Can anyone tell me where I can purchase 2" X 4’X8’ extruded polystyrene foam? My local Lowe’s and Home Depot do not carry it. Home Depot does carry 1" sheets and I am wondering if it would be better to go with the 1" sheets and layer them where needed.
pabk,
Yep. Layering them will work just fine for you. For adhesives: Make sure you use one that is “foam friendly”.
I used a $2 tube of DAP Latex caulk for adhering my cork roadbed to the foam top of my layout. Worked great! [^][tup] Set in 45 minutes and was dry in 24 hours. Some of the other adhesives have some nasty chemicals and aromas and cost a lot more. White or yellow glue works but can take quite a while to dry completely. (I’ve heard some say up to 2 weeks.)
Hope that helps…
Tom
I layered 1" foam and used adhesive caulk. This makes it easier to carve below (or above) grade scenery detail later. I then painted with cheap latex to get rid of the awful pink look! The layout is now operating and partially sceniked without any problems with the laminations.
I’ve found not all Home Depot’s are stocked remotely the same…the ones locally range from none to a good selection of thicknesses. It pays to call around. Also, at least one Menards I checked had a nice selection of thicknesses.
Please jump in and correct if I’m wrong…But, are we talking about two different products here?
In my mind…Extruded foam is polyurethane foam board and polystyrene is an expanded bead board and if this is true, they are two majorly different products with much different properties.
I use the extruded product on my pike and can shed light on gluing this stuff together. I have many a layer glued together; this is what I have discovered.
A white or yellow glue works, but I have also had it fail. Solvent based adheasives (construction types) will “eat” away at the foam and do NOT work! The best thing I have found is PL300 which is formulated for gluing foam together (foam to foam or foam to wood…perhaps other components too) and does a wonderful job!
OK. “foamular” (the pink board) says “Extruded Polystyrene” on the label. It is not bead board.
Just google extruded polystyrene and you’ll get lots of hits. Searching images is better.
Here’s a page at dow.
My local 84 Lumber carries it in 2’ x 8’ panels. You might try there if you have one. You could also check with your local foundation contractor. That’s where it goes when it’s not being used for mountains! If there’s a construction site where houses are being built on slab foundations, a bit of dumpster diving might net you what you need.
Lee
The local Lowe’s stopped carrying extruded foam in larger than 1/2" over 2 years ago. The really don’t cater to contractors, and DIY people tend toward the 1" beadboard for building because its cheaper, so that’s what they carry now. Of course that is worthless for modeling purposes. We have a Sutherlands here, however, that carries extruded foam in 1/2", 1", and 2" stock. Many lunber yards/building suppliers that cater to contractors (not Lowe’s, Home Depot, etc.) will have it, so check them out.
Ron