Finishing Off Foam Walls/Pillars etc

[BobC]

Hello all, I am in the process of making some foam walls and pillars for my home haunt this year that have the look of old stone. I want to hard coat the foam to protect it from all the elements so I have it for a long long time. Has anyone did this procedure with their foam or know a product or how I can do it myself? I first saw the idea on the discovery channel a few years back when they had a show called monster house and started my brain going. Any help would be greatly appreciated Thanks all. :jol:

[Lilly]

What kind of foam are you using Bob?
Im guessing that pink stuff?
If so cover it all with a latex paint..(I have not used this type so do not know if or what paint would melt that) then do your coloring of stone and mortar.
I saw theres a new clear coat called polycryllic ( I think it is made by Behr) not sure though...that may help seal and give it the hard effect you want.

[BooGirl666]

Hey this is a good question.... My columns have pink foam over them and it is very easy to get nicks and such.

[BobC]

Yeah I am using the pink/blue stuff. I know this topic has been brought up before but I'm not sure which forum I saw it on. There is a product that was discussed that will give the foam almost a hard plastic coat while still sealing in all the detail.

[dave the dead]

Bob C.
That would probably Sculpt or Coat from sculpturalarts.com. I haven't personally used it, but have just ordered some this weekend. It's supposed to be some awesome stuff.....

[Revenant]

One of the mache'ers on here swears by that stuff... is it Krough I think?

[GraveDiggerGreg]

I had found a comment about Adhesive Ground Coat on this website a while back ago.. havent tried it.. but....
frightfx (http://www.frightfx.com/projects/entry_facade/index.htm) GDG

[Hawks Hill Haunter]

I believe it is Krough...he suggested Sculpt or Coat to me for my Hawk's Hill sign (http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t239/hawkshillhaunter/Hawks%20Hill%20Sign/completelycarved.jpg) which is made of the pink stuff as well. Krough says it should protect it from nicks and dings and such. I just received mine and am hoping to try it this weekend. I'd love to see what other suggestions people may have - I also have LOTS of tombstones made of this stuff!

[gregsalyers]

Try using a stucco product...this will be hard...feel like rock...and withstand the weather

[Revenant]

Synthetic stucco products like Dryvit or Parex are rather pricey but they're really just glorified heavy-duty exterior latex paint with a lot of silica sand mixed in them. The real strength comes from the base coat that's applied underneath them. But you're building a Halloween decoration, not a Walgreens or a Taco Bell, so you really don't need the basecoat. I haven't tried this yet, but I'm going to when my next check comes in; you should be able to get some exterior latex and mix in a bunch of white sand and trowel it on thinly over the foam & texture to your heart's content. It might help to prime the foam with Kilz first, but that should be all the real prepwork you need to do. I'll let you know how it works, hopefully by next week I will have tried it.

[Ghostess]

I've used Dry-Loc on some of my props, including foam. It works pretty well- gives a nice hard coat, and has some sandy texture. It's expensive at around 25 bucks a gallon, but to me it's worth it to have stuff waterproofed as well as sturdier.

[DeathTouch]

Also if you heat it up with a tourch, the pink foam will get harder.

[Brckee1]

I have used Vinyl concrete patch as a foam coating when you want a plaster or cement look. It's also good for tombstones. It adheres really well and is much cheaper than the dry-loc. I have not used my props outdoors so I am not certain how weather proof it is. You can get it at any Home Depot or Lowes in the building materials section. I sometimes use mesh under the cement for added strength. I am not sure if you can get that at a hardware store or home center. It is not a must. You can use the mesh drywall tape for added strength in the corners and for seams.
Here is what it looks like. http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/VinylConcretePatcher.asp

Here are a couple of projects I did using it.
Gate Pillars http://wny-haunters.markshauntedgarage.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=11
And some tombstones.
JaneEyre :: tombstones.jpg picture by Brckee1 - Photobucket

[Frighteners Entertainment]

Here's the info on foam coating I had mentioned a few weeks ago.

