting Board

The technique of painting the ceiling skirting quite simple and similar to the way the ceiling panels are painted. But here there are some nuances. The skirting should already be glued to the ceiling. Further, the procedure is as follows:

1. Jointing seams must be puttied and sanded.
2. So that the paint does not get on nearby surfaces, you need to stick on them masking tape.
3. For staining you need to use a brush made from natural bristles.
4. A few hours after staining, a second coat of water emulsion can be applied.
5. When it dries, you need to remove the masking tape.

Using the listed tips for choosing paint and dyeing technology, foam products can be painted on their own. The equipment necessary for this can be rented at a specialized store providing such a service.