It's NOT the cold; it's the solvents in the propellant and the acetone that melts the foam :)

After ruining one Styrofoam piece I went online and found this video. I put my Styrofoam on the ground and I tried again and sprayed the same paint from 2 feet away and it worked beautifully. Thank you very much!

Another method is to first brush PVA glue over the foam and leave to dry. This will create a barrier between the foam and the paint, which can be brushed on or sprayed.

I found out the reason the spray can works at 30cm is because the acetone (or similar) in the paint evaporates by the time it hits the foam so you are left with the paint which dries and leaves a decent finish. It is recommended you primmer the foam first to make sure the paint stays on, you can then gloss the paint for a finishing touch. I hope that info also helps

All you need to do is apply a coat of PVA glue to your project first... (elmer's glue) -let dry and spray paint as much as you like with any paint.. -provides a nice smooth barrier so the "acetone" in the spray paint will not dissolve the foam. -OR.. find paint with no acetone

You just saved me from buying new styrofoams. Thanks to your video! ^__^

I've been sitting here for hours trying to work out how to paint polystyrene! Now I now, thank you for putting your tip on video and thank you for saving me money. X

That happy face is now Styrofoam Two Face. And that makes you Styrofoam Batman! :{

Spraying from a distance has nothing to do with the temperature of the paint, it's the solvents that melt the foam. No matter the distance from the surface, the wetter it gets the higher the likelihood of it melting. Spray very light coats, just a mist, and let them dry between. Starting the spray before sweeping onto the target and passing by before releasing helps minimize spatter that will increase the chance of melt spots, this is good practice for anything you're painting to minimize spots. Warm dry air and a fan help reduce the time it takes to make it work. Spray it then immediately put it in front of a fan, be patient and it'll work.

it's not because it's "too cold for the foam to handle" it's because the propellant used in most spray paints reacts with the foam. By spraying further away you're allowing the propellant to evaporate before coming into contact with the foam

You just saved my science project, thank you!!!

It's probably not the temperature of the paint, it's probably the solvent that the paint is dissolved in that is also dissolving the foam... spraying it from far away is letting most of the solvent evaporate before it gets to the foam (since it's such small little droplets). Extra benefit of this method is that the paint should also dry quicker this way.

Wow, just change the distance when you spray, and the effect is so different o__o this is amazing! Thanks!

Your video was well made. I enjoyed listening to your narration because I said to myself the same thing. So after your teaching,, I used spray mist from a distance. I love the result because my project did not melt.

Best to start spraying multiple very fine layers of paint at approx 10 min intervals until touch dry (Building up thickness and color slowly) Does not always work as he shows multiple squirts of paint because of different brand paints (the solvents) and humidity (dry air better) and air temperature (hotter is best) Spraying very fine mist in small amounts and quickly fan dry (by moving or fan) can help with aggressive paint solvents. Some spray can nozzles and paints don't produce as fine a mist so test on any styrene scraps (normal packing styrene foam is eaten more easily than the skin coating on Depron so it's a good test)

Very helpful thanks, I was using spray lacquer.

Thank you so much; definitely doing this :)

I did not know this! Thank you SO much for this info!

YOU SAVED MY LIFE ! THANK YOU !

Thanks for posting this video. I plan on repainting my P-51 Mustang in the next few months, and you just saved me a little money. :-D

In spite of the negative comments and the fact that you could have chosen not to do this video, thanks for sharing!! You have helped a least a few. Thanks again!!

Very informative video. THANKS!

Have to test it out my self but looks like I'll be successful, awesome work!

Just a great tip. Thank you so much!!

Thank you. Very helpful tip

That was so helpful! Thanks!!!

That is just brilliant!!

Thank you for the video! It was very informative : )

Thanks it works for me on my airplane Rc models

Thank you sir . Very informative video.

Wow!... It's videos like this that make KZfaq... "awesome"! Thanks for taking the time to share this video.

