Painting Foam Insulation Board – DIY Guide to Smooth Finish

Undoubtedly, foam insulation is a great invention for keeping basements warm and welcoming. Its wider range of benefits include sound-proof and reduced heat loss properties, lessening energy bills, and all. Moreover, spray foam insulation comes with a non-toxic formula. However, many people want a great appearance in their basement or other spaces where they have installed foam insulation. Therefore, they want to paint over the insulation board.

Needless to say, painting foam insulation boards to have a finished look is a great idea. You can do it if the walls are not covered with any drywall. Painting foam insulation also brings several advantages. It not only enhances the appearance but also works as a great sealer. Sealing the foam insulation board, and painting ensures an excellent atmosphere.

Painting Insulation Foam Board

However, in the case of painting foam insulation boards, there are certain factors you have to keep in your head. Also, the painting process is not that easy. So, if you have clicked this site, you might be looking for answers to every question regarding painting spray foam insulation boards. Let us get you covered with everything.

Does Spray Foam Insulation Need to be Painted?

Spray foam insulation plays like a game-changer after only one day of its installation. It is basically a chemical formula that comes in liquid formula inside a spray can. When the formula is applied, it gradually expands and acts as a sealer. It forms a seal that is airtight and seals cracks, holes, and other voids of walls from where air can flow through.

All the internal accessories and acoustics of your properties are safe if the walls are covered with spray foam insulation. Thus, it has become a popular choice among people. Now, when it comes to the question of whether spray foam insulation needs to be painted or not, the answer comes in both yes and no.

You can leave the spray foam insulation board exposed. But in some areas, leaving the insulation exposed is not a great idea. For places like living space, if the walls are insulated with spray foam, you better insert a thermal barrier. In this very case, painting can help a lot.

Moreover, many homeowners want to hide the odd appearance of the spray foam insulation. To develop the foam insulation appearance and add some aesthetics to the wall, painting is a great solution.

Again, foam insulation features an internal pillow-like center of polystyrene. This structure is prone to breakdown when it comes to the interaction of ultraviolet light. Therefore, to protect the insulation board from this situation, painting can be done. Also, if your insulated board walls are quite unfinished, why not have a good finish by painting them?

What Type of Paint to Use on Foam Board?

There are mainly two types of spray foam available as insulators. One is the open cell and the other is the closed cell. Open-cell spray foam has a soft and flexible formula but it is not completely enveloped. Closed-cell spray foam, on the other hand, comes with a fully closed-off formula.

Once you install this foam, there is no way moisture or air can come through. Because of its more stable, dense, and more importantly, rigid formula, while painting over the closed-cell spray foam insulation board, sealing is not necessary. So, painting on it is easier.

Well, to paint foam insulation board, the paint material should come with water-based acrylic. Or, latex paint will also do well in this case. But using oil-based paint or other solvent materials won’t be wise to use. It is simply because oil-based paints generally contain different chemical elements. these chemicals can be destructive at times. Consequently, they can damage both foam insulation and the board. So, be careful while you are selecting paint to use on the foam board.

How to Prepare and Paint Insulation Foam Board?

Painting an insulation board is easy when you know the process. However, the prepping of the insulation board before you start painting is more important. So, you have to take care of that first. Again, before you get started with the task, do some research on the local building codes. Many times, they require a gypsum board as a fire barrier. Also, do not forget to prime the foam board first since sealing the spray foam is important.

Now, to start with the process step by step, you will need some materials. They are given below.

Required Materials:

  • Sandpaper
  • Paint trays
  • Paint roller
  • Latex or gesso paint
  • Water-based paint
  • Foam brushes

These materials are easily available near your hand or nearby local stores. Since painting insulation foam board is already an inexpensive way to decorate the walls thus, try to buy quality paint material. Now, let’s get to the steps.

Step – 1: Sand the Board Surface:

Sanding is important to obtain a smooth and slick finish. Therefore, it is the first and foremost thing to do while painting an insulation board. Start sanding along the board edges with the help of sandpaper. While sanding, ensure all protective gear including face masks. Otherwise, the small particles can irritate your eyes and face. So, to protect yourself from inhaling the small particles you must wear a face mask at least.

However, since foam insulation sheets are also used for crafts, decorations, and costumes, sanding them is important. Otherwise, it is not necessary to sand if you want to paint foam insulation that is installed on walls. That is why sanding in this regard is considered optional.

