Anybody try art foam board for backdrop?

[rfross]

Has anybody tried using art foam board for a backdrop? This is the 3/16" thick foam core board that is used frequently by graphic artists.

Typical dimensions are 20" x 30" and 32" x 40". Depending on brand there are many different colors available including a 'sky blue' that I think would be ideal to paint clouds on. And it is designed to accept glue for attaching things like photo backdrops, etc.

I found with a quick Google search that the 20" x 30" size is available for as little as $2.70 or so a sheet online. The cost to cover my 34' of around the wall shelf layout using the 20" x 30" size would be about $37 which I don't think is too high.

I also think that this stuff can probably be bent by scoring the back side to enable a person to bend it around corners.

Part of my reasoning for thinking about using the foam board is the 'sky blue' color could be about right, it's light weight, easy to work with, the dimensions work for me and the cost is reasonable.

But what would one do to hide the seams or joints between sections? I certainly don't want to try to use a product that is otherwise ideal if it takes a huge amount of time or $$ to try to disguise the joints!

[Anonymous]

Hey listen the best backdrop In my opinion to use that is cheap and very light is
WOOD PANELING. Get the tan color one from Home Depot for only $7!!!! It is a 4x8sheet of it. It is very thin also at 1/8 thick. It is very flexible too. It bends so very well. Go to the store and check it out. You will like the results chek my link for pictures. Oh by the way it is very easy to cut to size too. I was able to get two sheets out of one 24" x 8' is a good height and lenth. I bought a gallon of skyblue paint I forget the name of it but it was good.

[Jetrock]

I have used foamcore (same stuff, different name) for backdrops on small dioramas, but it really isn't designed to be used on curves--since the outside is paper, even if carefully cut from the back the inside surface will wrinkle or crease unattractively.

One thing to consider for backdrops, aside from 1/8" Masonite, is large sheets of styrene. Go to an industrial plastics supplier--I got sheets of 40"x72" .020" styrene for $3 apiece, and buying it in 4x8 sheets is an even better deal per square foot...

[leighant]

I have used foamcore as a background when staging photographs. I used a white sheet, painted it blue with arcylics and then stray-painted clouds. It bent a little but I could orient it with light so shadows wouldn't give it away.

You wrote about getting good price deal on foamcore board online, but I suspect shipping an inexpensive but very bulky product like foamcore board would make it very expensive. IF you use foamcore, be much more economical to buy at a local art supply store at a higher price, than pay $$$$ for $hipping and then possibly get stuff bent up in shipping and delivery.

I agree with Jetrock. Paper surface easily crinkles when trying any bend. Also hard to cover seams unless you cover it entirely with something like a seamless paper affixed with a non-water based contact cement, which defeats most of the purpose. Only way this could possibly be worthwhile is if you absolutely needed something to be extremely lightweight.

I favor 1/8" Masonite. I think it is about $5 for a 4x8 sheet. Cut in half lengthwise for a 2' high background, that is $2.50/8 = 31 1/4 cents per foot. If you are curving the corners in a total "straight" perimeter of 34 feet, the curves would probably bring length down to 32', which you can cover with just two 4x8 sheets. If you would be satisfied with a 16" high backdrop, each 4x8 sheet yields THREE 8' lengths. Add about $2 for joint tape and about $5 for a small bucket of pre-mixed joint compound to cover up the seams (just exactly like taping a floating plasterboard/gypsumboard commonly known by trademark Sheetrock) and you have your background for $17 or so.

Here is my background, made with 1/8" masonite, seams and nailheads covered with joint tape and joint compound. Just over the spire of the courthouse, a little to the right of the middle of the picture, is the corner of the room with curved background.
http://www.railimages.com/albums/kennethanthony/aad.jpg
Background was painted with latex interior wall paint blue, then spray painted clouds using a stencil made by tearing cloud shape in scrap posterboard, spraying with stencil an inch or so from background for top of cloud for a relatively sharp edge (cloud edge catching sunlight) and stencil a few inches from background for a relatively soft hazy edge on bottom but still a definite shape.
I couldn't use latex wall paint in the house now because my wife is allergic to latex. I would still do approximately the same thing again only use interior oil-based wall paint (hard to find, have to go to a REAL paint store, not a discount store hardware dept) and open all windows, ventilate fumes well with fans in train room and seal off doors to keep fumes out of rest of house.

Just my prejudiced opinion.
Oh yeah, I imagine foamcore would be good for very large structures where thickness is not revealed by door & window openings, when foamcore structure is braced or built like box. Probably would be good for core of mockups to place on layout before detailed structures built.

[jrbarney]

Rfross,
Welcome to the forum !
Back in September '04 there were a few threads on using sheet styrene as a backdrop. It's is not nearly as expensive as you might think if you are near a plastic wholesaler that supplies sign shops. For threads either use the Search the forum , , , window on this site or do a Google search.
Bob
NMRA Life 0543

[Bob Hayes]

Have you thought about using the backside of vinyl flooring. You should be able to pick up left over scrap from a flooring store.
Bob Hayes

[rfross]

Thanks for everyone's input so far. It's looking like traditional 1/8" masonite is going to be my best choice for many of the reasons stated here. The end result on leighant's photo pretty much sold me on it.

I kind of considered styrene at one point but figured it would be too difficult disguising the seams. At least with masonite you can use drywall tape/mud like leighant did. Even though it's been a while I'm pretty good mudding drywall and that would be quick and easy to do.

Thanks!

[CFournier]

Leighant,
Very nice picture of your layout. Well done. Any more pictures for us?
Chris

[Jetrock]

Actually you can use drywall mud for styrene too--that's how I disguise the seams on my styrene streets!

[Anonymous]

Jetrock,

The threads a few months ago concerning styrene sheets as backdrops were an eyeopener for me. Never considered it before, but seems like a great idea. One poster posted a link to a company that sells the stuff, really really cheap. At the time I did a quick computation comparing the price of the large sheets to everygreen sheets. Wow, so much cheaper. I ended up buying several sheets from the supplier (U.S. Plastics? - I don't remember the link). Shipping wasn't all that expensive. I plan to use the stuff to make some structures that are too big for the standard evergreen stuff.

For back drops, I would think you could hide the joints using testors contour putty or squadron green putty. Smear the stuff over the joint, let it dry and then sand. I would also think that simple testors glue would work. The glue would melt the two pieces together and all you would need to do is sand. I think that a strip would have to be placed behind the joint for reinforcement.