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dalayney
Shut the PEA UP! Yer gettin me all twitterpaited!
PeaNut 123,471
January 2004
Posts: 16,351
Layouts: 165
Loc: Husker by Heart in WI
 |  Posted: 2/5/2013 10:42:17 AM
Ok, kinda watching curb appeal on HGTV.
They are making these fancy arches around the window, out of styrofoam. They say it's builder's grade styrofoam... and after they mold it, paint it, and seal it... it's strong enough.
But wouldn't hail damage it????
Ya, it probably will look spectacular, but styrofoam???????? Can someone explain this to me? I just don't see how this would last long, at all. |
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MerryMom937
PeaFixture
PeaNut 472,567
June 2010
Posts: 3,076
Layouts: 0
 | Posted: 2/5/2013 10:48:34 AM
Well hail can dent aluminum siding and wood so I wouldn't think that builder grade styrofoam is any worse than using other materials. | |
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2cutebabies
PeaAddict
PeaNut 262,698
May 2006
Posts: 1,842
Layouts: 1
Loc: California
 | Posted: 2/5/2013 10:49:17 AM
Once the stucco/paint is on it should be fine. It is really dense Styrofoam and I see it used on houses all the time. |
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dalayney
Shut the PEA UP! Yer gettin me all twitterpaited!
PeaNut 123,471
January 2004
Posts: 16,351
Layouts: 165
Loc: Husker by Heart in WI
| Posted: 2/5/2013 10:51:46 AM
Ok. Huh... Interesting. Thanks for the replys. Had no idea it was used so often. |
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dalayney
Shut the PEA UP! Yer gettin me all twitterpaited!
PeaNut 123,471
January 2004
Posts: 16,351
Layouts: 165
Loc: Husker by Heart in WI
| Posted: 2/5/2013 10:56:10 AM
Ok... end of the show. The house actually looks worse. blech. (imo) |
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Georgiapea
Mom to the Wild Things.
PeaNut 96,783
July 2003
Posts: 26,414
Layouts: 0
Loc: Poss-a-Dillo Hill, Ozark, AL
| Posted: 2/5/2013 12:48:37 PM
Styrofoam in housing is being used more and more. Some of those rock fences you see around subdivisions are actually styro with a dense coating. I was amazed the see one being constructed. | |
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SharlaG
Kingpin of something undisclosed, but important
PeaNut 88,246
May 2003
Posts: 36,335
Layouts: 0
Loc: Under a pile of dogs
| Posted: 2/5/2013 1:25:28 PM
I have stryofoam sidewalks, and they're durable so far. I was skeptical as well. |
--If you see someone crying, ask if it's because of their haircut.
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busypea
boring + nerdy
PeaNut 52,817
October 2002
Posts: 25,146
Layouts: 145
Loc: Oregon
 | Posted: 2/5/2013 1:29:10 PM
Where was the house? I agree that the builder-grade styrofoam is pretty tough stuff and is used a lot more than you probably realize.
But also, in many areas, hail wouldn't really be a concern. We get hail here but it is never something that might do any damage. Now, when I lived in Minnesota, that's an entirely different ball game. | |
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BuckeyeSandy
Old Dogs are Best!
PeaNut 92,987
June 2003
Posts: 22,352
Layouts: 364
Loc: With my dogs
| Posted: 2/5/2013 1:39:34 PM
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Sandy
Every MOM is a working mom!
"Retired" after 22 years of an Air Force Career
REMEMBER this Veterans Day
To quote Wayne Gretzky, "You miss 100% of the shots you never take."
Aesculus | |
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perumbula
oooh, what you said!
PeaNut 27,933
January 2002
Posts: 10,105
Layouts: 97
Loc: bedlam
 | Posted: 2/5/2013 2:13:39 PM
I've seen that stuff used on This Old House. It's pretty cool. It's dense enough they can run it through a moulding machine and have it look as good as wood when it's painted. I would imagine it's going to be more durable than pine because it won't rot.
Hey, if it's good enough for Tommy and Norm, it's good enough for me.  |
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mlana
StuckOnPeas
PeaNut 226,155
October 2005
Posts: 2,679
Layouts: 1
 | Posted: 2/5/2013 2:18:20 PM
About 15 to 20 years ago here in GA, there was trend among builders to use styrofoam on houses as fake stucco. From what I remember about the process, they would frame out the house, cover the outside in the 4x8 plywood, and cover the plywood with a vapor barrier. The builder would then attach the styrofoam and spray cement or something resembling stucco over it. A couple hours of frying time, a bit of paint, and they were done. Saved thousands over the traditional stuccoing process.
Of course, like most shortcuts, it didn't hold up. Less than 10 years after they started using the process, houses started rotting. Water was becoming trapped between the styrofoam and the plywood and the vapor barrier wasn't doing its job. Ants were also getting into the styrofoam, eating tunnels and such right thru it, and swarming into people's homes. There were massive lawsuits and the fake stucco industry disappeared overnight. Many mortgage companies in GA still won't finance a stucco house that was built during that time period unless an inspector signs an affidavit regarding the nature of the stucco used.
IMO, if you can't afford the real deal, don't. Just. Don't.
Marcy |
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can_i_pea_2?
We are the Boys of Old Florida
PeaNut 190,429
February 2005
Posts: 10,610
Layouts: 5
Loc: Down Where the Old Gator Plays!
 | Posted: 2/5/2013 2:27:27 PM
A lot of the facades at Disney are made out of styrofoam. We don't get a lot of hail, but enough. It holds up pretty well. |
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