Tape that sticks to styrofoam?

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 9:02 am

What kind of tape sticks reliably to styrofoam? I've tried 2 kinds of duct tape, it unsticks itself. The aluminum tape seems to be holding, but I wondered if there was anything cheaper? Aluminum tape is $$$$. Thanks!

TomK · Post by **TomK** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 9:24 am

The cheap white styro crumbles and dusts so it takes an awesome tape like the aluminum stuff to hold, and even it will let go eventually. Every time i need to utilize styrofoam i use the 200 or 300 series products. Far less porous and the tighter smoother surface holds a wider variety of tapes. It's the particulate that gets ya.

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 9:36 am

so what are you doing? the red tuck tape is prolly your best bet at keeping expenses down... its for insulating... and sticking out so the inspector can see it... lol good stuff though.

put silicone under the tape.

back when I worked at the pet store we would recieve Styrofoam boxes of fish, they were wrapped in regular brown box tape... lots of it. they would travel half way around the world like that.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 11:45 am

Tom, It's mid grade styrofoam, not super cheap but not the really pricey dense blue stuff. I'll try the red tuck tape then thanks Gawd so hopefully it will stay stuck.
I'm insulating my incubator, so thankfully no building inspectors are required

Silkie Sue · Post by **Silkie Sue** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 11:49 am

We have dog house made out of thick styrofoam left over from when the neighbor built his house. it is held together by the Red Tuck Tape and mind you the house is in a covered area but it has held up and together for about 3 years now

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 12:52 pm

Red tuck tape should be arriving this afternoon

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 8:48 pm

so there is a tip to making regular duct tape stick better. very useful if your out in the middle of nowhere and you have just destroyed your canoe on a massive rock...

after you stick it cure it with a bic lighter. take care not to melt it and then run your hand over it pressing down. make sure you let the lighter cool down every min for a min or you will blow it up...

never head down a long river without duck tape. lots of it. just ask my aunt! haha

sorry i didnt think of that earlier.

so hows it working out for you Robbie?

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 9:19 pm

A duct tape canoe! That's an idea, I've seen duct tape prom dresses but not one of those LOL. I will certainly pack duct tape and a lighter for our next canoe trip

Test strip of Construction Grade Tuck Tape has been applied to the styrofoam. I'm encouraged, when I peel it back it takes some of the styrofoam off with it. I'll report whether it stayed stuck tomorrow morning!

Post by **Home Grown Poultry** » Tue Apr 05, 2016 10:27 pm

Ya my aunt destroyed her canoe 1/4 of the way down the saugeen river on a 2 day trip. she had to cover the entire bottom with duct tape in order to keep going, i dont think she cured it with a lighter though. I fixed a few pairs of rubber boats with duct tape n a lighter. when you cure it its way stronger.

Robbie · Post by **Robbie** » Wed Apr 06, 2016 8:35 am

So it's unsticking itself slowly too........ darn. But it's held better than the other tapes and I'll just have to press it down now and then. I will have to figure out where |I left the silicone, and I wonder if I screwed the lid back on the nozzle.... probably.... hopefully.....
I wonder if there is some kind of finish on this styrofoam that doesn't allow tape to stick. Weird.