Need help w/ Styrofoam base on bldgs

[Anonymous]

In the Dec 05 issue of Garden Railways (pp. 66ff), I saw some great northern European style buildings reportedly built with "vinyl cement" over styrfoam base. Does anyone have some specifics on this technique. I found vinyl concrete patching mix at Home Depot. Is this "vinyl cement"? How thick is it applied? How is the styroam base built? Is it solid, or just a box of walls? What type of styrofoam is used? Is it just the regular green or white coarse stuff at the crafts store or the smooth, dense packing type styrofoam? How are the wood slats attached? How is it all sealed so that water isn't absorbed around the wood slats? I'm fairly creative, but I don't want to reinvent the wheel. Can anyone give me some advice? [You can see my railway at www.seelyhouse.com/railwaypage.htm . I'm just starting on trestles and buildings.]

[John Busby]

Hi Larry
You can use white pink or blue foam for buildings you have to cut it out side with a hot wire cutter or many light passes of an incredibly sharp knife.
you can build it as a hollow building or a solid block building
You glue the building parts together with an exterior PVA wood glue
and must use solvent free acrylic paint so you don't melt the foam
the wood slats would also be fixed in place with PVA glue and painted.
You can use cocktail sticks or tooth picks for pins to assist it staying together
they are glued before pushing in.
Your building will need to be fixed to a slate base or a tile to give it enough weight not to blow away
I have now idea what vinyl cement is I have always used polyfilla with a bit of PVA mixed in as a patch and filler for this kind of structure
The only difference is you need exterior grade fillers and paints that will not melt the foam
regards John