Do-it-yourself country crafts from polyurethane foam. DIY garden figures made from polyurethane foam

Polyurethane foam is a practical and convenient thing. It is very easy to use and process. Besides, foam doesn't cost that much money. And most importantly, it is often found in everyday life in the form of surplus or leftovers. And if after construction is completed, crafts for the garden will become accessible and simple. The main thing is to have imagination and some ability to work with a knife.

To make crafts from polyurethane foam with our own hands, we will need:

  • Foam. Depending on the size of the figure, up to ten cylinders may be needed.
  • The basis. An object on which the foam will be built up (suitable in shape).
  • Knife. It is best to take a sharp and thin one; it would be preferable to use a scalpel.
  • Paint, varnish.

Planning

First, you need to clearly imagine the size and shape of the figure, which will represent future crafts made from polyurethane foam with your own hands. You only need to start from own desires, other factors have little effect on the result. After this, the base is selected. You can use any fairly hard objects - bottles, pipes, cardboard, wood, and so on. If the figure will stand on the street, it is better to make the frame relatively heavy so that the creation is not blown away by the wind and falls. It is also worth preparing workplace, where you will create crafts from polyurethane foam with your own hands - lay it out or in a workshop, stock up on solvent (to wash your hands after finishing work) and gloves.

Foam coating

We begin to cover the assembled and prepared frame with foam. This needs to be done layer by layer, giving each layer ten to fifteen minutes to dry. Attention! Before being coated with paint, the foam is very susceptible to direct sun rays, which can negatively affect its properties, so it is better to use it indoors with closed windows. After application, you can adjust. Some frame parts are attached to it separately after applying several layers of foam. It is also possible to create entire individual parts, coat them and attach them to the main figure using the same material as glue. It is only because of drying that crafts made from polyurethane foam take quite a long time to make with your own hands.

Decoration

After creating the completed form, you can begin design. The main option is to cover it with several layers of paint. First two, then, after several hours of drying, when the yellowness of the foam appears, one more. For durability and color preservation, it can be coated with clear varnish. The best fit is it doesn't turn yellow. Another technique is to cover it with toilet paper and paint it. It's easier and doesn't require a lot of paint.

Application

Crafts made from polyurethane foam, photos of which are easy to find on the Internet or in relevant magazines, are easy to make and beautiful. Any fantasy can come to life, turning into incredible and bizarre forms. Among other things, they are also incredibly functional - craftsmen use foam to create anything from lanterns to fountains. Foam can easily reveal anyone's abilities. The main thing in this matter is to clearly understand what should happen in the end and get closer to the result with every step.

Do you want to improve your summer cottage or the area near a private house, but are tired of the consumer goods offered in the store? Or do you want to decorate the playground? Then think about whether you can do everything yourself using... polyurethane foam.

In fact, the choice of polyurethane foam as a material for sculpture is unusual only at first glance, because if you take into account its pliability and softness, then the gradual increase in popularity of crafts made from this material becomes quite understandable.

Necessary materials

What will you need to create sculptures from polyurethane foam and where to start?

In fact, the list of materials is short:

  • plastic bottles;
  • cans of polyurethane foam;
  • dye;

Plastic bottles will be needed as a frame for future figure and their volume directly depends on the size of the sculpture. The amount of foam is also calculated based on the size of the planned craft. It is worth noting that the volume of foam at the exit of the cylinder ranges from 50 to 70 liters. Usually there is a marking on the cylinders indicating the amount of foam coming out. The choice of paint is entirely up to you; it can be oil-based, in spray cans, or any other. It should be noted, however, that if you intend to use the craft outdoors in the open air, you should choose paint that is resistant to natural influences.

To make a sheep you will need the following amount of materials:

  • plastic bottles 4 pcs, 2 l each;
  • Isolon (this is a special backing for linoleum, can be purchased at any hardware store);
  • 5 cylinders of polyurethane foam, 70 l each;
  • adhesive tape or in other words adhesive tape;
  • paint, varnish;

First, we make a frame from plastic bottles. It doesn't have to be perfect, just well made so it doesn't fall apart.


Then you should cut the isolon into narrow strips 2-3 cm wide


The next step is to wrap the frame with strips of isolon to give it more volume. We secure the isolon strips with tape so that they do not unwind.

After the frame is wrapped with isolon, you can attach a sheep's tail made of ordinary wire.

After this, you can apply polyurethane foam to the frame. The foam is applied in layers. Apply each new layer only after the previous one has dried; to speed up drying, you can spray it with water. The fact is that water coming into contact with the foam triggers a reaction, which accelerates the hardening of the foam.


