Hi! For years and years I have used the plywood/Homasote combination and I probably will continue to do so in the future.
I, now, have the opportunity to help build a separate layout which is in the planning stage. One of the topics we discussed was “Foam”.
None of us have either worked with or have ever thought of foam.
If we went to the local HomeDepot, just exactly should we ask for? (Please be specific as we are simple-minded “older” guys)
Many thanks.
Go to the back of the store in the section where they sell foam insulation board. The local Home Depot and other stores here in my part of the country sell only the white, 1" thick foam insulation in 4x8 foot sheets, and 3" thick strips that are about 6 inches wide and 6 to 8 feet in length.
What is going to be stocked in your local store depends on your locality and weather conditions.
Woof! In the Bronx, you’ll probably have the 2-inch pink stuff, just like we have up here in soon-to-be-again-Taxachusetts. It comes in 2x8 foot sheets. I built a frame out of 1x4’s and 1x3’s, with the 1x3 cross-members at 16-inch spacing, set down an inch inside the 1x4’s. This lets the foam sit inside the protection of the outer frame, and down an inch.
What you want is called “Extruded Foam Insulation.” I think Home Depot has Owens-Corning. As I recall, Dow makes the same stuff, but theirs is blue. No difference between blue and pink that anyone has reported.
I love this stuff, by the way. It’s really easy to work with, lightweight and cheaper than 3/4-inch plywood.
The blue/pink stuff is really nice… not so much for the white stuff (like what coolers are made out of). It doesn’t hold it’s shape too well - especially problematic when gluing track and stuff to it that SHOULD NOT move. HOWEVER it makes great “filler” material for mountains and the like, because it’s cheap, and the lack of holding-together-ness (OK, I made up the word, so sue me) isn’t that problematic. Just need to cover it with hardshell or a few pieces of the pink or blue stuff.
Cacole/Mister Beasley/Dan: Much appreciated.
There is also a green and yellow variety. Sometimes you can find large quantities of scrap at construction sites. For the layout base table, a new sheet of blue or pink is the way to go. For stacking to make scenery, you do not need full sheets and you can mix the colors. The real difference is weight and R factore, non of which make any difference in making scenery.
I tried it when I got back into the hobby several months ago, and it was almost as good as DCC in making this the hobby I always wished it would be.
Art: Thank you.