

<h1>Elastomeric paint</h1>
<p> And the asnwer you are looking for...
<h3> Acrylic Paint </h3>
Acrylic paint is indeed very elastic, as the comment section points out: It prevents cracking from occurring.
</p>
<h3>Other Options</h3>
<p>There arent really 'other options that doesn't contain acrylic based paints... one of them is called: <strong>Urethane</strong>, this bad boy is basically modified acrylic paint.
<p><h2>Elastomeric paint</h2><h3> Would be your final answer</h3></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2022-12-25T20:08:20.583Z
The elastomeric paint I'm familiar with is designed for exterior masonry surfaces. It's extremely thick. If that's the stuff referred to, it would likely adhere to the primer, but would hide surface detail. From the question, it sounds more like the plastic is a little soft and "dentable", but not really flexible. Elastomeric paint might be overkill, but it might be possible to thin it to be more like normal paint. If it's sold as exterior masonry paint, it's probably in large (expensive) containers and maybe limited color choices, rather than small bottles of "model" paint.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-14T03:04:41.257Z
2021-05-14T03:04:41.257Z
Isaac750
<p>I have a couple of roughly fist-sized plastic<sup>†</sup> pieces that I'd like to paint (I'll post a pic as soon as I can); preferably with a spray but brush is OK too.</p>
<p>First I intend to lay down a primer (for this material any ABS / styrene primer will do, and I know at least Montana and Tamiya brand plastic primers definitely work). Then I'm going to paint. Solid color, no fine details.</p>
<p>The thing is, this plastic is <em>mildly</em> flexible. It's not straight up bendy or squishy, but it's more like a really stiff rubber, like the kind of stuff you might see used as feet for cheap metal furniture (that's the only example I can think of). It's got a &quot;softness&quot; to it like... you feel like you will be able to bend it but you kind of can't, if that makes sense. So it's not going to be all over the place but it is <em>not</em> perfectly rigid.</p>
<p>Because of that, I'm worried that an enamel paint (it's all I'm really familiar with besides &quot;latex&quot;, as I usually work with metal and wood) will start to crack and chip fairly quickly. I've also got my fingers crossed that the primer won't do the same thing, since I have zero experience with it.</p>
<p>Anyways, that was a super long-winded way of saying: What kind of paint can I use? It's got to have <em>some</em> pliability / elasticity when dry, and should at least be compatible with whatever ABS / styrene primers are made out of. Also, the pieces won't be handled <em>super</em> roughly but they will definitely get handled frequently, so it's got to be at least somewhat durable.</p>
<p>Bonus points if it blocks UV, but that's really just icing on the cake (also the primer might, not sure, will have to look it up).</p>
<hr />
<p><sup><sup>†</sup> It's actually resin, not plastic. Specifically it's FormLabs Durable resin off an SLA printer, and the pieces are thick enough to make it rather stiff. But ABS primers are manufacturer recommended so it's simpler just to say plastic here (I mean, it's a polymer at least). It's mechanically closer to a polyethylene or polypropylene plastic, and chemically closer to ABS, than it is to a polyester or polyurethane resin.</sup></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-28T22:46:14.877Z
Acrylic might work.  Another option might be one of the rubberized coatings, which remain very flexible and giving (although they tend to go on thick, which would hide surface detail).  I'll leave this as a comment since it's just speculation.
fixer1234
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-29T03:07:20.387Z
@fixer1234 Thanks. I think what I'm going to do is go to the art supply store and just grab a small amount of a few different kinds; they definitely have acrylics and I think I saw a whole selection of other stuff the last time I was there, too, so I'll look for some rubberized stuff. Then I'll just experiment on some samples, and report back here. The only rubber-y coating I have experience with is Plasti Dip spray, which is pretty great except even the "permanent" stuff tends to rip off with light handling. But it's also not designed for durability. I'll see what's at the craft store!
Jason C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-29T09:05:04.053Z
I *think* acrylic will chip off at some point on a semi-flexible surface. If you take that route, at least sand the surface with fine sand paper before applying it. Maybe grounding with a thin layer can also increase longevity.
Joachim
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-29T14:39:53.390Z
I've seen plenty of examples of people using acrylic craft and/or miniature paints on 3D printed resin; I'd guess, based on that, that acrylic would be your best bet.
Allison C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-30T00:03:59.770Z
I've got a thick acrylic, a spray enamel, a brush on enamel, and a spray acrylic drying on some thin plexiglass now with and without primer. Tomorrow I'll bend the heck out of it and see what stays together. I might add a high flow acrylic tomorrow if I can.
Jason C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-30T18:07:06.410Z
Huh. It doesn't seem to matter at all. Both the enamels and the acrylics (and the primer I tried, although it was *not* specialty plastic primer, it was some all-purpose stuff I had on hand) handle the flex completely fine (noting that none of them bind particularly well to the test material, which gives them even *less* support under flex, which is good for this test). Maybe I overthought the paint choice. I'll post an answer tomorrow, I want to give it another 24 hours or so first and check again. Fwiw, btw, I don't actually know if it's plexiglass; it's just some scrap of something. ‍♂️
Jason C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-05-07T16:59:22.473Z
Oops I forgot all about this. Will answer as soon as I have time. But the short answer is: Yeah, it really doesn't matter. Don't overthink it. :D
Jason C
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-11-10T09:51:53.763Z
There is still the matter of longevity, though. In this time frame, oil paints would probably also still flex along with the material. "Don't overthink it" is for those who don't want to overthink it - for others, more information/data might be required :)
Joachim
<painting><plastic>
What type of paint for mildly flexible plastics?
Jason C
# What type of paint for mildly flexible plastics?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-03-28)

I have a couple of roughly fist-sized plastic† pieces that I'd like to paint (I'll post a pic as soon as I can); preferably with a spray but brush is OK too.

