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Attaching Foamboard, Am I the only one?

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  • Member since
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  • From: Horsham, Pennsylvania
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Attaching Foamboard, Am I the only one?
Posted by woodman on Sunday, August 21, 2016 8:43 PM

Almost 7 years ago my daughter announced to my wife and I the we were going to be grandparents to a boy, our first grandchild. I immediately dug out all my old train equipment that had been put away for 25 years. I build the frame work out of 1"x4" pine, each section was 2'x4' with cross members 16" on center, on top of this I attached 1/4" plywood. When I attached the 2" foamboard I used 1" washers with 2" drywood screws. I resessed the washer and screw combo 1/4" into the foamboard and then used joint compound to cover over the resess. I have over the past few years made changed to the layout which required taking up the foamboard which was very easy to do, just use a screwdriver and pop up the quarter size piece of drywall compound covering the drywall screw and washer. Whenever anyone asks about attaching the foamboard there is always a discussion of using different foam friendly adhesives to hold down the foamboard. Has anyone else used the method that I use, I have never heard it mentioned.

  • Member since
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  • From: SE. WI.
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Posted by mbinsewi on Sunday, August 21, 2016 9:16 PM

I used a combo of caulk, and screws, the course thread drywall screws, to hold down foam.  It works fine.

Mike.

  • Member since
    June 2007
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Posted by riogrande5761 on Monday, August 22, 2016 6:36 AM

I'd think any non-solvent based adhesive or caulk would work; latex liquid nails is one that is used.

Rio Grande.  The Action Road  - Focus 1977-1983

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Posted by UNCLEBUTCH on Monday, August 22, 2016 10:26 AM

 Plain,cheap,caulk, is all thats needed,and not mutch of it.A short bead, every few feet has held mine in place for the last 15yr,and its been moved 3 times.

can be popped off simple enuff. When I need to dig a ditch,or remove a section, I'm not concerned about hidden screws

  • Member since
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  • From: Shenandoah Valley The Home Of Patsy Cline
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Posted by superbe on Monday, August 22, 2016 9:39 PM

As has been said latex caulk is all that is needed.

I first glued the first layer of foam board to the plywood and then the second layer of foam board was glued to the first. A bead of caulk was placed around the perimeter of each piece as well as a bead from corner to corner.

Really an easy problem to solve.

Good luck

Bob

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Posted by droughtquake on Monday, August 22, 2016 11:33 PM

superbe

As has been said latex caulk is all that is needed.

I first glued the first layer of foam board to the plywood and then the second layer of foam board was glued to the first. A bead of caulk was placed around the perimeter of each piece as well as a bead from corner to corner.

Really an easy problem to solve.

Good luck

Bob

 

I noticed the Chevron sign in the background. Chevron seems to be the most ignored major oil company in model trains.

 

Atlas recently offered Chevron tank cars in N-Scale, but usually Chevron is out of sight, out of mind – because it's based on the West Coast?

Tags: Chevron

Strength in diversity!

  • Member since
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  • From: Shenandoah Valley The Home Of Patsy Cline
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Posted by superbe on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 11:32 AM

droughtquake
 

I noticed the Chevron sign in the background. Chevron seems to be the most ignored major oil company in model trains. 

Just a word about Chevron. In 1988 (?) Chevron bought the Gulf Oi Corporation a primarily East Coast and mid West company. The FTC made Chevron sell off the Gulf assests from Maryland to Maine. Cumberland Farms, a convience store chain, was the buyer. Chevron giving up half of Gulf's East Coast market and then not being able to grow it's market share in the East had to give up and pulled out. Gulf had tried the same tactic on the West Coast many years before and failed. 

Bob

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  • From: North Dakota
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Posted by BroadwayLion on Tuesday, August 23, 2016 9:11 PM

LION uses silicon caulk. Works great. But remember wood expands and contracts with humidity, and no matter what you do, you may get gaps in the foam above.

ROAR

The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.

Here there be cats.                                LIONS with CAMERAS

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Posted by fieryturbo on Wednesday, August 24, 2016 10:28 AM

I like the caulk, but screws are a good idea too, when used in conjunction with caulk.  The caulk when properly spaced removes air gaps that would otherwise act accoustically as a drum.

Julian

Modeling Pre-WP merger UP (1974-81)

JXC
  • Member since
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  • From: Vancouver, BC
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Posted by JXC on Sunday, August 28, 2016 6:48 PM

I use construction adhesive with great success. It is available in any building materials store specifically to bond foam to wood, metal, concrete etc, is cheap, strong and easy to use. Glued sections can be removed by prying off with a putty knife which can also be used to remove the old glue.

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Posted by joe323 on Tuesday, August 30, 2016 12:50 PM

I was going to use liquid nails but decided to have someone do the carpentry for me and he used a combination of screws and caulk.  The scenery covers the screw heads.

Joe Staten Island West 

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Posted by stebbycentral on Friday, September 9, 2016 6:11 AM

After reading the original post in the thread, it seems to me that the author is not asking about glue formulation or technique, but is simply curious as to how many other modelers do not glue down their foamboard. 

I would suspect that most of us use glue, as versus mechanical fasteners, as that seems to be the industry standard for attaching foamboard in other construction applications.  To me it seems to be a lot of work to set all of those screws and washers, when running a bead of glue is so much easier.  Although the ability to make changes to the layout on the fly seems to be of some importance to the OP, and admittedly only using removable fasteners would make that process a lot easier.  This is sort of a parallel conversation to those who only recommend using mechanical fasteners, no glue, when assembling benchwork.   My preference is to glue, screw and tatoo everything.  I build to last.  If changes are needed, well that's why SawsAll's were invented. Big Smile

 

 

I have figured out what is wrong with my brain!  On the left side nothing works right, and on the right side there is nothing left!

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