The foam should be applied as evenly as possible so that imperfections do not have to be corrected.

After our sheep has been shaped using foam and the foam has completely hardened, we can proceed to the details. To start, you can glue on the ears.

Then you can correct the sheep's face using a stationery knife, and then decorate it.

All that remains is to paint the hooves, draw the eyes, and the sculpture is ready.

It should be noted that foam is a fairly toxic material and should only be worked with in well-ventilated areas. It is also quite sticky, and therefore you should stock up on acetone or a special solvent for polyurethane foam and patience.

In general, foam is a fertile material, and almost any figure can be made from it, as long as you have enough imagination, patience and time. Starting from the simplest and smallest to the size of a human being.

How to make an ironing board

For most owners, the dacha seems to be a place for relaxation. However, in order to properly design the site, it is necessary to spend quite large sums. In this regard, some summer residents are looking for opportunities to save money, which is why they are trying to create crafts from polyurethane foam that look no less aesthetically pleasing than figurines made of plastic, metal and wood. And today this option continues to compete with another equally common method - creating crafts from plastic bottles.

Every person who does not have special skills and knowledge is able to make their personal plot more attractive. The main thing is to have abstract thinking, be patient and prepare minimal set of tools. All this will be enough for cheerful gnomes, frogs, sheep and Christmas trees to appear in the garden area, the creation of which will require quite available materials.

Manufacturing technology

The first issue that must be resolved by the summer resident is the preparation of materials and tools, without which it will be impossible to make crafts from polyurethane foam. Moreover, you should not neglect any element of the list, since this will subsequently affect the quality of the work and the time it will require.

To make a product frame, you can use plastic bottles, which are pre-filled with sand, boards, metal objects and thick wire. In some cases, you can use ordinary brick to create the basis for a future mushroom on your site.

  • polyurethane foam;
  • spray foam gun;
  • gun cleaner.

A good idea is to use a sculpture for growing flowers in it. But to do this, in its center you will have to install a certain container, like a bucket, tin can or the aforementioned plastic bottle.

  • varnish, paint and brushes for them;
  • stationery or other knife;
  • several pairs of gloves. You should definitely have them, as this will help protect your hands from mounting foam, which quickly and firmly sticks to your hands.

If we take a closer look at the process of making garden figures from polyurethane foam, we can distinguish two stages that are carried out in a certain sequence.

  • work begins by covering the base with a layer of foam, after which they wait for a pause, which is necessary for the material to harden;
  • Then we apply the next layer of foam and so on until we achieve the required shape of the product.

When the desired result is achieved, take a regular stationery knife and use it to trim off the excess protrusions. In the process of such work, we give the sculpture the desired contour, after which we can proceed to painting it. To complete all the work, you will have to spend from 1 hour to several days. The specific period is determined by the size of the product and the thickness of the applied layer.

It is recommended to make garden figures from polyurethane foam in a separate dry room which should be clean and have limited access for children. Otherwise, you will have to spend a lot of time and effort to remove the foam from the surfaces, and for this you will need gasoline or acetone.

Manufacturing examples with instructions

Next, we will look at examples of various figures for the garden from polyurethane foam, which can be made even without having experience in this matter. But in order to achieve the required result, it is necessary to perform all operations in the exact sequence. A couple of hours will pass and you will feel like a real creator, in whose hands ordinary polyurethane foam turns into real masterpieces of art.

Christmas tree

The master class on making a Christmas tree from polyurethane foam is quite simple and understandable. Required in advance prepare the branches, which need to be attached to iron pipe. You can use tape or wire as a retainer.

Then, using a spray bottle, the workpiece is moistened, which will improve the adhesive properties of the foam when it is applied to the base.

After this, we begin to process the structure with polyurethane foam; in this matter, you can completely rely on your imagination.

Having such accessible things as scraps of sticks, twigs, polyurethane foam and fishing line on hand, it will not be difficult for you to do it yourself christmas tree. And to give a natural look, the tree can be painted with green acrylic paint.

Ball

If you are afraid to take on complex garden figures made of polyurethane foam, then you can choose the simplest product, which is a ball. Those who do not have experience in making figures from polyurethane foam with their own hands to decorate the garden are recommended to take the first steps by creating this particular figure. And, once you get the hang of it, you can try to create more complex decorations and sculptures.

