What does everyone think is the best adhesive for gluing cork roadbed to a foam tabletop? I glued the foam to the plywood with Liquid Nails for Foamboard and that seemed to do well for that purpose. But Liquid Nails is STRONG. Is Elmer’s White Glue sufficient to glue the cork to the foam, or should I stick to LN again?
I used hot glue (cool melt) for the foam and was very happy with it. If you have to move the foam for any reason the liquid nails will not let go.
For the cork and track I used clear silicone caulk. It works great! I had to adjust it a little after laying the track and it lifted right off with a putty knife. No damage to the roadbed or track. I was using Woodland Scenics foam roadbed and it doesn’t seem very sturdy but took no damage from the caulk.
On my last layout I used liquid nails I will never use it on track again! [8D]
Apparently white glue or carpenter’s glue, spread thin, is easier to take up with a shim later. Also, latex caulk, or PL300 from Ohio Sealants, also spread thin, is not so hard and will come up with some shim shoving between the glued surfaces.
BTW, latex caulk and PL300 are also good, spread quite thin, under your track to hold it to the roadbed. Thin, because you don’t want it to well up between and over the ties.
I Used PL300 Cauking from lepage. THE best for holding down the cork!
I’m with “selector” and “CanadaShield” on the use of PL300…I use it to glue the foam to the wood framing, foam to foam, cork to foam and track to cork. It’s NOT the cheapest way to go, but it really works well.
Lepage? Isn’t that the people that brought us (if you went to school in the 60s) that brownish/clear glue called mucilage? It had a funny rubber tip that had a slit in it and when you pressed it down on the surface you wanted to glue, it spread open and this ‘goo’ came out. Oops, sorry. When you get to be my age, it doesn’t take much to jar the rambling loose. Thin coat of white glue is all I use to hold my cork down. I buy it in the gallon size from Home Depot, Lowe’s etc. I use it straight for cork and some scenery applications and diluted for ballasting and most scenery applications.
I use acrylic matte medium for cork to foam and track to cork. Works great, leaves no visible residue. It has the benefit that you can pry up the cork or track if you change your mind. I just paint it on with a small brush.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.
george
I’ve become a big fan of latex adhesive caulk. One tube will go a long way (50+ feet), it grips immediately but gives you some working time, and helps deaden the noise transfer to the foam. It’s also easier to remove than Liquid Nails or wood glue if necessary.
Latex Caulk.
You know, I thought I’d give Liquid Nails another try, in a non-railroad situation. Surfaces were clean and compatible with the product, according to the directions. Directions also say it sets up in 24 hours. 3 days later - STILL not hard. After 2 weeks, it STILL was not completely set up but it was FINALLY strong enough to hold in place. I really hate that stuff. I originally tried to use the foamboard stuff to fasten my foam to the wood benchwork. It never held, I ended up popping off the foam panel and using yellow glue which hasn’t come loose even though I’ve banged my head up against the foam from underneath.
I use caulk for the roadbed, super easy, dries in an hour or so, workable for 15-20 minutes after you press the roadbed down, which gives you plenty of time to sight down it and make sure it’s following your desired path. I also glue the track to the roadbed with caulk. Same deal - super easy, it is tacky immediately so it holds the track in place but you can slide it around and walk around and sight down it for alignment and so forth, plenty of working time, and then in a short time it’s dry. And easy to flip aputty knife under the ties and lift off the track if you change your mind or got something wrong, which I have done several times. I just lifted off the track, put a new bead of caulk down, and relaid the track in the right position.
–Randy
Would someone be kind enough to clarify what brand of Latex Caulk they’re using? Is latex caulk with silicone acceptable? I went to Home Depot earlier and they had PL200 and PL400, but no 300. All of the latex caulk had silicone in it…is that okay to use? I can just hear the wife complaining about the silicone odor now…
Don Z.
I get my caulk at Home Depot, it has no silicone in it (at least, I don;t think so). And it’s like 99 cents a tube. It’s not a major brand like DAP or GE (all the GE has silicone, as far as I know). I think the name on the stuff I use is PolySeamSeal or something liek that. I get the white that dries clear - easy to see when you put it down because it’s white, and easy to tell when it’s dry because it goes clear.
I cut a TINY hole in the end of the nozzle - well above even the smallest mark molded into the plastic, and use a stuff wire to puncture the inner seal. It then comes out in a VERY thin line, which I spread out with a putty knife before placing the roadbed or track. If you draw lines to locate the track, and can’t see the lines through the spread layer of caulk - you have too much on. It shouldn’t ooze out around the edges of the roadbed, and it shouldn’t ooze up between the ties. One tube did all of the 8x12 section of my layout - roadbed, track, Tortoises, except for the track in the yard - that’s how far one tube can go if you apply it lightly.
–Randy
Randy,
Thanks for the additional information. I have 3 Home Depot stores within a 5 mile radius, so I’ll check each store. The location I went to today only had the GE and DAP brands.
Don Z.
I think it’s a regional thing - like how in MR they are always using PL300 Construction Adhesive for things. Can;t find that around here anywhere, just Liquid Nails brand products.
If all you can get is DAP, DAP Alex Painter’s Caulk is latex. NOT Alex Plus, Alex Plus contains silicon. I just used the no-name brand because it was cheaper. By a whole 25 cents per tube or something - given how much track and roadbed you can lay with one tube of caulk, 25 cents is not going to break the bank.
Some people claim they have used silicon caulk with no problems. For me, I can;t stand the smell, plus it seems to adhere more strongly to the track and roadbed, making it tougher to move or change things later on. And I worry about what else goes on top of the silicon - will ballast adhere using the usual glue/water method?
–Randy
Randy,
The Home Depot did have the DAP Alex caulk, but it was the Plus with Silicone, so I didn’t buy it. I knew that there might be a problem with trying to glue ballast down if the caulk contained silicone…though the Alex Plus label stated it was paintable…I’m with you - I just don’t want to put up with the smell waiting for it to cure.
Don Z.
Had the same problem, I cannot find the PL300, HD only carries 200 and 400. I am giving Elmer’s Glue a try. So far, it seems to be doing very well. Anyone else use white glue and have anything to share on it?
I use the Alex caulk. Basically whatever’s the cheapest latex caulk should do you fine, you don’t want any of the $$$ stuff with silicone, etc. in it.
I’ve tried white glue, yellow glue, liquid nails, and probably a few other things. Plain latex caulk by far the best.