Can you spray paint styrofoam?

[Amphiprion]

Hey guys,

A bit of an odd question, but this seems the best forum for it.

My headphones need a stand and I am thinking of painting a styrofoam wig head, but I don't know if the paint will eat the foam. I remember playing with styrofoam planes as a kid and certain glues would eat the styrofoam instead of gluing the wings back on.

My other alternative is to buy a skull replica and name it Yorick, but that's a bit more expensive than a $5 styrofoam head.

[Alaric]

Most paint will melt styrofoam. You may be stuck with "-poor Yorick". At least you can say you knew him , Horatio.

[Hdale85]

Just use an oil or latex based paint and brush it on. Enamel will melt it.

[kgveteran]

Latex house paint. Kg

[blownrx7]

Latex paint is available in a spray can

Krylon sells a spray can of latex paint. Available at places like Home Depot, Lowe's etc. It's a little pricey but fora small job like yours, it's the way to go. I made a DIY Diffuser - the kind that looks like a city skyline. The styrofoam was actually 2 inch insulation board that I cut on a table saw. I glued them onto a 2ft x 2ft peg board and painted it with the latex spray can and it came out terrific.

[kgveteran]

Krylon sells a spray can of latex paint. Available at places like Home Depot, Lowe's etc. It's a little pricey but fora small job like yours, it's the way to go. I made a DIY Diffuser - the kind that looks like a city skyline. The styrofoam was actually 2 inch insulation board that I cut on a table saw. I glued them onto a 2ft x 2ft peg board and painted it with the latex spray can and it came out terrific.

Something like this...

[mike93lx]

latex sounds like the right product, but if it is just $5, why not try it out?

[Bill Schneider]

I've been watching this thread for a while and want to pass along a reservation about using latex paint. It sometimes reacts with plasticizers found in plastic (especially vinyl) and in some rubber compounds.

Example #1: I painted the shelves some Lowe's MDF-over-steel shelving with latex wall paint. I store vinyl page binders on the shelves and it pulls a patch of paint free from the MDF when I take one out some 7 years later.

Example #2: I repainted my darkroom enlarger's baseboard with black latex enamel. When I'm not using it, I sometimes park cameras on the baseboard. My newer digital Nikon D2X has rubber coating on some of the grips, and after just 2 weeks of resting there, it pulled some of the paint off when I picked it up.

I'm not a chemist, but I did want to pass along my concern because you may have rubber earcups (if the headphones pads aren't foam) in tight contact with the paint.

It's something to watch for.

[Hank]

Mark, HD sells Krylon spray paint made specifically for plastic. Read the label and see if it says anything about styrofoam.