The master class itself includes the following actions:

  • first we need a paint can into which we need to pour sand;
  • Next, we take polyurethane foam and cover our workpiece in layers;
  • when will the product be purchased required dimensions, and the initial shape will change to spherical, take a knife and cut off the excess parts;
  • we treat our ball with varnish;
  • We complete the work of making the ball by painting, for which you can use the colorful material that you like best.

Ram and ewe

We begin the master class on making this garden figure from polyurethane foam with our own hands by creating a frame. To do this we need several plastic bottles that need to be connected to each other using tape. As a result, the craft should resemble something like the “skeleton” of an animal. To give our figure greater stability, the lower limbs can be filled with sand.

After this, you can begin to process the craft using foam. To avoid wastage of material, it is recommended to wrap the frame with isolon or other polymer material. After covering the figure with the first layer of foam, it should already be clear to you what you should get upon completion of this work.

To create the ears we use pieces of leather. You can also use plastic bottles to make them, which will first have to be heated and bent

To make a muzzle, you will have to use a knife, using it to form the necessary features.

To make our animals look beautiful, they need to be varnish.

Goat

To make the frame you will need thick wire, which must be wrapped around several plastic bottles.

To make a leg frame, it is recommended to use metal pipes. They are attached to the pedestal by welding, after which they are fixed to the ground, or they can simply be bolted. Make sure that the base of the figure is firmly secured, otherwise the wind or rain will cause it to fall to the ground.

Then the craft needs cover with 1-2 layers of polyurethane foam.

To make the horns and tail, take wooden shelves or we use plastic cuts and attach them to the base.

Having finished applying the last layer, it is necessary to remove excess parts, after which we wrap the product with sickle or fishing line.

We finish the job by painting, but first we need to apply a layer of primer. When choosing a color, you can completely rely on your own preferences, because this is your creation and you can show all your imagination here.

We use buttons to make eyes.

Now our goat is ready and can be installed where you see fit - next to a pond, in a clearing, surrounded by other design elements.

Keep in mind that the process of making this craft it will take you 1-2 weeks, since you will have to wait a pause so that each layer of foam can harden. Thus, using abandoned pipes, plastic bottles, pieces of wire and other garbage and a couple of balloons of polyurethane foam, you can easily create beautiful decorative elements for your summer cottage.

New Year's crafts

If you only have wire and a can of polyurethane foam at your disposal, then only with their help you can make wonderful New Year’s decorations for the garden. These materials will be enough to make a variety of ornaments, Christmas tree decorations, as well as crafts of varying degrees of complexity.

A good idea is to create a snowflake. For this you need to take a wire of a certain thickness so that you can bend it easily. It will serve as material for creating the frame of a future snowflake. We begin to cover it with 1-2 layers of foam. Needed immediately adjust the form, giving it a flat and smooth surface, and this must be done before the foam hardens. If any part of the figure turns out incorrectly, then you can add a small amount of price at any time and remove excess parts using a stationery knife.

You will have even fewer difficulties when making a Christmas ball. The master class on implementing this idea will boil down to the following. To do this, you need to take a tennis ball and apply a layer of foam. When the material has hardened, we paint the craft, adding bright and positive colors to create a New Year's mood.

You can also offer a simpler option for making a Christmas tree. It will require cardboard or isolon, which is wound on a rigid base, giving it the shape of a cone. You can easily apply a couple of layers of polyurethane foam. Next, all that remains is to give the craft a smooth surface, paint and find a suitable place for the Christmas tree.

Conclusion

In order to make your backyard more attractive, you don’t have to go to the store and buy special decorative ornaments. It is within the power of any site owner to make their own beautiful crafts for garden. Moreover, for this you can use the most affordable materials, one of which can be polyurethane foam.

It's quite easy to work with, so even an owner who has never had to do such a thing can easily cope with this task. Just study the master class on creating figures for the garden, and you will succeed.

Materials and tools:
Polyurethane foam (any)
Glue "Titan"
Wood putty.
Acrylic paints.
Liquid nails “Fix All” (Cristal)
Toothpicks
Brush
Acrylic paints
Acrylate wood varnish
Small decorative stones.
Film
Gloves
A stationery (or any convenient) knife.
Plastic covers for notebooks.

I love waterfalls and I love looking at them and trying to draw them, but here I really wanted a home waterfall. But not the one where water flows (for some reason this is annoying...), but the most ordinary one.
The process of creation home waterfall I tried to photograph and describe.