Rosco Foam Coat-
FoamCoat FOAMCOAT is a non-toxic, water based coating for styrofoam and polystyrene foam, as well as other surfaces. It provides a hard, durable finish that resists chipping and cracking, yet can be sanded smooth or carved to add detailing. FOAMCOAT can be used on a wide variety of surfaces including foam, primed wood, concrete block, primed fiberglass, paper maché, muslin and many other materials. FOAMCOAT is fully compatible with all Roscopaints used either as tints or as surface coatings. FOAMCOAT is inherently flame retardant and water resistant.
APPLICATION: Apply by brush, roller, or hopper spray gun depending on the desired finish. The thickness of the coating is determined by the application. When coating over fine details, use successive thin coats to build up a protective layer without obscuring the details. For an extra smooth finish without sanding, smooth the coated surface with a wet sponge just before the FOAMCOAT has set completely.
SUGGESTED USE: Excellent for use as a protective coating for all types of foam projects. Especially useful on foam scenery or props that receive physical abuse or need to last for extended tours. It can also be used as a texturing agent that is much more durable than plaster or joint compound.
SURFACE PREPARATION:

Foam: All surfaces should be clean and dry before application.
Wood & Plastic: Prime surface with Rosco Tough Prime before applying FOAMCOAT.
For particularly difficult materials, lightly sand surface to give it more "tooth" before applying FOAMCOAT. COMPATIBILITY: Foamcoat is compatible with all water based coatings and is easily painted or tinted. Tint Foamcoat using Supersaturated Roscopaint or Universal Tints. It is not necessary to prime Foamcoat before painting.
MIXING: Stir well. Due to the weight of the solids in Foamcoat settling may occur. Use a power mixing blade for best results.
DILUTION: Use Foamcoat undiluted for most durable single coat application. Foamcoat may be diluted with water if desired. Thinner mixtures will flow and level more than an undiluted application and will dry to a thinner coating.
COLOR: Off-white, matte finish.
COVERAGE: Varies with application. Approximately 150 sq. ft per gallon.
FILM THICKNESS: Varies with application. 1/16" - 3/16" per application.
DRY TIME: Varies with thickness of coating. Approximately 2-8 hours. Allow 24 hours for full cure.
CLEAN-UP: Soap and water.
SHELF LIFE: Minimum 24 months.
PACKAGING: 1 Gallon and 5 Gallon.




link to the site * http://www.rosco.com/uk/scenic/foamcoat.asp

[turtle2778]

That will be perfect for some of my props...COOL.

[Revenant]

I mentioned a coupla weeks ago that I’d try making inexpensive synthetic stucco and that I’d let you know the results. Well, punctuality isn’t my strong point, but I finally got around to experimenting.

Synthetic stuccos like I mentioned are glorified heavy latex exterior paint with a lot of sand mixed in (and various hardeners, etc). I mixed some exterior paint with silica sand and a little tint to make it show in a picture better, and it worked pretty well. I just spread some on an old Styrofoam cooler for the pics. Click the pics for the larger versions.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/pjhawke/revenant/StoneCap0001.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/pjhawke/revenant/StoneCap0003.jpg

Mixing the stuff is easy. You know the consistency of sand-finish paint? That's not what you want. You want to keep mixing sand in so that it's no longer fully liquid anymore; you want it real thick and slushy like wet cement or thick oatmeal.
The right-hand side was my first try. I didn’t trowel it on or use a putty or taping knife, I just sort of spread it around with a wooden stick. As you can see, it was too thick a coat, and it sagged and drooped a bit. Which might be an effect to go for if you want a poorly done cement job look. Or the Incredible Melting Gargoyle or something. The latex paint just doesn’t have the viscosity that the syn-stucco stuff has to hold the weight of the sand. The side on the left was much better; I used a trowel and putty knife to apply the stuff very thin so it wouldn’t sag. Nice flat surface; could be cement stucco or concrete, could be unpolished cut granite or limestone.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/pjhawke/revenant/StoneCap0002.jpg http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e31/pjhawke/revenant/StoneCap0004.jpg

You see above the nice sandy surface, flat but still not smooth. At a fraction of the cost of the stucco stuff. Light will diffuse over the surface and soften the shadows just like on stone. When the paint dries, it shrinks a bit and pulls back, exposing the sand grains more. You can enhance that by taking a damp sponge and LIGHTLY patting it over the surface, it removes the extra surface paint and exposes more sand. To eliminate trowel lines, just give it 15-30 minutes to set some, and lightly scrape a putty knife along the lines to flatten them down. Be careful to keep the edge of the blade completely parallel to the surface or you’ll just gouge new lines. Rounded corners are tricky, you’ll probably have to go over them a few times; the damp sponge trick helps with that too. And you're better off with silica sand than brown sand; silica sand is colorless (ranging from white to light grey), other sand will add its own color, appearing brown or even pinkish. If you want something to look like limstone it would blow the illusion.

