I picked up a sheet of Pink foamboard insulation for scenery work. My question is: Can you paint the foam directly or should you put plaster on it first? I am hoping to paint it directly as I have a couple of neat hot foam wire cutters that I can really carve some nice shapes with. Thanks.
As long as you use latex or acrylic, you can paint it directly. Don't use any oil based paints or spray paints. (unless the spray paint is water based.
I never put plaster on my flat foam or even the hills or mountains , I always paint them direct. Like they said use latex or acrylic otherwise you will have one big sticky mess!!!!!
The only "but" I can think of is if you have two glued together and the seam is obvious. Having said that, we had a layout that was foam and painted and it looked very good (I didn't do it).
About the seams where two pieces are joined. Woodland Scenics makes a foam paste that can be put on with a putty knife or spreader. When it dries its just like foam, you can cut it , sand it or whatever!!
I paint all of the foamboard with a "natural" or earth color after it's in place (before adding scenery, track, structures, etc). This way there's no unnatural color showing. I can sprinkle leaf, grass or other ground material right on the paint. If you want a different color, simply paint over the first coat.
