I'm ready to start a new train board after xxx years away from choo choos. I want to use 2 inch extruded foam over my plywood. Does anyone know where I can buy this in South Florida (Broward or Miami-Dade County)? I would rather not order it mail-order or drive for 3 hours to a shop. Thanks.
The best I can do in Tucson at Home Depot is 1". Not a problem, just glue two sheets together. :thumbs_up:
I got my 1 1/2" pink foam from Construction Materials here in Jacksonville, FL. I am sure that some one in south Florida can get you what you want. It will not be at Home Depot/ Lowes. I think that the Owens-Corning pink is eaiser to work with and stiffer and makes for a stronger platform. My last addition is 16 feet by 16 inches on a 1X3 frame and is strong as an ox. I am going to redo the rest of the layout in the same way. Older portion is on blue foam which is softer. I like the pink better. Bob.
For our other readers in a place where the exact foam is NOT available. THERE IS NO SUBSTITUTE! Some of the foams are HIGHLY toxic when used with the foam cutters. If the foam you want is not at the store, then you can't use foam!
*sigh* Why oh why does Woodland Scenic stick with the bead crap!? They need to release their 1x2 foot foam sheets as extruded. Although if the price stays current with their bead option foam .. I'd pay less to ship a few 4x8 sheets of the extruded from across the country!
As stated in an above post. Lowes and Home Depot should have the extruded insulfoam. A tip: When glueing the foam to plywood orr in layers of foam use "LATEX" Liquid Nails for glue. Elmers requires air to dry and will be wet for ever. DO NOT use a solvent based glue. Apply the Liquid Nails with a slotted trowel used for floor tile glue.
I generally use Liquid Nails panel adhesive. It specifically states that it can be used for foam, plus it sets up pretty quickly.
i hate to admit it, but i used the white "bead" foam. have not had any problems. i do not use a heated foam cutter however. i just use my good ol' #11.
I have secured the foam layers in several areas of my layout with drywall screws, skipping the glue. The screws get concealed with latex paint, sand/soil materials, ballast, and/or ground foam. When I've altered scenes and landforms in those areas, I haven't had to destroy and replace as much of the scenery. Bottom line: gluing is probably overkill most of the time. Let the foam rigidity and the screws do the work now, and they'll let you modify more easily later. I've used a foam cutter, but I usually fall back to using a curved linoleum blade in a utility knife. I also have a woodworker's shark-tooth saw (Japanese saw) with a flexible blade that comes in handy. Most important, I keep a small shop vac in the train room for cleaning up foam saw cuttings as they appear.
If one live South Western US most Lowes and Home Depots don't carry 2" extruded foam, pink or blue. They will be happy to order you a whole truck load however. I did find some at White Cap Industries in El Cajon, CA. Here is a partial few of the foam in action: Cheers, Jim CCRR
