How to Cut Styrofoam Sheets

Styrofoam tends to crumble when it’s cut or broken. To cut a sheet of Styrofoam less messy, use a sharp floral or craft knife, electric knife or a Styrofoam cutter. Using a sharp blade keeps the cuts clean and smooth. Styrofoam cutters use heat to cut through the foam. To reduce errors, you can divide the area you are cutting into smaller sections.

Things You'll Need

• Floral or craft knife
• Pencil
• Candle
• Dish
• Styrofoam cutter
• Electric knife
• Table
• Styrofoam sheet
• Fine-grained sand paper

Instructions

Knife

1. Place the Styrofoam sheet on a table. Draw a line with a pencil to mark where you are cutting. Move the spot you are cutting off the table; let it extend beyond the table to prevent damage to the tabletop.

2. Place a candle inside a dish. Light it. Allow the wax to drip into the dish. Dip the blade of the knife into the wax. The wax makes cleaner cuts.

3. Place one hand securely on the sheet. Score the board along the line you drew with the knife. Cut into the line again, with the waxed knife, using sawing motions, to remove the piece. If you are using a Styrofoam cutter, plug it in or turn it on. Slowly move the blade down the scored line to remove the Styrofoam. You can also use an electric knife. Plug it in, turn it on and cut along the score mark.

4. Create a smooth, straight edge by trimming off any leftover pieces with the knife. Use fine-grained sand paper to create a smooth, straight edge.

Tips & Warnings

• You can dip a knife blade in candle wax to make a smoother cut.

• A hand-held Styrofoam cutter may be easier to use to cut a sheet than a tabletop model. Tabletop models require the user to move the Styrofoam into the blade, which is difficult to do with a large sheet.

• The heated blade on the Styrofoam cutter is hot. Do not touch.

References

• Jaws Users; How to Cut Styrofoam
• Crafters hot knife, styrofiam cutter
• Michaels: Top Ten Tops for Crafting with Styrofoam