Sheet rock (drywall) for train board deck?

[Birds]

I know that typically people use 1/2 - 3/4 inch plywood for the deck of layouts, and that 2 inch foam is being used more and more. I am looking for yet another alternative given what is available at our local hardware stores, and the costs of materials.

Has anyone used 3/4" sheet rock (drywall) for the deck of a train bench?

I was thinking of using that on top of steel studs, then putting 1" accoustical tiles on top of the sheet rock.

Steel studs are very affordable, light weight, can be cut to length, and won't warp, bend, or twist like wood as it dries.

I was thinking that drywall would be strong, flat, and allow screws to be recessed when attached to the metal studs.

The accoustical ceiling tiles would absorb sound and allow track to be screwed down.

All of the products are readily available here and are very reasonably priced.

Any thoughts or experiences regarding building a train layout like this?

The only problem I could think of would be that the O scale figures might put their feet through the sheet rock...

Thanks,
Birds

[phillyreading]

Have you ever worked with drywall in your house?
Personally I think you are going overboard on frugallity!!
Drywall is not that forgiving and mistakes are not easily repaired.
Lee F.

[Birds]

It's not frugality, it's availablity of product and quality of what is available.

The items stocked at stores like Home Depot and Lowes varies considerably region to region, and even within the same city.

[jimhaleyscomet]

Be sure to support the sheet rock at least every 24" or it may sag. I once made a work table out of sheetrock and it worked well (except it was VERY heavy). I only supported it on the edges (i.e. supports every 4 feet) and it sagged in the middle.

I too have a very hard time getting foam. Have you considered hollow core doors ($25 for 36" x 80") with a layer of insulation? That is what I did. You might be able to pick up the hollow core doors second hand for less.

Let us know how it works!

Jim H

[Frank53]

sheetrock is just plain nasty. It's dirty, strikes me as not being sound absorbant, and cracks easily. I can see it bending over time.

Your house is only as strong as your foundation, and likewise your layout. If you're going to put a lot of time, effort and dough into your layout, why not use tried and true materials to be sure it is well supported?

[yallaen]

Summarizing the above replies:

It seems that most people use wood products as a skeleton for their base. Plywood is used for track support (now I'm talking HO kind-of) with cork base covered by track. O gauge, being larger and heavier..I'm still seeing the wooden base with plywood cut accordingly for elevated sections and such?

What I'm interested in is the mention of 2"foam. This is used as a replacement for the plywood? Or put on top of it for an insulator?

Speaking of insulation...what about cork? Is there an O gauge brand of cork bedding?

[cnw1995]

In my experience, the foam boards substitute for plywood - within a light wood frame, it has the advantage of being pretty light.

The home centers around here offer 1/2 inch to 3 inch thick foam insulation sheets that are 4x8. I used sheet rock on a former layout - or attempted to - because I had it around. It was a disaster - it was heavy, warped, frayed easily, didn't like water (for glue or scenery)

[Jumijo]

Some people do use the 2" foam instead of plywood and have great results. It's very strong, yet light weight. $13 - $15 for a 4x8 sheet around here.

Jim

[tschmidt]

I would avoid the drywall. If it gets banged on the edge in any way it will break off or smash in. I would not count on it supporting things well. Any moisture that is around will get soaked up by it. Try and find another way.

TomS

[csxt30]

I would suggest you just check this site out from one of our forum members.
It may help in your decision making. Very easily built, & will last a lifetime, or more !
http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=8ZYtnLVww24¬ag=1

[Birds]

I've looked at Buckeye's plans and setup on-line many times.

I appreciate the thoughts regarding sheet rock.

The issue isn't lack of ideas or plans, it's trying to find foam board and/or good quality wood so that the foundation really is a good one.

[jefelectric]

There was an article in one of the magazines about using metal studs for layout framing. It looked good the way it was used. I don't remember what was used for a base. I think it was MR or RMC but not sure.

[traindaddy1]

Hi! A few years ago I considered using the stuff. At the time, 3/4" plywood was just too expensive. What I finally did was to use a low grade 1/4" plywood covered with Homasote (sic) board. I found that this board is very forgiving, holds nails and screws well, deadens sound and can be easily painted. All the best.

[Dr. John]

Birds, I have to agree with the others that sheet rock will cause you more grief than help.
Do you have a salvage yard near you? Sometimes you can find slightly damaged or scarred hollow core doors to use as a base for next to nothing price wise. I have used doors for two different layouts and will soon start a third. I've been very pleased with them and have managed to buy them very cheaply.

I commend you for thinking outside the box. That's what this forum is for.

You might consider builing a small test layout, maybe 3x6 with sheetrock as an experiment. See how it handles track, paint, drilling, cutting, etc.

[Anonymous]

I used 3/8 sheetrock suppored by 1x3 every 12" apart. It is light weight framing & very sturdy, I thought it worked out very well I will use the same system again.