Starting the design process and getting my ducks in a row. I used Homasote roadbed on my past layout, with great success and I’d like to use it again. The stuff I used was already beveled and cut to 36" lengths, just like I’ve found most cork roadbed to be. Problem is, the only guy I knew that sold it, now is no longer in the MRR business and I have no idea where to find the stuff. I’d like to find the ready to use roadbed instead of trying to cut/shape the stuff myself.
Also, where can I get masonite from? I want some to do my layout facia and my control panels, but the last time I asked at Home Depot, they looked at me like I was asking them directions to Venus. I’ve got tons of large chain building supply stores around here (Home Depot, Lowes, 84 Lumber, Plymart, etc) anybody know if they carry it and what department I might find it in? I would assume the building materials, but I have no idea what Masonite is used for other than layout facia, lol.
i have a home depot nearby but i usually go to a local lumber yard to buy what i need. i can’t stand home depot except for things i can’t find elsewhere sort of last resort. masonite is sometimes called hardboard. homasote should be available there also but i don’t think that the home depot people are too interested in helping you find it. both come in 4x8 sheets. i think homasote is very messy to cut and bevel. i’ve never used it and i have switched from plywood to rigid foam.
Our local Home Depot stores stock Masonite (which is a brand name, by the way). The Homasote you’re describing sounds like Homabed. The product line was sold to a different manufacturer in the past year or so. See their ad on page 118 of the February, 2005 Model Railroader or go to
Ah…the times they are changing out in the construction world.
Depending on your area, Homasote is not carried at every Lowes or Home Depot anymore. It was used for sound deadening under carpetting and is not as popular as foam padding and other materials. However it’s a great product and a good lumber yard should still carry it. Try ‘www.homasote.com’ they had a listing of distributors.
In the construction industry, ‘Masonite’ is generically known as ‘hardboard.’ However the product was always suspeptable to degredation due to moisture and so Masonite (and Weyerhauser) wound up on the losing end of a couple of class action suits when folks started having problems with their exterior siding. In fact, you can’t even find hardboard on Masonite’s web site.
These days MDF and OSB as well as composites are replacing hardboard in construction. However, for doing fascias on a layout or exhibit, hardboard is great! Try doing a search on ‘Hardboard’ and you should be able to find sources. Again a good local lumber yard should stock it or be able to get you some sheets. (Heck, I use a sheet as a carpet protector in my office [spray it with a couple of coats of urethane] and it’s lasted for nearly 10 years - much longer then the plastic ones - Hey I’m [#offtopic].)
1/4 inch thick plywood (pine or poplar) is a good substitute for hardboard and in some cases, can be given a natural finish.
Instead of Homasote, you might want to consider sound board, which Home Depot carries here in Arizona… Also known as Upson board, sound board is a pressed fiber product that is easier to work with than Homasote. It comes in 4 x 8 foot, 1/2 inch thick sheets, and can be cut with a saw or utility knife. Home Depot here doesn’t sell Masonite, so I go to an independent lumber yard for that if I ever need any.
Here in my small part of San Diego they have never heard of Homasote and they don’t carry Masonite. The looks on their faces when you ask for Homasote is priceless. Will be trying an ace hardware up in the hills, I hear they are a train LHS as well.
It may b e a locale problem, the HD here in central Mass carries BOTH Homasote and Masonite.
Cacole, I have never heard of Upson (sound) board, but it sounds ( no pun intended) good, I will check my local HD or Lowes the next time I drop over. I think I will check their web site also.
While in Home Depot or Lowes, ask them for a 4x8 sheet of Peg Board. They know where that is. Once they find that, look directly below the bin the peg board is located in, and you will find the hardboard/masonite you are looking for.
This way, you also educate the HD employee on what they stock in their store. For homasote, look in the insulation section of the store. One of my HD stocks it and the other does not. So its kind of hit or miss. Then again, you didn’t ask for sheets of homasote, but roadbed. Sorry.
Mark, you mentioned 1/4 plywood for the facia instead of Masonite hardboard, how difficult is it to shape around corners? I saw a snippet on DIY the other day about bending it to shape a small enclosed table, but I’m scared to death of cracking it beyond usable status. I’ve never used Masonite at all, just know that nearly everybody I used to read about used it for the facia of their layouts. As far as the homasote goes, I definitely don’t need a full 4x8 sheet of it, and don’t have the equipment to cut/shape/bevel it into roadbed, I’m looking for the roadbed itself, so I’ll try looking on the net for the Homabed. Thanks for the replyies guys!
Homasote is nearly impossible to find in my area. I considered using it because I have heard of so many people who do, but I found that there are only 3 places in the entire state of MO that still carry it. It is out of date as a construction material and seems to be going out of date as a model railroad material. I decided to stick to foam and cork roadbed.
As for masonite hardboard, you should be able to buy it in 1/8" and 1/4" (perhaps other thicknesses as well) at any building materials supplier.
You can moisten 1/4 inch plywood and bend it down to perhaps a 16 or 18 inch radius…been doing it/detailing it in construction since the late '70’s on curved walls when dry wall won’t bend (Finishing it to make it paint like drywall is for another topic.). It bends about the same as hardboard…I’ve seen carpenters use both in commercial interior construction. Thicker material requires scoring or ‘kerfing’ which is why hardboard gets used on model railroad benchwork.
Making curved walls, curved sofftits or curved fascia’s all use a similar technique; it has to be attached securely to the wood frame.
Now with the light wood framing used on many layouts, bending hardboard or 1/4 ply will require some decent clamping and scew attachment since finishing nails tends to pull out. It depends on your framework design. Alot of this stuff is simply good carpentry/casework techniques.
I noticed pages 82, 83 and 95 in Jeff Wilson’s ‘Basic Model Railroad Benchwork’ shows curved fascias in several situations. Your LHS should have a copy…check it out.