Theming with Spray Polyurethane Foam SPF

[oscar-te]

Hello to all of you!!
I have a client that wants the interior (walls and roof) of his aprox. 6,000 square feet building (restaurant) as a cave.

My portfolio is all based on EPS foam sculptures, but for this project I think spray polyurethane foam applied with expensive plural component proportioners (what foam insulators use) would be the best bet.

Have any of you experience on SPF? There are so many SPF foams, and SPF companies, that I don't know which to choose, and I don't know If I have to hard coat the finished work and if the bare SPF foam would accept painting directly.

If any of you have experience using SPF for theming or sculpture; I hear all your recommendations.

Thanks
Luis Oscar

[realsculpt]

hi,

i have used foam packs before, but i dont know which ones. From my experience i woul construct the armature in chicken wire, then foam on that to save some wieght and expense of foam. Though you can paint directly onto foam with latex housepaint, it can get messed up really easy by customers to thier resteraunt. You also need to know fire codes since foam is extremely flammable unless you get the right one. in theme parkes we would coat the foam with resin then prime and paint it. If you get a fire retardent hard density foam you may be able to just paint right on it. there is a place in Orlando i used to get stuff from when i lived there called "Star Scenic" they will have the paint and maybe the foam too.

[Andrew Werby]

I'd worry about fire as well; polyurethanes produce a lot of extremely toxic byproducts when burned. Check the fire codes before you invest in a bunch of foam. For this sort of project, consider plaster over wire mesh - it's fire resistant, easy to work with, and cheaper than foam. Another alternative might be concrete, using the "Gunite" technique popular for making swimming pools.

Andrew Werby
www.unitedartworks.com

[oscar-te]

Thanks for your replies!

Yes, I have fire in mind, that is one of the things that most worries me. In fact the foam doesn't have to be polyurethane as long as is sprayable.

In this case foam packs maybe more costly than a professional equipment because when I sum the walls, the square feet jump to 8,500; and when taking into account a thickness of 3" thick (at least) I would need a package of at least 25,000 square feet. .

Yes, Andrew; chicken wire and in some cases EPS will do for areas with a lot of texture that go farther from the wall.
Not so sure about using plaster or concrete.

[oscar-te]

I found Star Scenic website - http://www.starscenic.net/ . Thanks!