I’m building a new shelf layout and almost certainly need foam board or something to lay on top of the plywood because of the various heights of the tables and shelves that line my apartment so everything can be relatively level.
The only problem is that in the San Francisco Bay Area, finding extruded insulation foam board is next to impossible and if you do find it in a craft shop, you only find one or two pieces.
So if that is out, what else can I use as a material?
You might try calling an insulation installer. Also, I think Home Depot might be able to order it. At least these are solutions I’ve heard in the past. HD here (Tucson) does not carry it, Lowe’s does have one size, 2’ x 8’ ’ 1" if I remember correctly.
Don’t Woodland Scenic sell it? They might be a bit pricey but that is a way to get it unless you need lots of it.
Magnus
This product would be used in the higher elevations, say at Tahao etc. I would call around to Home Depots and builder’s suppliers in that area. A trip may be in order if you do get lucky.
You can’t just confine yourself to Lowe’s and Home Depot.
I got my 2" extruded foam at a specialty builder’s supply store since here in North Carolina Lowe’s and Home Depot only carry 1/2" and 3/4."
The Woodland Scenics product is more like beadboard, although of a slightly different makeup than the stuff commonly found as packing material in TVs and appliances. The difference is noted when you cut it with a saw – beadboard creates its own special kind of mess that is for sure. I seem to recall the W_S material is safer when cut with a hot knife or foam cutter but that may be just what they say. But nonetheless the W-S product is likely to be found at a good LHS and may be just what you need.
I have NOT tried this or done this but I wonder if a series of contructed molds, perhaps of heavy cardboard, covered with waxed paper to prevent sticking, could be used with expanding foam from a spray can, to create the relatively level situation you are looking for.
Dave Nelson
I am in SW Okla and like you we only have 1/2 and 3/4. I am in the planning stages of my 2nd HO layout and I am thinking I am going to use cardboard boxes broke down and glued together flat, for the mountans and hills. I think would nearly as good as the foam although it will take more to carve into rivers and gullys. Just my 2 cents worth. Mike
An acquaintance of mine says you can get extruded foam here:
Pacific Supply
1735 24th St.
Oakland
510-832-5724
I haven’t tried them myself, but it wouldn’t hurt to give them a call.
Andre
I was a contractor in CA for around 20 years. You can get anything need if you look outside homeowner reatil stores. I would call the Builder’s Supply company that Andre mentioned. If that fails, do as Dave, V. suggests and go to the contractor’s outlets. They’ll have what you need or be able to get it.
If its that hard to find ,forget the foam and go to plywood. Its probably cleaner to work with and stronger than foam in the long run. I feel that foam has its place but is not the cureall for layout construction.
Move.
LOL!!! [#wstupid] Need a cup of jo, lothar…??? San Fran isn’ THAT bad… in fact it is one of my favorite cities on the West Coast!
LOL!!!
Brian
(Sucking down my own coffee so I am not cranky!)
I’d like to echo this by asking you to take a step back and help us understand what it is you are really trying to accomplish with the foam. As reklein pointed out, foam is just one method of creating scenery, but by no means is it the only way of creating scenery. If it’s that hard to find, I’d say go with a traditional plaster/hydrocal/glue shell type scenery.
You mentioned that you needed the foam because of the different levels of the “tables” in your space… what exactly is it you want the foam to do? Is there anything else more readily available that can do the same thing? When you say “table,” are you referring to different sections of your benchwork at different levels, or are you referring to actual tables, which are obstacles to your layout design?
If you could give us a little more detail on your space and situation (photos/sketches would be helpful, if you could swing it), we might be able to offer suggestions for non-foam solutions.
I use 3/4" and 1/2" bead board on top of my plywood.
A number of layouts I’ve been involved with here in the bay area are built with foam, so it’s possible to buy it with a little effort. Pacific Supply in the East Bay is one source, already noted earlier in the thread. They also have a branch in South San Francisco
Pacific Supply
1675 Mission Rd
S San Francisco, CA 94080
(415) 285-1010
They don’t stock the foam in S. SF, but will order any amount of the Dow (blue) foam with no minimum.
I’ve posted this dealer-finder info before, but it might be worth doing so again.
When using either of these dealer finder methods, be aware that many dealers they list do not actually stock the material, so you must phone first! In particular, they will list many Home Depot stores which do not have the stuff in stock. Phone first, then drive.
Dow (maker of the blue foam) has a phone number for locating large dealers:
(866) 583-2583
In my experience, they often will not have a large dealer to whom they sell directly in warm-weather areas, so they refer you to nationwide distributors, who in turn will refer you to a dealer. Call the dealer names they give you first, before driving.
By the way, Dow has a dizzying variety of blue foam products. The standard stuff that most people use for model railroading applications is called “Styrofoam Square Edge”.
http://www.dow.com/styrofoam/na/res-us/products/square_edge.htm
Owens-Corning makes the pink foam, which they call Foamular. Their dealer finder is online:
http://www.owenscorning.com/around/locator/StoreInfo.asp
Did I mention to call first, then drive? Again, the dealer-finders will list many big-box home supply stores, but in warm-weather areas, most of these do not
Certainly there are places to find foam, however, I will echo what several others have said and suggest you consider other alternatives.
Perhaps the best overall roadbed of all time is homasote over plywood. IF you cannot find homasote, you may be able to find Soundbord, which, at my North Denver area Lowes AND HD is 1/2" thick, coming in 4*8 sheets at just under $10 bucks. Holds track nails wonderfully, cuts as easily as foam with some fuzz dust which I find easy to vacuum up.
I’ll offer a reason and rationale why San Fran may make foam hard to find, it comes from oil, not a renewable resource like plywood, homasote or soundboard.
On my layout I have found foam to be useful only for mountain profile boards and for flat areas being scenic’d, like foundatins of buildings etc.
My 2 cents worth nothing more.
Joe
That’s got nothing to do with it, Foamboard’s just not used as much in construction in our warm climate.
ha ha,[(-D] good one,
construction site, new homes? Stucco guys sometimes wrap the house with foam before they scratch and brown coat. There’s always scraps and extras in the trash pile. Call a STUCCO company and see if they have some. it might only be 1 inch thick but you can white glue or hot glue it together.
glenn
cuyama,
You might want to try aircraft supply dealers, it is used in a lot of composite aircraft applications, and especially in radio control model aircraft projects.I also build and fly RC airplanes, and have many friends scattered al over California who use it regularly, both pink and blue foam, actually the same stuff.
They cut wings for large scale model airplanes and sailplanes(gliders) from foam.
Check with any of your local hobby shops to see if they know of any suppliers.
Good luck!
Ed
Joe,
Doesn’t homasote have a natural inclination/propensity to soak up moisture? What happens when you want to lay/set ballast? Are there precautions that need to be taken so that the homasote doesn’t absorb too much of the water/glue mixture while scenicking?
Tom