Painting pink foam board

I did a search on trainboard and was surprised that there was no discussion on painting foam board. Or is it referred to as something else?
So the question - I stacked and carved my 2 inch thick pink foam board for scenery. I am sure that I have read that it can be painted directly. Can someone here comment from experience?

 

Yep. It can be painted directly. Pink foam board takes 2 coats to completely cover it so that no pink shows through.

The most important thing to remember is to use a water based paint. You don't want the paint eating through the foam board which some non-water based paints will do.

Go to your local home improvement store and select a good earth tone paint. This isn't rocket science. Just get something that's some what dark and brownish that could resemble dirt or earth underneath your foliage and ground cover.

You might get a discount on your paint if you purchase a gallon that has been returned as the color was mis-mached for the original person that purchased it. Ask your dealer if they have any clearance items. Just make sure it's water based.

Paint in a decently venthilated area and it will dry pretty quickly.. dry time is around 1.5-2 hours.

For large flat areas, go ahead and use a roller to paint your foam. For smaller and more detailed areas, use a brush.

Jas

 

To save some time, you can sprinkle your fine base ground foam material on while the paint is wet. If there's bare spots, it's not a big deal. It just looks like bare dirt. Then you can add more with glue solution later. But it gives a good start.

Dave
Los Angeles, CA

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I have lots of Delta brand acrylic paint left over from another hobby project, has anyone ever used it? I have experimented a little bit by painted some on some scrap foam...

 

Acrylic should work. As long as it is not petroleum based (like Jas says).

 

This may be obvious, but whatever you do with pink foam board, DON'T use canned spray paint on it, unless you want an acid-torn landscape... The chemicals in the spray will eat away at the foam.

Before painting it, I've seen some use thinned down white glue to secure a thin layer of sand over the surface... It gives a nice "rough field" texture that you can paint, drybrush, and then start layering your flock over...

 

Hehehe...I was just wondering what would happen if you tried using spraypaint.

 

But think of the fun that could be!!

 

Spray paint can be use to break up the perfectly flatness of the foam, creating an irregular surface without having to carve it out. Great care should be taken to insure it is where you want it (tape off other areas). Experiment on a scrap piece to get the feel of the reaction. I shouldn't have to point out to do this in a well ventilated area (preferably outside) and use breathing protection.

 

As jasonboche said, go to HOME DEPOT, your local paint store, Wally-World etc. and get your paint from returned, mis-matched, blended wrong paint section. This will save you some $. Sometimes you can get a 5-gallon bucket for a couple of bucks. The stores don't want the paint and they can't just put it in the dumpster. All you need to remember is that you want LATEX paint. Look on the label if it says "Thin with water" or "Water washup" buy it.

 

I had some extra Delta brand hobby acrylic paint from a previous project. I used it and it worked well. The color is a little bit darker then I want, so I am now experimenting with how to get a little bit more grey onto the rocks.