# Styrene vs. Acrylic vs. ABS?



## jimtyp (Jan 2, 2008)

If you had a choice to use styrene, ABS or acrylic, which would you use to build some outdoor buildings?
- Will one hold up outdoors better than the others? 
- Does one hold a bond better than the others? 
- Will one paint better than the others?


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## rhyman (Apr 19, 2009)

Plastruct has some good information on their web site. In particular, they have a page that describes the various plastics and another that recommends various adhesives.

http://plastruct.com/Pages/Properties.html


http://plastruct.com/Pages/CementGuide.html


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## Ray Dunakin (Jan 6, 2008)

From the information posted by Plastruct, I would prefer to use ABS since they specifically say it can be used outdoors. However, it's not available in the range of finescale shapes that make styrene so easy and convenient to work with. I.e., strips, angles, rods, etc.


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## Russell Miller (Jan 3, 2008)

Use Clear Acrylic as your first choice. Using clear allows you to forgo cutting holes for windows as the "glass" is already in place. Acrylic also glues up wonderfully using Acrylic Solvent Cement. In general, the larger the finished building the thicker the acrylic you should use; I usually recommend 1/4" thick as the minimum for a decent sized building. Heat build-up can warp plastic so interior "T" battens should be used to stiffen large flat surfaces and roof or gable vents are sometimes needed to allow the heat to escape. Acrylic is the most UV-Stable of the 3 plastics mentioned.
ABS is cheaper than acrylic and glues up very strong using ABS cement. You have to cut holes in it for any windows that are needed. I also recommend gluing 1.5" strips at 90º on the inside of large flat surfaces to stiffen them to fight any warping caused by heat. This is true for all plastics. The good side is that moisture damage and rot are no longer things you have to worry about.
Styrene is easily damaged by UV from the sun so has to be well painted to protect it from deteriorating. Styrene is often used to add detail to building made from acrylic as the two bond together well. I would not attempt building large building from just styrene.
Russ Miller


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