Take polyurethane foam (I took the most common one in a can for 100 rubles).
Place oilcloth or film on the work surface. Be sure to wear gloves
(rubber or medical), because the foam sticks very much to your hands and is difficult to wash off. Foam several “slides” on the film, spray the “slides” with a flower spray so that the foam “sets” faster. Wait until the top of the “slide” dries, remove it from the film (the bottom remains wet) and place the slides on top of each other so as you see your big mountain. Since the bottom has not yet dried, the slides “sit” on top of each other and immediately stick together.
Give the foam a day to “set.”

Cut out the base of the mountain from the resulting mass - cut off the excess from the sides using a knife, cut through caves and recesses.
Treat all surfaces and joints with putty. Let it dry for a day.

Paint the slide, walls and “bottom” of the waterfall first with dark brown, then light brown paint. Give the paint time to dry.

Spread the “Titanium” glue on the surface of the “mountain”, sprinkling the glue with small decorative pebbles. Cover by acrylic varnish. Dry overnight.

Paint the “bottom” of the waterfall and the places where the “water” flows with blue and white paints.

To simulate flowing water, the following was tested:
1. Liquid nails “Moment” Installation transparent..
The photo shows “transparency”, yeah. as they were opaque white, they remained so even after two days..

2. Liquid nails “AXTON” transparent. I didn’t like it, first of all, it had a very pungent, poisonous smell (as if a lot of vinegar had been mixed with something). So, the resulting “waterfalls” are a bit cloudy and ugly, a disgrace.

3. Liquid nails “Fix-All soludal, Crystal/ You can try others, but the word Crystal must be present.. Nails are expensive (we cost 370 rubles, but when you have the urge to do it, you can’t bear it..)

Take a napkin and make a “stencil” of the required length.

I bought a regular notebook cover for the imitation water backing. It is transparent with blue and this turned out to be just it.

Having prepared the stencils, place the cover on them.

Take liquid nails and “draw” stripes on the stencil with them, close to each other. Using a toothpick, smooth the surface of the strips with a zigzag line.

Leave to dry. But it’s better to leave it to dry like that. so that the dried nails take the desired shape. Cut the film along the contour of the waterfall, use a toothpick to pierce the film at the beginning of the “waterfall” and attach it to a convenient, convex surface.

After allowing time for the “flowing water” to dry, use the same nails to coat the recesses in the “mountain” and attach the workpieces with a toothpick. Adjust “waterfalls” by adding stripes liquid nails, simulating the effect of flowing water.

Paint the surface of the waterfall with an almost dry white brush and white paint.

Wait for the “waterfalls” to dry completely and check that everything corresponds to what you planned. Place several decorative elements on the bottom, in my case these are white round decorative stones. In “liquid glass”, poured into any container that you don’t mind throwing away, add any blue dye (in this case I took soap dye) - 3-4 drops

Allow time to dry completely" liquid glass", depending on the thickness of the layer, this will range from two to four days.

Add a couple of strips of “liquid nails” at the base of the “waterfalls”, mix the applied strips with the dried “water”. Using a toothpick or bamboo stick, lift the sealant at the base of the “waterfall” with small sharp “waves”

Allow time to dry and paint the ends of the “waves” at the base of the waterfall with white paint.

That's it, the waterfall is ready...

Polyurethane foam – unique construction material, which is widely used for installation, sealing of structures and increasing their thermal insulation. Lovers of garden decorations have expanded the scope of application of this building material. Garden figures Every owner can easily make it from polyurethane foam with his own hands country house or a summer cottage. In this article you can see photos of finished crafts, as well as popular sculptures made from polyurethane foam.

1. Light weight.
2. Ease of use (applied to any surface, easy to cut).
3. The ability to make crafts of any size.
4. On ready product not affected by precipitation and temperature changes.

Conditions for using polyurethane foam for garden sculptures

Conditions for using polyurethane foam for garden sculptures

If you have never worked with polyurethane foam, we recommend that you read the instructions from the manufacturer. Do not forget that the foam inside the container is a liquid mass, and when it comes into contact with air, it begins to harden. Complete hardening occurs after 10-12 hours. When working with foam, use products personal protection. It is not recommended to carry out work when sub-zero temperature air.

Before each use of the foam, shake the container well. While working, keep the can with the cap down so that gas does not escape from it and all the foam can be used. You should not apply many layers at once, as the uncured ones will fall off. Do everything gradually, apply the next layer at least 10-15 minutes after the previous one. For ease of application, use a special gun.

The appearance of a polyurethane foam figure directly depends on the type of frame. You should first find a picture of the figure or make a sketch so that all the nuances are taken into account and the finished product looks like a wooden or plaster sculpture.