I’d probably do this at least twice on my faux stonework so I know it has a nice thick protective coating; obviously, you needn’t be so precise with your surfacing on the undercoats. It keeps water out, and adds impact and abrasion resistance. Go to the drywall section of your hardware store and get several widths of taping knives for your spreading; several from 1” to 6” are nice to have. They usually have disposable plastic ones for a fraction of the cost of the real ones, so if you’re just going to use them for your tombstones or whatever and not real construction work you could have a full set for the cost of one good one. If you plan on doing something big, like a mausoleum, do yourself a favor and buy a real plasterers trowel, it will save you tons of time.

Hope this helps somebody.

[Lagrousome]

Wonderful Rev! Thanks for the info. I'm just starting my tombstones and want to make the Mausoleum, I think this will be GREAT! Even for my pillars to the cemetery entrance! Ooooooohhhh, off to Home Depot I goooooooooo!!!!!

[Sickie Ickie]

LOL L is easily entertained. :p

[buckaneerbabe]

Thanks for the info FE, now to find the stuff.

[Front Yard Fright]

Great info Revenant!
I've been looking for something like this to use on the tops and bottoms of my cemetery pillars...
I've been using monster mud to make it look like stone/cement but I've been having to replace it every year!
Thanks again for the great info!
:).

[turtle2778]

how come you have to replace it? I was planning on covering some cement tubes in it for pillars at my mausouleum...no workie?? just wanna make sure it will before i do it and then get pissed cuz it fell off.

[turtle2778]

Hey ghostess???? When you cover your stuff with dryloc...does it change the color of your stuff? Just wondering...THANKS I wanna paint my stuff, but i want it water proofed too.

[Ghostess]

I'm guessing it has to be replaced because monster mud has a bad habit of chipping, cracking, and breaking off, especially if it's not weather proofed.

Dry-Lok I use is white. They don't make it in clear, but they do make other tints, such as gray and beige. If you cover your stuff, you'll have to paint over the Dry-Lok.

[Lilly]

Turtle you have cement tubes? Those gotta be heavy.

[turtle2778]

Okay cool, so just coat it first and then paint...gotcha.

I'm guessing it has to be replaced because monster mud has a bad habit of chipping, cracking, and breaking off, especially if it's not weather proofed.

Dry-Lok I use is white. They don't make it in clear, but they do make other tints, such as gray and beige. If you cover your stuff, you'll have to paint over the Dry-Lok.

[turtle2778]

No actually they are the forms that you use to make a cement tube. Its heavy cardboard. They weigh maybe 4lbs. I was just gunna cut them in half and finish it, but i will just paint the design i want on there instead of using the monster mud.

Turtle you have cement tubes? Those gotta be heavy.

[croglinvampire]

GREAT ideas!

[Denhaunt]

One thing I started using on all of my foam props is Laytex Carpet Adhesive. I generally use a brush and put a thin layer on before painting. As a bonus, it kinda looks like rotted, dead , flesh when not painted - so sometimes that does the trick. The point is that once it's cured it gets pretty hard and is absolutely water tight as well. The down side is that it is the foulest, stckiest, most pain in the ass stuff to work with. It must have been spawned in the bowels of hell - but...it works great.

[HalloweenZombie]

Heat gun. The heat will shrink the foam a bit and harden it. Experiment with it and you might be pleasantly surprised. If you already own a heat gun, you could save yourself a lot of money.

[Cassie7]

Denhaunt, I tried the carpet latex on foam recently and it worked perfect.

Hubby and I made several impaled bluckies and were wondering how to make spikes for the tops. I decided to give foam a try.

I carved the spikes (about 12" long) but was worried about how fragile they were so I tried coating them with the latex and then painted them. It stiffened them enough to not worry about them breaking during storage and the paint laid perfectly. An advantage to painting over it is that it does away with the tacky latex finish.

