Painting Styrofoam Diffusors

[cipriano]

I recently purchased some 13 root quadratic styrofoam diffusors to begin treating my room and I thought I would share my experiences in painting them. To make a long story short - It's impossible to make styrofoam look nice. Below is a picture of two water based paints, the top being PintyPlus Aqua Nut Brown spraypaint and the bottom being a brushable acrylic paint that Ace Hardware carries (it's in the craft section, not the paint area). The color is dark brown. I case you didn't know, you have to use water based paints on styrofoam. Oil paints with their solvents will melt the styrofoam.

The spraypaint is very difficult to get an even coat in the deep wells. It's got a real wet glossy look, so it doesn't look like wood at all. Very modern though.

The brushable acrylic goes on flat as a pancake. Easier to get a nice even coat than spraying. I was considering adding a topcoat of glossy ModPodge but decided to stick with the flat look.

I was hoping to get these pieces of styrofoam to look like wood (at least from several feet away) but that is asking the impossible. No matter how many coats you use, it's going to look like styrofoam. But at 20% the price of wood diffusors, I can live with the rough look!

 

[tomlinmgt]

That doesn’t look too bad, man. The bottom unit looks like raw MDF. A satin clear over the glossy finish might help tame it down and bit and make it look more like oiled wood. I have a skyline diffuser I built from styrofoam and my plan, if I ever get around to it, is to paint it by spraying a water based latex through a paint gun with a primer tip. However, I’m not trying to make it look like wood...I’ll just make it some darkish neutral color.
But no doubt about it...styrofoam is a hell of a lot easier and less expensive when it comes to building diffusers. I’ve done several different types in wood and that, my friend, is a true labor of love.

 

[litefootdan]

I know it would take a lot of time and patience, but I always wondered if scoring strips of veneer for the widths of the wells would make a better sonic reflection as well as offer a better better visual aesthetic.

 

[cipriano]

That doesn’t look too bad, man. The bottom unit looks like raw MDF.

Thanks! My phone flash kind of washed out the true color. The bottom diffusor actually looks a bit darker in person than what you see in the picture.

 

[bob06]

Thanks! My phone flash kind of washed out the true color. The bottom diffusor actually looks a bit darker in person than what you see in the picture.

I like the looks of the bottom one. I was never a big fan of gloss. Flat or satin finish is what I like.

 

[mgosdin]

Both look good, I'd take the bottom one for preference. Another thought, you might try applying a darker brown or black wash using the old "Decoupage" technique. Done right it can give a good faux wood look to a non wood surface.

Mark Gosdin

 

[bob06]

If you wanted to go real crazy they have the wood graining tools that wood give the texture of wood. Used with the technique mgosdin described. You couldn't do in the valleys and sides but the face could be done.

 

[Old Guy8]

Cipriano,
Would you mind posting model and source details of your diffusers. I'm all into lower cost treatment options.
I like the lowers finish.

 

[bob06]

Cipriano,
Would you mind posting model and source details of your diffusers. I'm all into lower cost treatment options.
I like the lowers finish.

I have seen them on Ebay. Under acoustic diffuser or sound diffuser.

 

[Ohighway]

Interesting.... I'm betting you could achieve a decent faux wood finish with the right paints.

I'm experimenting right now with some acrylic enamel so I can paint some (currently painted white) windowsills to look like real stained wood. Here's my first test piece, it's the large piece. (The smaller are actually stained and sealed pieces of wood baseboard I'm trying to match to) The effect is achieved by using a lighter base paint ( In this case some Sherwin Williams acrylic latex satin finish) and a darker color (from Home Depot, stay tuned and I'll get product info) I painted the lighter color, let it dry, then painted the darker color over it and drug the edge of corrugated cardboard through it while it was still wet. Not too shabby, and probably would get better with a little practice.

 

[E-Stat]

I had good luck spray painting my Skylines.

 

[cipriano]

Cipriano,
Would you mind posting model and source details of your diffusers. I'm all into lower cost treatment options.
I like the lowers finish.

I went with GIK out of Atlanta. These are Gridfusors that can be put in a drop ceiling or just stuck to the wall. After shipping, the cost is about $60 per 24x24 diffusor.

Another thing about styrofoam is that won't arrive in perfect condition. Always a few nicks here and there. It's just the nature of the beast.

 

[mgosdin]

Another thing about styrofoam is that won't arrive in perfect condition. Always a few nicks here and there. It's just the nature of the beast.

Just adds to the character, not to mention a bit more of randomness to the diffusion.

Mark Gosdin