The homasote it cut to size and laying on the layout, but this stuff is not flat!! (It looked flat when it came out on a fork lift and looked flat in the back of the truck - I even had them send the first lot back because it was noticeably goofed up!)
Is it possible for homasote to warp? Can it be flattened out, or did I just get some bad product?
There are also some spots that are thicker than others. How do people work with this to make sure it is all the same height?
Chris
Chris,
All building products, Ie. homasote, paneling, plywood, T&G, etc. should be allowed to acclimate to it’s enviroment before use. In otherwords, store the product on it’s side in the building, or room, it will be used in for a few days. A week is better. Gives the material time to adjust, (shrink, swell), to it’s new enviroment.
Haven said that, Improperly stored products may never lay right with out a little persuasion.
Rod L.
I agree with you Traindaddy. If you have the slightest doubt about making a change, use screws. I used sheet rock screws and its secure and no mess.
I have 4 Home Depots in my area, and only 1 of the 4 had Homasote. Naturally it was the 4th store I checked, and not the 1st. I didn’t have a problem with the sheets being warped or wavy. I let them sit flat in the basement overnight, and they were still good the next day so installation proceeded. I used Liquid Nails with a few screws to hold down the edges and joints. Good luck with your install.
SK
The product is intended to be used for sound deadening and has no structural integrity. It can also absorb a lot of moisture. If you want to glue it down, use heavy weights unitl the glue sets. If you use screws, flip it around to use the smallest number that will attach it with minimum warpage.
Birds: I have found homasote in my area only a few times at home depot. I had to go to a full line lumber company to locate more, but it was too expensive for my budget. However, while I was there, I saw another sound deadening board product that is lighter than homasote, and it is the same thickness. It has a rather course texture, almost like horse hair. It was half the price and worked well for me. I bought 2 or 3 (4 X 8) sheets. If I recall, they called it sound board or something like that. Because it was not as dense as homasote, it was easier to cut for my sub roadbed. Again, the screws worked well for me.
I don’t like the smell homosote has. anything else to use? I need something, too noisy.
First a homasote update. I have continued to let the homasote sheets “acclimate” and have flipped them. They seem to have flattened out a bit, but still need to be a bit flatter, so I’ll give it a bit more time.
I tried a comparison tonight of a 2’ x 4’ piece of acoustical ceiling tile that is 1/2" thick versus 1/2" thick homasote.
In terms of noise deadening the ceiling tile is wonderful when track was laid on the white “stippled” side (but it was louder when the track was laid on the back side). I think it beats the homasote in absorbing sound. That makes sense because according to the specifications, acoustical ceiling tiles have a “Noise Reduction Coefficient” of .50-.60 Homasote has a NRC of .20 It’s a difference that was noticeable to me.
The homasote seems to win in the “tightly holding screws for securing the track” category. Homasote is more dense and this equates to gripping screws better than acoustical tile.
The ceiling tile gripped #6 screws, but one needs to use screws longer than 1/2" inch or they work themselves loose if you wiggle the track.
Acoutical ceiling tile is more brittle than homasote, and it contains items such as clay, slag wool, starch, cellulose, perlite, and crystalline silica. This may be the reason it doesn’t grip screws as well as homasote. Homasote is just pressed paper so it is more dense.
In terms of cost, acoustical ceiling tile wins. Eight 2’ x 4’ pieces costs around $28-$30 for a product that can withstand 90% relative humidty without sagging when hanging in ceiling frames. So if used on a flat table surface, I imagine it would be pretty good in terms of dimensional stability if you have to deal with humidity.
Chris
I wonder if you could elaborate on this smell you mention ? Can you possibly describe it ? My Dad had my trains on homosote back in the 50s when I was a kid. I have used it for trains & building model airplanes on & off for the past 30 some years & I’ve never ever noticed it haveing any sort of smell, other than when I got a new sheet it might smell new. Just never heard that one before.
Thanks, John
Does it smell Homosotey?
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I have not used it for my trains, I am on plywood now (noisy). when I was going to buy the homosote a friend of mine who works with the stuff told me about the smell. I went to where he stored it in his basement and I smelled it. at another friends house he had a sheet under a card table and I smelled it again. it seems to be a mild chemical smell, sort of sour. maybe it is just my nose, but I have to get something. when I run my trains on the plywood my neighbors can hear them. I was thinking about 1/2" styrofoam sheets used as building insulation.
I see, but remember, they have used it for years in schools for bulletin boards & years ago the huge amount of HO guys always used homosote & people are still using it for layouts & soundproof rooms today. If there’s a smell, it’s just from when it was bran new maybe. I wouldn’t want a ton of people to think this stuff smells. I asked others if they ever smelled it that use it & they said no.
Foam is very popular now days for a layout, & may be even more used now than homosote.
Thanks, John