Step – 2: Get Ready the Supplies for Prep:

As we already mentioned you will need water-based gesso or latex paint, select your desired color. However, white paint acts great as gesso since it can easily cover larger areas like foam insulated walls. Put your paint in a paint tray and dip a small paint roller. Dip it properly so that the paint roller gets evenly coated with paint. again, do not get overwhelmed since it might cause dripping of paint from the roller. Gesso, however, works just like a primer.

Step – 3: Time to Prime the Surface:

Since we are taking gesso for priming the foam insulation board, apply it with the help of the paint roller. For hard-to-reach places, instead of a paint roller, you can use foam brushes. It will help you to prime all places even the corners with gesso primer or paint. Gesso paint is highly beneficial for this purpose. It does not allow the spray foam to absorb the paint and protects from being melted eventually. After applying primer, let it dry properly.

Step – 4: Apply Multiple Coats of Primer:

For proper priming, apply multiple layers of gesso. Make sure you apply the product in thin layers. Otherwise, it will take forever to dry. Also, make sure you apply another layer of gesso paint only when you let the previous layer dry completely. When it gets dry properly, go for the second coating. Keep continuing the process until you feel the foam insulation board is primed properly. Now, to get a way cleaner look, sand out the excess gesso marks after they dry.

Step – 5: Time for Applying Water-based Paint:

When you are done applying primer on the foam insulation board, it is time to apply the main paint. As we already mentioned, oil-based paints are not suitable for painting spray foam insulation, you have to go for water-based latex or acrylic paints. But before that choose your desired color for painting. Select a color that will go with the entire room and upgrade the whole appearance. Read Also: Best Paint for

For applying paint over the foam insulation, you can use both paint rollers and foam brushes. Its application process is not exceptional. Apply the same way you applied primer before over the insulation board. Nonetheless, only one coat of paint will not be enough if you want full coverage. So, apply several layers of paint coatings on the entire area until you get your desired result.

Step – 6: Let the Paint Dry:

Finally, let the final coat of paint dry properly. Well, each coat of paint layer needs to dry completely before you paint another layer. And obviously, the final layer needs to cure and dry more properly. It will take barely 24 hours to dry out. When it finally dries, you get a beautiful, smooth, and fresh finish of your foam insulation board.

FAQs:

Question: How do you cover spray foam insulation?

Answer: Many people want to hide their spray foam insulation and also, want to give them a polished and beautiful look. That is why they look for materials that can be used to cover the insulation board. So, if you are really not into painting your walls that are installed with foam insulation and willing to spend some bucks then you can look for other materials.

There are many materials you can use to cover spray foam insulation including drywall, plasterboard, or gypsum board. Also, you can use any other material such as plywood in this regard. Plywood and drywall play a good role as thermal barriers. On the other hand, gypsum boards have a built-in fire-retardant feature which is very helpful.

Question: Can XPS foam be painted?

Answer: Absolutely, yes! You can paint over XPS foam insulation since they are known for their higher longevity. XPS insulation boards tend to last for about 50 to 60 years. Therefore, painting on them will not cause any cracks. However, like spray foam insulation, XPS foam also requires only water-based or acrylic paint. Other paints of different material formulas do not stick to the XPS foam board surface. Also, there are chances it will ruin the Styrofoam of the material.

Question: Can you paint over Great Stuff foam?

Answer: Yes, you can certainly paint over great stuff foam. But make sure the insulation is cured and hardened sufficiently before applying paint to it. Like spray foam, Great Stuff is also a great selection for insulating your basement walls. You can put any color you want over the foam. It will, in fact, bring good to the insulation by protecting from UV light. Therefore, you will not have to worry about its discoloring.

Question: Can you paint polystyrene foam board?

Answer: It is possible to paint polystyrene foam board or its expanded beads. Closed-cell spray foam also has polystyrene in it. Since from the above discussion you know you can paint over spray foam insulation, polystyrene foam board can also be painted.

So, to paint it make sure you prime the insulated surface with waterborne paint. Then you can apply any conventional paint over it to hide the actual product. You can also use regular sealants that are used for crafting. Using foam finishes is also beneficial.

Question: What can I use to waterproof Styrofoam?

Answer: Styrofoam is nothing but polystyrene plastic but comes in expanded form. It is used in several insulation projects and has an exceptional closed-cell structure. This design makes the material a bit waterproof but Styrofoam is not entirely waterproof.

That is why it is necessary to make it fully waterproof. To make it entirely waterproof, it is important to seal the spaces between pellets of polystyrene. There are spray sealants available in the market for spraying over Styrofoam. These sealants can truly make Styrofoam waterproof. Nonetheless, you can also use plaster or glue coats as an inexpensive solution for having waterproof Styrofoam.

Last Updated on July 13, 2024 by Rogers Weber

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