First I intend to lay down a primer (for this material any ABS / styrene primer will do, and I know at least Montana and Tamiya brand plastic primers definitely work). Then I'm going to paint. Solid color, no fine details.

The thing is, this plastic is *mildly* flexible. It's not straight up bendy or squishy, but it's more like a really stiff rubber, like the kind of stuff you might see used as feet for cheap metal furniture (that's the only example I can think of). It's got a "softness" to it like... you feel like you will be able to bend it but you kind of can't, if that makes sense. So it's not going to be all over the place but it is *not* perfectly rigid.

Because of that, I'm worried that an enamel paint (it's all I'm really familiar with besides "latex", as I usually work with metal and wood) will start to crack and chip fairly quickly. I've also got my fingers crossed that the primer won't do the same thing, since I have zero experience with it.

Anyways, that was a super long-winded way of saying: What kind of paint can I use? It's got to have *some* pliability / elasticity when dry, and should at least be compatible with whatever ABS / styrene primers are made out of. Also, the pieces won't be handled *super* roughly but they will definitely get handled frequently, so it's got to be at least somewhat durable.

Bonus points if it blocks UV, but that's really just icing on the cake (also the primer might, not sure, will have to look it up).

---

† It's actually resin, not plastic. Specifically it's FormLabs Durable resin off an SLA printer, and the pieces are thick enough to make it rather stiff. But ABS primers are manufacturer recommended so it's simpler just to say plastic here (I mean, it's a polymer at least). It's mechanically closer to a polyethylene or polypropylene plastic, and chemically closer to ABS, than it is to a polyester or polyurethane resin.

**Tags:** painting, plastic

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Acrylic might work.  Another option might be one of the rubberized coatings, which remain very flexible and giving (although they tend to go on thick, which would hide surface detail).  I'll leave this as a comment since it's just speculation.  
> **username_0**: @username_1 Thanks. I think what I'm going to do is go to the art supply store and just grab a small amount of a few different kinds; they definitely have acrylics and I think I saw a whole selection of other stuff the last time I was there, too, so I'll look for some rubberized stuff. Then I'll just experiment on some samples, and report back here. The only rubber-y coating I have experience with is Plasti Dip spray, which is pretty great except even the "permanent" stuff tends to rip off with light handling. But it's also not designed for durability. I'll see what's at the craft store!  
> **username_2**: I *think* acrylic will chip off at some point on a semi-flexible surface. If you take that route, at least sand the surface with fine sand paper before applying it. Maybe grounding with a thin layer can also increase longevity.  
> **username_3**: I've seen plenty of examples of people using acrylic craft and/or miniature paints on 3D printed resin; I'd guess, based on that, that acrylic would be your best bet.  
> **username_0**: I've got a thick acrylic, a spray enamel, a brush on enamel, and a spray acrylic drying on some thin plexiglass now with and without primer. Tomorrow I'll bend the heck out of it and see what stays together. I might add a high flow acrylic tomorrow if I can.  
> **username_0**: Huh. It doesn't seem to matter at all. Both the enamels and the acrylics (and the primer I tried, although it was *not* specialty plastic primer, it was some all-purpose stuff I had on hand) handle the flex completely fine (noting that none of them bind particularly well to the test material, which gives them even *less* support under flex, which is good for this test). Maybe I overthought the paint choice. I'll post an answer tomorrow, I want to give it another 24 hours or so first and check again. Fwiw, btw, I don't actually know if it's plexiglass; it's just some scrap of something. ‍♂️  
> **username_0**: Oops I forgot all about this. Will answer as soon as I have time. But the short answer is: Yeah, it really doesn't matter. Don't overthink it. :D  
> **username_2**: There is still the matter of longevity, though. In this time frame, oil paints would probably also still flex along with the material. "Don't overthink it" is for those who don't want to overthink it - for others, more information/data might be required :)  

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## 1 answers

### Answer by username_4 on 2021-05-14. Score: 2

# Elastomeric paint

And the asnwer you are looking for...

### Acrylic Paint

Acrylic paint is indeed very elastic, as the comment section points out: It prevents cracking from occurring.

### Other Options

There arent really 'other options that doesn't contain acrylic based paints... one of them is called: **Urethane**, this bad boy is basically modified acrylic paint.

## Elastomeric paint

### Would be your final answer

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: The elastomeric paint I'm familiar with is designed for exterior masonry surfaces. It's extremely thick. If that's the stuff referred to, it would likely adhere to the primer, but would hide surface detail. From the question, it sounds more like the plastic is a little soft and "dentable", but not really flexible. Elastomeric paint might be overkill, but it might be possible to thin it to be more like normal paint. If it's sold as exterior masonry paint, it's probably in large (expensive) containers and maybe limited color choices, rather than small bottles of "model" paint.  

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