To make the frame, you can take different materials, for example, plastic bottles or iron cans are suitable. Wooden planks, fittings and wire will also be useful to you. To make the sculpture stable, you need to fill it with sand.

Now you can start decorating the craft with foam. Distribute the foam evenly over the frame, taking into account the future reliefs of the craft. When it has completely hardened, you can use a stationery knife to remove unnecessary parts and correct defects. If necessary, add foam to places where you forgot or want to correct something in the craft.

A layer of putty will help protect the mounting foam from destruction. To garden craft turned out smooth, grout with sandpaper. Now take acrylic paints and cover the figure. Preferably two layers or more. To extend the service life of the future masterpiece, it is coated with varnish on top.

Garden figures can be additionally decorated with the most different materials, for example, beads, flowers or make LED backlight so that the sculpture glows at night.

In order to make a snail for the garden, you will need half a bottle of foam. Cover the table with oilcloth and begin applying foam for the base of the snail. When the first layer has dried a little, apply the second and insert a kefir bottle to make the snail's neck. Cover your neck with foam too and form a head with your hands.

Give the snail horns and a slightly elongated muzzle. After this you can start making the shell. To do this, a round mound of foam is applied to the snail's body. Now insert a bucket, which will be intended for flowers and will turn the garden craft into an original flowerbed.

Use a marker to mark where your snail shell begins and ends, and make curls. When the foam is completely dry, sand the product. All that remains is to decorate the snail and the garden craft is ready.

Materials:
- old saucepan;
- can:
- oil or acrylic paint;
- foam container;
- wire;
- beads.

1. Separately fill the pan and jar with foam and let dry.
2. The jar is the head, and the pan is the body of the frog. Fasten these parts with wire and secure with foam.



3. In the place where the frog’s arms should be, secure the wire and also cover it with foam.
4. Now shape the head and body so that they look like a frog. Make the lower legs as well.
5. Paint the craft with paints and then insert the eyes. The frog is ready, now it can be placed near a pond in the garden or near the pool.

To do garden figurine foxes, you will need plastic bottle. Fill it with sand or pebbles, then the wind will not be able to turn your product over. Foam the bottle, but not immediately in a thick layer, but gradually, pausing for about 15 minutes for the foam to set.

You can use a rubber tube to make the paws. To make the legs flexible, insert a wire into the tube. The tail can also be made from a tube, which will need to be well foamed. For the neck, use a cardboard cylinder from under toilet paper. Install some kind of round blank for the head.

Foam everything well and give it to the sculpture appearance foxes. After that, paint the figure oil paints and varnish. Keep in mind that if the paint is white, the varnish will make it yellow.

You can use a plastic ball as the frame of the kolobok. Place it on some kind of support, such as a jar or bowl. Now apply the foam, waiting for each layer to dry. To make handles, insert wire.

Also form the scarf from foam, and you can make the ears from cardboard. When the foam is completely dry, use a utility knife to cut out the eyes, mouth and nose. Make legs from wooden planks. All that’s left is to color the craft and the bun – it’s ready!

Interestingly, from polyurethane foam you can make not only garden figures, but also an original lantern that will give your personal plot notes of exclusivity and will help decorate the garden in Japanese style. To make a lantern stand, take a pipe that needs to be foamed on the bottom side and installed on a level surface. wooden base. For the lantern bowl, you can use a plastic bowl that needs to be secured on top.

Now pour the foam in layers, waiting for each layer to partially dry. Come up with a design to decorate the lantern, draw a diagram and implement the idea using polyurethane foam. You need to make a hole in the center of the bowl so that you can secure the lid with self-tapping screws. Insert the bars into the bowl and foam them.

Attach the lid to the bowl with self-tapping screws. Now cut out a smaller square from the chipboard. Foam it on one side and secure the racks on the other. In the center of the squares you need to make a hole in order to insert a lamp into it later. solar battery. Hide the wires.

After this, a roof is made from a large piece of plywood, which is installed on racks. To make the relief design beautiful, first draw it with a marker on the surface of the lantern, and then carefully cover it with foam.

Garden figures made of polyurethane foam master class

The finished product is completely painted. To install it, you need to dig the pipe a little into the ground or make small flower bed around the lantern.

DIY polyurethane foam figures will help transform any garden plot. Even without the skills of a sculptor and artist, you can make a beautiful sculpture that will enliven your exterior.


polyurethane foam can also be used to decorate rooms or building facades.



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