I need to “glue” a large (21x16) piece of 0.040 Styrene sheet to my 2" foam base. What is the best adhesive to use? The area is part of a lift out and the styrene is the road surface and foundation for several buildings in a town. Buildings will be glued to the styrene.
I have looked at Liquid Nails, but their products all seem to warn against one of the surfaced or the other. A saleman at the neighborhood hardware suggested using silicone, spreading it eavenly will be a real test. Any help is greatly appreciated.
The silcone should work, along with any other type of caulk. Before you do the silicone, check out Gorilla glue. It shouldn’t be harmfull to the foam, but my bottle is gone, so I can’t do a test.
It’s at least worth the time to check it out.
If you do use the Gorilla glue, remember it expands, alot, so spread it thin, and read the instructions, as you have to dampen the surfaces.
No matter what you use, you might want to scribe up or roughen the surface of the styrene.
Any caulk type material is going to take FOREVER to completely dry.
You’ll also need to weight everything down evenly, like a piece of plywood on top of the plastic, with some bricks, or cans of paint, or something, on the plywood to add weight.
Let us know what you come up with, and how it works.
It holds very well and can be used to adhere to foam, wood, cork, and styrene. It uses acetic acid to cure the caulk so there’s no nasty chemicals like in Liquid Nails.
Cure time: 8 hrs…but I usually let it set for 24 hrs
Cost: $2.50/tube at your local home improvement store
Either Acryllic/Silicone Caulk or Liquid Nails FOR PROJECTS (make sure it says “For projects”) will work. Regular liquid nails will eat foam. Liquid nails for projects will NOT eat plastics or foam. Once you put them down it will NOT come up on either without destroying the styrene or foam.
I use acrylic ceramic tile mastic. Will not attack either the styrene or the rigid foam. Adheres well; it is made for non-porus glass and tiles. Spread it on thin and evenly (like peanut butter), then scrape with a small notched trowel. Sets in an hour or two, pretty firm after 24.
Comes in one- or five gallon buckets. About $14 for one-gallon size at Home Depot. Equivalent to about 20 or 30 caulk gun tubes. I never actually measured, but a gallon goes a pretty long ways.
Lepage PL300 will work, but I don’t feel Liquid Nails is substantially different…just a bit more costly. I always thought Liquid Nails was deemed to be safe for plastics, including foam types…?
If you use caulk, the answer to spreading might be to put it on the styrene. You can realy lean on the styrene, on top a hard surface, much harder than you can lean on foam.
I used caulk to glue a sheet of cork for my yard on top of foam. It didn’t seem important to get 100% coverage with the caulk. I had air bubbles and spongy under some areas of the cork.
I have had success with GE Clear Silicone I or Silicone II. Both are available at home improvement centers.
The only difference between the two that I can tell is the Silicone II has a faster set time, “30 minute Rain-Ready”.
This product is available in tubes or caulk gun cartridges. If you don’t have a caulk gun you can purchase one for less than $10.00 and should last you a lifetime.
Because silicone is flexible, and you are using it on a lift-out, this would be my choice.
I have used these products to adhere foam trackbed to blue foam.
Another plus is if you need to reposition the styrene sheet it will release without harming either material.
Then the cured silicone can be rubbed off with your fingers, a fresh coat reapplied, and reinstalled.
As has been suggested, a plastic putty knife will help spread the material evenly and then using a roller will smooth out any trapped bubbles.
I’ve been using it a number of yrs. now on all kinds of plastic’s/ABS without any problem’s. This Walthers cornerstone building…the scratch-built ceiling truss’s are glued to the structure using the GO2 glue. It is similar to an 2-part epoxy without the mixing. Also use it to glue RIX overpass parts to mat board and wood…all kinds of scenery parts also. It says it’s new, but I have been using a couple yr’s. now, without any problems.
Well to be honest…If You used straight Benzene and put it on styrene, it more than likely would melt it. I used to clean printing ink off of engraved printing masters when I worked back at Chicago Roto Print when I got out of high school in the late 50’s,wearing a respirator, rubber gloves up to the elbows and rubber apron. I was training to be an engraver…changed My mind though.
If it is an area that is not going to be “bumped” then I’d use Super 77. It is similar to contact cement and will stick to both. Also the sprayed layer is nice and thin without lumps.
