Tips for Working With Silverlake Craft Foam
Whether you're cutting simple shapes or building a detailed display piece, these tips will help you get cleaner results and protect your project while you work.
Cutting and Shaping
Use a Hot Wire Knife
The cleanest and easiest way to cut and shape Silverlake Craft Foam is with a hot wire knife. These tools are widely available and are a great option for intricate cuts and smooth shaping.
Use a Straight Attachment
If you are using a hot wire knife, a straight attachment is especially helpful for getting into lettering and interior cut areas where you do not want to begin from the outside edge and work inward.
Work in a Well-Ventilated Area
Always use your hot knife in a well-ventilated space.
For Finer Detail
For precise detail work, a sharp razor blade or utility knife can create clean cuts with minimal effort and mess. Files, rasps, and sandpaper can also be used for shaping, although these methods may create some foam dust or small beads. It is best to work in an area where cleanup is easy, or where dust can be vacuumed away afterward.
Sanding
Sanding Your Project
Silverlake Craft Foam can be sanded for a smoother, more finished appearance. Fine-grit sandpaper used with light pressure will create the best surface finish. Coarser grit sandpaper removes material more quickly, but it can also tear out the individual pellets and leave a rougher look.
Painting and Coating
Painting and Coating
Silverlake Craft Foam can be coated generously with water-based products such as latex paint or Elmer’s glue. It may also be painted or coated for either a finished appearance or added protection.
Many customers choose to coat their projects with paint, glitter, papier-mâché, Plaster of Paris, or other hard coatings. Before selecting a finish, read the precautions below and always test your paint or coating on a spare piece first.
Most spray paints should not be applied directly to polystyrene foam because they are solvent-based and can melt the foam. Some water-based spray paints and foam primer products are available. Once the foam has been sealed with a primer or a few coats of a water-based product, it is generally safe to use a solvent-based product as a finishing option.
Important Precautions
EPS Foam Warning
Solvents and petroleum-based products will rapidly dissolve polystyrene foam. Spray paint, super glue, acetone, resin, and other solvent-based products should not come into direct contact with your foam project.
If a coating has a strong solvent odor, there is a good chance it will damage the foam. If the product indicates soap-and-water cleanup and does not have a strong odor, it is generally a safer choice for Silverlake Craft Foam.
When in doubt, always test on a small area or scrap piece first.
Recycling
EPS Is Recyclable
Our expanded polystyrene foam (EPS) is recyclable.
Share Your Project
We sincerely hope you enjoy your Silverlake Craft Foam. We love seeing what our customers create, so please post photos in your reviews to help inspire others.