I want to put in a view block about 8’ in length and 18" or so in height. I only have room for 1/2" in thickness and it must be straight with no warping/bending. I am looking for suggestions of what material to use. It will mostly have buildings (cut shallow to save space) backing up to it with a couple of places a foot or so long that may have low land forms abutting it.
Sounds like what you are describing could be Gator Board or Gator Foam.
http://www.uline.com/BL_872/Gator-Board
This product is not to be confused with foam core. Foam core has a paper veneer. Gator board has a wood-fiber veneer.
Good ol’ pink foam works well for this. Prime it and paint and it won’t even be pink anymore.
You could use plywood, drywall (sheet rock) Masonite(hardboard) on a frame, Coroplast ( http://www.coroplast.com ) on a very light frame, even with no frame Coroplast should stay stiff enough to be free standing. Aluminum, plastic or fiberglass sheeting (would have to be glue to something else) or pink or blue foam. However it gets dings in it easily.
My choice would be Masonite as it is dirt cheap and paints up really nice. I used it for my backdrop and have seen it used for view blocks.
1/2" pink or blue extruded foam. Or the Gatorfoam (though that can get expensive) would be by far the easiest. Most anything else would end up being thicker than 1/2", the material might be thinner but you’d need a supporting structure.
–Randy
I used a piece of 1/4" plywood. Mine is removable, so I cut a slot for it in a 2"x4". I have seen them supported with small, 2" to 3" brackets. A short bolt would hold it in place and they are small enough to hide easily. Takes paint well and doesn’t cost much. Unlike most Masonite, it is smooth on both sides. A 4’x8’ sheet would give you only one seam to hide. I only needed a 4’ view block, so picked up a 2’x4’ piece at a big box store.
Good luck,
Richard
I used drywall. Easy to work with, totally paintable, stays straight and doesn’t warp. I used a 2"x4" screwed flat ways to the bench work, before I added the Styrofoam scenery base. Then I screwed the drywall to the 2"x4" blocking, painted it, added the scenery. I had the piece of drywall left over from the backdrop, which is drywall, finished and painted, fastened to 2"x2" furring strips (and insulation) to the poured concrete basement wall. I’ve used Masonite before, and it warped. I think the 1/2" drywall would be a lot stronger than 1/2" rigid foam board. I’ve also tried the poster board type material (the thin foam board with heavy glossy cardboard on each side) and it warped worse than Masonite.
Just my experience.
Mike.
I would say plywood, or foam board, if you have one of those materials sitting around after bench work then it makes you budget for rolling stock get a bit bigger.
Hi,
OK, I’m “old school”, and plywood is the way to go. You can work with it and finish it anyway you want, and most important, secure it solidly to “whatever”. It will definitely stand the test of time and enthusiastic handling.
Trust me…
Obviously plywood would be more durable than styrofoam board but I am concerned about possible warping of a piece 8" long by 18" tall, secured only at the bottom 3-4". Am I being unnecessarily paranoid?
Probably. Especially if you get a quality piece, hardwood with at least 11 plys. 18" high with the bottom 3-4" secured, it won;t sag or warp, unless it gets soaked. And if something up top of the layout gets soaked, you probably have bigger worries than the view block warping.
–Randy
With the 1/4" plywood (big box, cheap), I primed it then painted sky blue and blended in white from the bottom up. Has not given me any problems over the five years. It is 20" high, 4’ long held by just the bottom 2".
Good luck,
Richard
Hi again,
May I add…
Chances of a piece the size and method of securing being subject to warping are small. BUT, I would do my best to get fully dried wood to use. A 1/4 inch piece would work, but I would be inclined to use 1/2 inch. Ha, note that “1/4 & 1/2” inch measurements are no longer used, but what is out there is comparable.
There are a number of ways to attach it to the base, and I would use both screws and glue to do so.
Laminate 1/4" plywood to 1/4" masonite – Or, is it 3/8" plywood + 1/8" masonite"?
Two-ply-laminate adds strength – Preventing warping; the masonite is easy to paint or glue to with a backdrop, and; you eliminate any woodgrain/texture bleeding through the finished viewblock.
The biggest variable for stability will be how you anchor the back and/or base which will further strengthen the viewblock. You can screw the plywood to the bracing, and then glue (using clamps) the masonite to the in-place plywood.