Kilz as a primer/sealer on EVA

[Bigbullyx]

Current project is 8-bit (Minecraft) pistol my son saw at Comic Con for like $30 bucks. I have the tools, and mats cost $4. Easy entry level into working with EVA. The project (if it goes well) will be done again, with my Cub Scout Den.

I know there are multiple threads covering primer/sealers on this forum (and every other forum too). However, Kilz is mentioned only in passing, if at all. The front runners always seem to be

• PVA
• Plasti-Dip
• Rosco's Flexibond

Now I am asking for one big reason- I have two gallons of the Premium Water base Kilz, and 1 gallon of the Latex Kilz on hand.

I have tested it on some scraps of EVA foam (unpainted as of yet, but have no reason to think paint wont adhere). I have bent it, twisted it, smooshed it, scratched at it with fingernails, without much negative effect. I considered letting my Bulldog chew on it, but NOTHING can withstand that, so it would not be a fair test.

So the question is- Why doesn't anyone use Kilz? Is it price? What am I missing?

 

[Freaklord]

Quick question - did you "seal" the foam first? (Heat or glue?) Looking forward to testing myself.

 

[Bob McCormick]

Maybe it's an overlooked option?

I think PVA is popular because it's highly inexpensive and readily available. It worked great for my costume, BUT I'm pretty sure that not all PVA glues are formulated the same, and some are more/less flexible. Lot's of folks seem to love plasti-dip. I personally am not sold on it. I think it's expensive and I'm not sure it really does any better than PVA.

Was your test done with the water based or latex kilz? BTW, if you really want a good test, I'd suggest painting your test piece and then leaving it for about a few days to a week. Some things adhere and flex great initially, but harden up or peel after they've had a chance to sit for a while.

Please keep us up to date on how your testing goes and if possible post some picture. If Kilz ends up working that'd be a nice option for a lot of folks. Certainly it's readily available, which is nice!

 

[Bigbullyx]

Quick question - did you "seal" the foam first? (Heat or glue?) Looking forward to testing myself.

No I did not seal it first, I just applied the Water Based Kilz directly to the EVA.

Maybe it's an overlooked option? I'd suggest painting your test piece and then leaving it for about a few days to a week. Some things adhere and flex great initially, but harden up or peel after they've had a chance to sit for a while.

Please keep us up to date on how your testing goes and if possible post some picture. If Kilz ends up working that'd be a nice option for a lot of folks. Certainly it's readily available, which is nice!

I did use the Water Based Premium Kilz only so far. And as of today it has been a week. The first painting with a couple of my sons friends should (with any luck) happen tomorrow. They all know it is a trial run, so if it peels off or explodes....they know the risks. I will post pics as the project progress's.

BBX

 

[Bob McCormick]

No I did not seal it first, I just applied the Water Based Kilz directly to the EVA.



I did use the Water Based Premium Kilz only so far. And as of today it has been a week. The first painting with a couple of my sons friends should (with any luck) happen tomorrow. They all know it is a trial run, so if it peels off or explodes....they know the risks. I will post pics as the project progress's.

BBX

No problems with crackling or wrinkling when you flex the foam? That's usually the Achilles heel of any kind of foam coating. A lot of them split when you flex the ends backward and almost all of them end up with weird wrinkling when you flex them inward or back and forth.

 

[Bigbullyx]

Now these are a bit poor quality and small example size wise. These are all I have left of my "testers". My wife was "helping", and "got rid of all the extra pieces that were laying around on your [my] bench". Either way, this scrap has one coat of Kilz Premium Water Based, dried for about a week. The gouges you see are from my forefinger about 48 hours after coating, seeing if I could peel it off.

Additionally, I live in SoCal, between San Diego and LA, but east a bit. Those of you that don't know- think desert, think HOT. Was 105-110 deg here, the heat seemed to have no effect at all.