I have some projects I've been working on, Styrofoam paints at just so expensive, THANK you so much. Looking for more from you🙄🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

Congratz, you learned everyone how to paint on EVERY material. With spray cans you should always spray from approximately 30cm

Clever! Definitely using this trick on my homemade UAV!

Thank you very much. This was very helpful.

Hi! It depends on how much corrosive paint you have on the foam. If it's really dense, it can possibly dissolve everything. If not, it'll just melt partially.

Thank you so much was driving me crazzy

Fantastic Tip! Great work :)

Which is why the instructions on the can say "8 to 12 inches away from the surface you wish to paint."

Thanks! We'll give it a try!

Its the propellant in the can that reacts with the foam. Thats why moving further back helps resolve the problem.

you are a saint! you just saved my project

Great video - awesome tip!

Thats the classic and proper way to evenly spray any models from such distance, thanks for the tips though!

Clever, I had better show this to a crafter I know... Great video by the way.

thank you so much!! wish I knew this before I painted my styrofoam replica of sting from LOTR... RIP

Thanks! helped a bunch

Thank you very much , you just saved my speaker stands ☺️

wow its work! thanks dude

Thank you for this information

Thank you for sharing!

Wow,,,, Thanks for the great tip. I wil doing this today...

tanks ....im going to try it right away ....

thanks a lot for the video!!! just trying to finish my foam model

Thanks! All the best to painting whatever you need to paint! It will save you a lot of money and time :)

Thanks for the tip!

Wow I had no idea! Thanks!

Good advice!

fantastic tips

GENIUS and to believe i nearly had to scrap my foam rc plane because i couldn't get some rc paint. ......THANKS!!....

Thanks for the info.

Very helpful. Tqvm.

Thank you!

Wanted to say thanks! You saved my daughters meatball costume for school spirit week!

Thanks alot Sir !!!

does the spray paint dissolve the styrofoam all the way through or does it stop half way or so.interesting. artist.

life savor. Seriously.

Very helpful video!! Thank you so much. Wish I had known this before I destroyed our styrofoam props at our local theatre!! lol By the way, please ignore the naysayers. The video was wonderful and so are you. God bless.

Thank you so much for sharing how you can do it without buying all those extra stuff ! Love and kisses from me from the Netherlands

I kinda wish I watch this video BEFORE i ruined my Uhura earpeice prop....sigh

Good info...I couldn't even find that H20 paint anywhere.

very good tip

Nice one,thanks.

You can use engine ceramic enamel if you've got some laying around

Thank you DAI LO!

sand with super fine like 1000 grit or more to get smoother finish. try lightweight spackling if you want...

THANK YOU!

I am doing a science project on an animal cell and thanks for giving me the idea on this spray painting thing.

impressive i always need 2 buy a latexbased spray paint,but its hard to get here.thanks this will realy help

good tip. maybe hit it with a hairdryer on cool for a few passes to be extra safe and careful, idk?

Thanks so much, I can't find the water soluble paints anymore. I need to start my Halloween village made from Styrofoam.

vary helpful worked for me 😁😁

So glad I watched this before ruining my project...

Hi, why when I used spray paint to p.e foam, it will scratch off the paint when it dries.

Thank you :)

Thank you

can you use plain paint like Asian paints on styrofoam?

He did not mention whether the paint was lacquer or enamel. That's another discussion, but it makes a world of difference. Anyway, it's not about the distance. It's about the amount of paint in contact with the foam. Just mist many coats on, with sufficient dry time between coats. Done.

Its not the "cold" that melts the foam, its purely the solvent inside the can which is volatile and evaporates when you spray it from a distance because of 1) the surface area of the mist and 2) the time it takes for the paint particles to hit the foam. Try it from 1.5ft or 1ft and vertical so it lands on the foam.....

Thanks!!!

thnx man you saved me

ty much!

Ah i was doing that but sometimes misses a certain spot so I sprayed closely :(

my god ur awesome!

Wat if u wanted to make a creator outta foam would that work like spray painting close

thank you

Coat it with epoxy first, makes it more rigid and paint safe

Thanks lots

Thanks partner

is that just spray on 30cm distance???