gwizah
New Member
Hello RPF, longtime lurker here. So about 4-5 years back I made a pair of faux-brick/mansonary fence gates for my front yard Halloween decorations. I used hot wire foam factory "Styroplast" that I got for a steal when a local Jerry's Art-o-Rama downsized. I used foam sheets built over scrap wood but they were stored beneath an awning and only lasted two halloweens before they were rotting. I believe this was due to the fact that I never sealed the wood, although storing them inside would have been a lot better than allowing them to bet damp/wet despite being covered. This year Ive decided to re-make these using better wood, sealing it with some varathane wood sealer (3 coats) and using the foam technique again, however I am not sure what to coat them with? I know that "Foam Coat" can be made more weatherproof by adding a liquid called "Boost" but I was also looking into using Flexbond poly tile grout as depicted in many Youtube videos.
I have a few questions though...
1. So Ive used HotWireFoamFactory Foam Coat before and know how to use it. But, Ive also been told it's just a proprietary mix of chemicals similar to a polyurethane product and can be recreated by using "off the shelf" stuff. Does anyone have any recommendations other than buying Foam Coat from them?
2. The flexbond poly grout. So I come from a DIY background and I know that grout is porous. Does this mean I need to better waterproof my wooden base? And What type of coating is best practice for the foam? I did some testing with PVA glue and some Flexbond on foam and that stuff does not want to stick to it at all! I was thinking of applying it onto the gateway blocks while they lay on their sides so gravity can help the adhesion, but does anyone have a better idea? Or a product that can be applied to both the wood and the foam to get the grout mix to stick better?
So ultimately I'd like to ask if using a combination of "foam coat" on just the "bricks" and using the Flexbond to fill the spaces between the bricks aka "pointing" the bricks and maybe the remaining raised "stucco" sounds like a good idea?
A prop guy told me to reach out to Chemline products to get a hold of some fast set spray foam urethane but they replied that they no longer manufacture that product!
So this year I'm actually adding garden fencing, some funerary pots on top with black bouquets, the works. Ive attached the newly built ones with the exposed bricks. You can see the old ones attached. I just used simple foam sheets broken that time. This go around I used a hot wire cutter and want to cut the bricks and glued them on with hot melt glue. I will be of course painting and dry brushing everything, and even adding some sphagnum moss to give it that creepy graveyard vibe.
I have a few questions though...
1. So Ive used HotWireFoamFactory Foam Coat before and know how to use it. But, Ive also been told it's just a proprietary mix of chemicals similar to a polyurethane product and can be recreated by using "off the shelf" stuff. Does anyone have any recommendations other than buying Foam Coat from them?
2. The flexbond poly grout. So I come from a DIY background and I know that grout is porous. Does this mean I need to better waterproof my wooden base? And What type of coating is best practice for the foam? I did some testing with PVA glue and some Flexbond on foam and that stuff does not want to stick to it at all! I was thinking of applying it onto the gateway blocks while they lay on their sides so gravity can help the adhesion, but does anyone have a better idea? Or a product that can be applied to both the wood and the foam to get the grout mix to stick better?
So ultimately I'd like to ask if using a combination of "foam coat" on just the "bricks" and using the Flexbond to fill the spaces between the bricks aka "pointing" the bricks and maybe the remaining raised "stucco" sounds like a good idea?
A prop guy told me to reach out to Chemline products to get a hold of some fast set spray foam urethane but they replied that they no longer manufacture that product!
So this year I'm actually adding garden fencing, some funerary pots on top with black bouquets, the works. Ive attached the newly built ones with the exposed bricks. You can see the old ones attached. I just used simple foam sheets broken that time. This go around I used a hot wire cutter and want to cut the bricks and glued them on with hot melt glue. I will be of course painting and dry brushing everything, and even adding some sphagnum moss to give it that creepy graveyard vibe.
