Painting polystyrene

cailindeasciun

Hi - does anyone know the best way to paint polystyrene? Is there a spray paint brand available? Thanks

looksee

If you spray paint the polystyrene is likely to dissolve. Acrylic paint is a better bet, but it depends on what you are painting and why. If you are making something decorative it can help to cover it with paper mache (the pasted on strips type). If you are making scenery (ie too big to paper mache) you could use emulsion or acrylic but you will have to handle it very carefully as the paint and surface polystyrene will be very easily damaged and every tiny chip will show bright white.

callee

As above, but not all acrylics give good coverage, so I would cover with paper first, or alternatively you can cover also cover with cloud clay, silk clay or foam clay, these are all a type of airdrying clay but come in bright colours and are very soft and pliable, they dry more like eva foam than the usual air-dry clay. My personal preference is for Cloud Clay, by Amaco.