I just finished my benchwork with a 1/4" plywood top. I am thinking about using 1" foamboard on top of that for future senery effects like rivers, lakes, or other below grade features. I would be using the blue foam board from lowes.
I have never used foam board on a layout so here are my questions:
What glue should I use to glue the cork roadbed down. (gorilla glue?)
next, do I nail the flex track down or glue it?
I assume I should tack glue the foam board to the 1/4" bench top. Right?
What type of paint can I use on the foam?
Are there any “surprise” disadvantages to using the foam?
Well the first thing is that it leaves really rough edges when cut with normal knives and saws. Use a hot wire or hot bladed knife to cut what you want to have a clean finish.
Carpenters wood glue or normal white glue works just fine for the roadbed to the foam. Use liquid nails or gorilla glue for the foam ot the benchwork
you wil lhave to at least glue the track down. I did both but if you only nail it the track will be free to move as the foam is not strong enough to retain the nail if you bump the track too hard.
for ??? 3 see my answer to ???2
Any type of latex interior or exterior pain will work just fine without attacking the foam. Petrolium based paints may attack the foam so it you are going to use them teas a scrap first.
The foam is really nice and easy to use and i am going to use that for any other projects I have. I started building my layout using the Woodland Scenics foam products but found that they dont leave a very durable surface, the last part of my layout that I did was the foam over boars method and that worked out alot better.
Thanks for the reply! If I have to glue the track down, what glue should I use? Do I spread the glue on the cork with a brush and also nail it to hold it in place as the glue dries? Or, do I just spot glue it every “x” inches?
I use regular white glue to hold the roadbed to the foam and track to the roadbed. Use the glue under all the track except the moving parts of the turnouts. Push pins or nails can be used to hold the track until the glue dries.
I used 100% latex calk to “glue” foam in place, and WS Foam Tack Glue for the bed, and the same glue only very sparingly, with nails for the track.
I used mostly construction foam and was not sure about the toxicity of the fumes so I avoided the hot knife and used several new 2” blades during the cutting process. As stated by SMassey, the foam is not very durable. What I ended up doing was giving the entire layout a single layer of plaster cloth, followed with a thin (and very painful) coat of lightweight hydro-cal.
The WS foam sheets appear to be the expanded white “beadboard” type. It is not very durable, hence WS’s recommendation of plaster cloth over the top.
If you use extruded styrofoam (comes in pink or blue), you will not need the plastercloth, as it is much stronger and more resistent to dents.
Guys at the local modular club recommend the Gorilla Glue (polyurethane) for all applications involving joining foam to foam, or foam to something else (cork, plywood, etc). However, it does need moisture to cure properly, so you should wet one side lightly before joining - especially foam to foam, which has no natural moisture content.
However, if there’s going to be a significant time between when you lay your track and get the scenery going, that blue or pink color gets real old. My solution (as you can see above) was to paint the foam green and tan. It isn’t great, but it’s a lot better than blue. [:D]
Gorilla Glue will work, as will any foam-safe adhesive. If you’re building a large layout, you might want to look into more cost-effective adhesives like white glue, wood glue, or latex caulk (my favorite).
Foam won’t accept nails or screws at all, so you’ll have to use an adhesive. See above.
Since you’re using 1" foam, I’d recommend 1/4" or 1/2" ply underneath. If you were using 2" foam, you wouldn’t need any ply at all.
Household interior latex flat paint works best, but any water based paint will work.
Besides not being able to nail down track, not really. Foam is a great way to build a layout these days, and is easy to shape.
Latex caulk, cheapest kind, clear, for everything including track to road bed. Gorilla glue is way too expensive and expands when it drys and causes a mess until you learn to use it. Caulk also glues the foam sheets together, though hot melt is faster. I am carving rock face directly in the foam and paint it with acrylics. I think it looks good. Sometimes I paint a coat of premixed, lightweight drywall compound on the foam. It makes a nice, inexpensive base for grass. It holds paint nicely as long as you don’t scrub too much with the brush.
Disadvantage, it makes a great mess when you carve it, but it cleans up nice with a shop vac, easier than plaster.
The biggest surprise I had was that the new kitten likes to chew on the edges of the foam.
I use green contact cement (friendly to foam) on much of mine. I try to cover mine with paint or scenery as much as possible (toxic fume hazard in case of fire). I used the WS scenic stuff to make a base. They also have a foam in a container that can be used to correct mistakes or kitty tooth marks.
Hot wire doesn’t cut through latex paint.
Im new here and havent done a model railroad with foam but as a kid my dad built me a model RACETRACK out of foam, the model was of a local short track near buy I was eight years old when he built it and Im 21 now and its still around! Foam is really durable in a way, but if you have pets or Children I would Keep an eye on it, because some of the retaining walls were knocked down on my race track by cousins and stuff! other than that I would say Foam is a good choice! O’ and you dont really need a hot wire brush! sand paper works fine! the ground isnt smooth any how!
Hello, I am using a combination of the WS foam, and the pink extruded. I put a layer of plaster cloth over that. I buy my cloth at a medical supply store, it is cheaper, and the weave is closer together which makes a big difference when painting. Liquid nails, wood glue, white glue, all work great for holding thngs together. Good luck
