Using Great Stuff foam question


Resqnu

Resqnu

Member
Thinking of using the Great Stuff spray foam for creating my mountain w/waterfall and a few other hills. I have already built the foundation, but want to use the foam to fill in and build up the landscape. I have watched a very few videos and haven't found the answers I need yet. Once it is sprayed and dried, I see you can carve to your liking.

Do you paint latex over the foam or should you use some type of plaster product to seal before painting and detailing?
 
Resqnu said:
Thinking of using the Great Stuff spray foam for creating my mountain w/waterfall

Once it is sprayed and dried, I see you can carve to your liking.

Do you paint latex over the foam or should you use some type of plaster product to seal before painting and detailing?
Click to expand...

It carves a lot easier than the blue rigid insulation, but as far as putting it down I would practice or start with a small area as it expands a lot and that has to be compensated for when you use it.

I think it would best to use in conjunction with other products for large applications.

You can make/ and or build up hills and stuff if you apply it over a few days, you can put down about 2 1/2 inches of elevation rise in one bead. Its best application may be in conjunction with the rigid foam sheets. It is also a good filler. It sticks well also.

You can plaster right over it or paint it. I plaster all mine but if a small area is left exposed the paint will cover it.

I used about 3 cans so far on my layout, and if you compare the prices per cubic inch, it may actually be a bit cheaper than the big sheets. Let me know if you have more questions.

The foam shows on my layout progress videos on utube #2 and 3 I think, but it is not necessarily featured.
 
Good to here. Thanks for the info. I guess the main reason I was thinking of covering with plaster is I want the rock look for my mountain w/waterfall. I like the look of the dye pigments used over the plaster, but I'm open to other ways of achieving the look. Painting would be easier. The areas I will be applying great stuff for the mountain and waterfall are in this pic.
01bc640f03efd3afb068d522323565a4.jpg

Was going to use the spray foam to fill in and build up the mountain. What type of plaster material is recommended. Was thinking of light hydrocal or wallboard joint compound. Any recommendations on doing any of this is appreciated.

Also, what material did you use for the riverbank area in video #3?

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The riverbank area is foam covered with "lightweight sheetrock mud", which is what I use everywhere. I don't know if lightweight is better but it is the same price and sounds better.

I use a 1 1/2" tool (can't remember what it is called, looks like a spatula kind of) but some guys on here use a paint brush to put the mud down.

Sometimes I put the first layer on really thick and if I want to cover up the cracks put on a second thin layer. Some of the cracks are good and I leave them in. I add some water and have experimented with diferent consistancies and sometimes like it soupy and sometimes stiff. For the steep areas, it needs to be kind of stiff or not watered down at all.


The foam would be perfect in your application.

I water down acrylics and use that. Like a dark brown, light brown, gray, and black. Put a little gob of each in my container and add some water and kind of mix them a little around the edges and get some shades of the colors.
 
If your putting spray foam near a area you don't want . put carboard or plastic sheeting. the foam is a big help but it can expand past the point you don't want it. with the masking of palastic you just cut out the over expand. and carve the edge how you want it.
 
Resqnu said:
Thinking of using the Great Stuff spray foam for creating my mountain w/waterfall and a few other hills. I have already built the foundation, but want to use the foam to fill in and build up the landscape. I have watched a very few videos and haven't found the answers I need yet. Once it is sprayed and dried, I see you can carve to your liking.

Do you paint latex over the foam or should you use some type of plaster product to seal before painting and detailing?
Click to expand...

The first ever layout I build was done using Great Stuff. I still have it. It was a window display for work during an event week in our town. I have converted it to a "Hot Wheels" table for my son.

I never used any kind of special paint for it. I just hit it with Spray paint. The sheet foams you buy in the store will have a better shelf life than Great stuff, but we're talking decades anyway. The one thing I found with it is that it forms smooth and bulbous. Carving and/or plaster will really help form the contours and look you are after.
 
Going on from what Marriedshades said, I have this image in my head of this spray stuff going every where, sort of like when you put too much washing powder in a washing machine :)

47869d8157650a5b1d593af3eabf27a8_zpsb03dde5b.jpg


Hope that doesn't happen to you.
 
The foam they use to insulate homes can do that Tony. its professional. grade and is sprayed with a large sprayer. use in old homes that dont have insulation. it makes a mess. the most the heavy expand foam that comes in a can that you can by at a store expand about a foot. maybe a bite more.. they make a lighter expanding one to .what i i would use.
 
wombat457 said:
Going on from what Marriedshades said, I have this image in my head of this spray stuff going every where, sort of like when you put too much washing powder in a washing machine :)

47869d8157650a5b1d593af3eabf27a8_zpsb03dde5b.jpg


Hope that doesn't happen to you.
Click to expand...

Lol...I hope not, but great image to keep in mind.


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