[Gloomy_Gus]

I have used Vinyl concrete patch as a foam coating when you want a plaster or cement look. It's also good for tombstones. It adheres really well and is much cheaper than the dry-loc. I have not used my props outdoors so I am not certain how weather proof it is. You can get it at any Home Depot or Lowes in the building materials section. I sometimes use mesh under the cement for added strength. I am not sure if you can get that at a hardware store or home center. It is not a must. You can use the mesh drywall tape for added strength in the corners and for seams.
Here is what it looks like. http://www.quikrete.com/ProductLines/VinylConcretePatcher.asp

Here are a couple of projects I did using it.
Gate Pillars http://wny-haunters.markshauntedgarage.com/photos/thumbnails.php?album=11
And some tombstones.
http://s43.photobucket.com/albums/e375/Brckee1/JaneEyre/?action=view&current=tombstones.jpg

Those columns are off the hook! That was going to be my big project for this year, but work and procrastination got in the way. Those have really inspired me for next year though.

[Darkside]

Man, the Rosco Hard coat looks like what I need, but the closet supplier is 2 hours away. :(

[beelce]

I used the white (beaded foam) styrofoam to build my columns. I used a propane tourch to melt the entire surface. This made a hard crust of foam that raelly stands up well to the weather. (they stay outside all year). I used H20 spray paint to get the finished colors.
http://picasaweb.google.com/beelce1/HalloweenInTheHauntedWoodsNearNewOrleans/photo#5079029806036436210

[Bilbo]

Those columns are off the hook! That was going to be my big project for this year, but work and procrastination got in the way. Those have really inspired me for next year though.

I agree Brckee, those look great. Not to hijack the thread or anything, but could you give a quick and dirty rundown of how you finished those off? I know how you carved them out. Did you then apply the vinyl concrete patch to the whole thing, using the mesh drywall tape for the corners? Then paint over the whole thing?

I've been wanting to make a pair of columns similar to this for a while, and sounds like this process might have the combination of strength, aesthetics and stinginess I have been looking for.

[HalloweenZombie]

I've used Foam Coat (from Hot Wire) and I've seen Sculpt or Coat used. They are very good for coating, but if you really want your foam to be durable the best thing for it is a HEAT GUN!!! You have to plan accordingly because the heat gun shrinks foam, but once you've put put some heat on pink or blue foam it gets hard enough to knock on. Latex paint should be used. Spray paint eats the foam (which is a good effect if you don't use too much).

HEAT GUN! HEAT GUN! HEAT GUN!

[beelce]

I agree HZ....I used heat to carve and apply a hard crust to all my foam work.
http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q63/beelce/columns1.jpg

[Brckee1]

I agree Brckee, those look great. Not to hijack the thread or anything, but could you give a quick and dirty rundown of how you finished those off? I know how you carved them out. Did you then apply the vinyl concrete patch to the whole thing, using the mesh drywall tape for the corners? Then paint over the whole thing?

I've been wanting to make a pair of columns similar to this for a while, and sounds like this process might have the combination of strength, aesthetics and stinginess I have been looking for.

Sure, Basically you described what I did. I used mesh drywall tape on all the corners for extra strength. Since I did these pillars I have learned that applying acrylic fortifier to the foam helps the concrete adhere better. Just put it on with a paint roller and let it dry. Then coat the pillar with the vinyl patch. I apply it with a puddy knife. I put it on unevenly and then lightly drag the knife over it at different angles to achieve the old plaster texture.
For paint, I base coated it black and then dry brushed a browninsh green over it and then dry brushed a cream color over that.

[Spid3r3lla]

Wow, these are insanely gorgeous! Nice work!

[Garage-Of-Evil]

Brckee1 - those really are fantastic, and on my project list as a home (w/ drop panel) for my new talking skele. I just so happen to have some quickcrete vinyl patch at the house. How much did you go through? Does our friend and foe Home Depot also carry the fortifier?

[Brckee1]

Thanks for the compliments everyone. They were fun to make and it took a long weekend to build them.

Yes you can buy the fortifier at Home Depot or Lowe's. If you have the budget and don't mind a heavier pillar, you might consider using plywood as a base. Just use foam for the brick areas. Then use galvanized steel mesh over the plywood and apply plaster or concrete patch over that. It will be heavy as heck and expensive but it would be extremely durable. Just thinking that the weather and the banging of a drop panel could shorten the life span of them. any banging around while moving and storing them wouldn't be a problem. I would still use the fortifier on the plywood.

I did not use fortifier on mine but I use them indoors only. I have used them for 3 years and they are still in pretty good shape but I will have to repair them eventually. Some of the vinyl patch seems to be loosening. Of coarse storing them in a trailer on their sides doesn't help.

Whatever way you go I hope everyone posts their results! I wish I had more time to work on these types of projects.