What do you use to fasten large pieces of 1/4" sheet cork to plywood?
As to your question I recommend using Latex Liquid Nails. Apply the Liquid Nails with a trowl used for floor tile cement. Then apply the cork from one end making sure it is completely in contact with the cement and plywood. Stack some heavy items over the area until the Liquid Nails is dry.
Using this method the cork won’t be able to be removed though. If you are planning to change anything I would use 3/8ths inch number 20 wire nails.
How large in width? I use thumb tacks and weighted objects like books, or a box of screws.
If you ever want to change (remove) the cork, you don’t really want to glue it down. If that’s the case, the best way I’ve found is to use a hand-operated (non-electric, pneumatic, etc) staple gun. The cheapie staple guns will leave the staple sticking out a little bit, but that’s a good thing. Then you simply tap the staples down with a tack hammer so that they are flush with the surface. Power staplers will tend to dimple the cork, which can lead to uneven track.
If changing the track configuration later doesn’t matter, then any sort of adhesive will work…just make sure to put weight on the cork to keep it flat while it’s drying/curing/setting.
The only time I ever did this I used a contact cement which I had around from another (non-railroad) project; it worked but in reading Arjay1969’s response he probably has a better idea than gluing.
What is the surface you are attaching to ? If plywood liquid nail will work fine. If foam the liquid nail may eat up the foam. If it is foam you can use latex caulk or silicaone caulk.Of course small nails always work.
Thanks all for the help. I tried some 30 carpet and flooring stores in the Tampa area before I found a Home Depot that had an open 50 foot roll that would cut a 7x4 foot piece for me for 65 cents a square foot. One store had 2x4 sheets but they were dried out.
Howdy Subman!
I’ve used latex caulk as an adhesive to put down sheets of thin cork to my plywood sub-roadbed.
This staging/freight yard has been down since October 2006 and have had no problems. When I have to remove a section I just use a putty knife to get between the cork and the plywood. Most times this thin cork is not salvageable after pulling up when using adhesives.(See images below)
Transition from traditional HO cork roadbed (yard lead track) to the thin cork…
Getting ready to set up the tracks on the the thin cork sheets…
You can view more similar images on my Photo Gallery III page.
Never tried the staple method, but I would think you would get a bubble up effect with using staples.
I just posted a couple of weeks ago about this asking for advice and painting it afterward, so it’s time to pay it forward… I used tons of push pins and a couple of 45lb. weight bench plates to weigh mine down over yellow carpenter’s glue. It worked great. I allowed approx. 24hrs. to dry it and used a portable heater occasionally just to keep the room temp up to between 75-80. (the glue manufacture only calls for above 50F.) I considered using latex caulk but as a boater I’ve had a “messy” history with caulking, apparently little talent for getting it smoothed out and not all over everything no matter how careful I am. An Acoustical aside: From what I’ve seen and heard on several layouts, I think it’s somewhat debatable whether or not the latex caulked cork over plywood is all that much quieter. It is until ballastglue, ballast stone, and sound transferring plaster scenery is added and then it’s still a bit subjective. I actually used a decibel l meter and there wasn’t much difference. Maybe just a tad, but that’ll vary with other materials used. So I decided to just go with glue. Most of the sound transference comes from the table top “drumming” acoustically in the air space below it anyway. There was an article in an old MR magazine where some testers found that putting the homasote UNDER the plywood rather than on top made for a MUCH quieter layout. If you’re going to latex caulk your track down then maybe it’s worth using the same for your sheet cork. If you’re white/yellow gluing the track then maybe use glue for the sheet cork as well only having to buy one material? I’ve been wondering how long latex cork over plywood has been in use in the hobby? Has it resisted drying up and lifting over many years? Thanks for the painting over the sheet cork advice in the other thread, again, guys. subman PM me if you’d like info. about that process. Just use TONS of push pins, more than you think you’d need just to be sure.