Where is extruded foam in California?

[barclaysierra]

I have been looking all over the Sacramento area for the blue or pink styrofoam foam insulation. Home Depot, Lowes, local lumber yards, etc. Half the folks don't even know what I'm talking about, the rest don't have a clue where to get it. No one will order just a sheet or two.....if they could figure out what I'm looking for. Any suggestions? All we seem to have is compressed white beaded foam with a plastic covering to hold it together and some yellow stuff that looks similar to what they arrange flowers in, very crumbly and also held together by heavy covering. HELP!

This topic was covered in another post on flexing the stuff, and the there was indications others in this area and California have found it not available here. Probably another of our environmental or fire codes. Anyway, if it isn't, does anyone have a suggestion for a second choice for a lightweight N scale layout on a door?

Thanks in advance...this is a great forum with a lot of excellent info.

[Jetrock]

They don't have it--the pink and blue stuff is apparently banned in California. Maybe it kills spotted owls or something, I dunno. But you'll have to go to Reno to get it, and sneak it in. The beaded stuff, as dreadful as it is, is pretty much the next best choice.

[vsmith]

You can get white extruded foam in 1" thick sheets at any Micheals Craft Stores, its much courser than the blue stuff but if you going to plaster over it it works good.

[barclaysierra]

Jetrock, well, thanks and no thanks. I see the stuff occasionally in packing, etc. Guess it's as good an excuse as any to go to Reno. I only need one sheet. Better excuse to spend my money in Reno than those other places.

[CharlieBedard]

I posted something similar on another thread, but I'll repeat it here 'cause this title is more likely to attract folks with the same issue.

It appears that the extruded blue/pink foam is not available in California. There is something called Expanded Styrofoam (as opposed to Extruded Styrofoam) under the brand name of Insulfoam. This stuff comes with a plastic covering on one surface and is available in 1/2", 1" and 2" thicknesses. I've visited the Insulfoam Web site to see how the stuff is made and it does begin life as plastic pellets but is less coarse than the "hobby" foam I've seen at Michaels'.

I am wondering if anyone has tried to work with it and what they might be able to share with us poor deproved Californians :-)!

Charlie Bedard

[prompter]

I just called a Home Depot Supply store in Milpitas, CA (San Jose area). They carry Owens Corning FOAMULAR® rigid foam (pink). They said (I won't believe it for sure until I see it -- I used to work for Home Depot ) they have 4x8 2" sheets.

If I have a chance this weekend I'll go take a look.

[bcammack]

Go to Google, pick "Local Google". Put "category: Insulation Materials Cold & Heat" for "What" and Sacramento, CA for "Where" Maybe that'll give you some luck.

[DSchmitt]

I bought 2 x 8 sheets 1" thick pink foam at Home Depot in Yuba City less than a year ago.

The is or was a insulation company that stocked 4x8 sheets of blue foam in a number of thicknesses in the south area of Sacramento. I've only been there twice and the last time was about 6 years ago. I don't remember the name of the company, but ALL-Temp at 8300 Gerber Road appears to be about where I remember going..

[Anonymous]

http://owenscorning.com/around/locator/index.asp
this link will go to owens corning website and it will tell you where you can but the onk foam in your area

[Anonymous]

Insulfoam is no good.... I have worked with the stuff at my last job and it's just as bad as the other beaded foams.

[twhite]

QUOTE: Originally posted by CharlieBedard

I posted something similar on another thread, but I'll repeat it here 'cause this title is more likely to attract folks with the same issue.

It appears that the extruded blue/pink foam is not available in California. There is something called Expanded Styrofoam (as opposed to Extruded Styrofoam) under the brand name of Insulfoam. This stuff comes with a plastic covering on one surface and is available in 1/2", 1" and 2" thicknesses. I've visited the Insulfoam Web site to see how the stuff is made and it does begin life as plastic pellets but is less coarse than the "hobby" foam I've seen at Michaels'.

I am wondering if anyone has tried to work with it and what they might be able to share with us poor deproved Californians :-)!

Charlie Bedard

Charlie--I'm in the midst of working with Insulfoam right now, since Home Depot stopped carrying the extruded foam, which I was using as a layout base. I just started an extension to un-hide a hidden return loop, and the 2" Insulfoam is all I can get. So far, it's okay (not great, but okay), though I've had to put a LOT more bracing in the benchwork to support it. The plastic coating helps it from flying all over the place, but unfortunately I'm going to have to cut the coating underneath the roadbed, as it doesn't look too glue-friendly. I've got a horrible feeling that I'm going to have beads all over the place. I have no idea why the extruded foam is banned in California, probably some stupid law about polluting the place, (like the wall-to-wall traffic on Intersate 5 ISN'T?)[:(!][:(!] or it's dangerous for California condors or something. It should be fun once I start cutting out a riverbed--I think I'll have instant talus from all of those nasty looking beads, LOL! I'll keep you guys posted.
Tom [xx(]

[mcouvillion]

I've seen stickers on circuit boards that claim the something is "known to the State of California to cause cancer". I find this kind of odd, in that the Federal Government does not "know" the same things California claims to "know" to cause cancer, as many are still under investigation or inconclusive. There is a lot of law written without benefit of facts or science and California leads the pack. They led the charge to ban MTBE (107 octane oxygenated additive) from gasoline because they found trace amounts in their water supply. It didn't matter that the real problem was leaking fuel storage tanks underground that should have been replaced. They led the effort for oxygenates in fuels 30 years ago, and now want to ban what they more or less forced everyone to do! I bet those maroons were the same ones who wanted to ban chlorine 10 years ago.

Oops, I got on my soapbox. Sorry.

Mark C.

[twhite]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mcouvillion

I've seen stickers on circuit boards that claim the something is "known to the State of California to cause cancer". I find this kind of odd, in that the Federal Government does not "know" the same things California claims to "know" to cause cancer, as many are still under investigation or inconclusive. There is a lot of law written without benefit of facts or science and California leads the pack. They led the charge to ban MTBE (107 octane oxygenated additive) from gasoline because they found trace amounts in their water supply. It didn't matter that the real problem was leaking fuel storage tanks underground that should have been replaced. They led the effort for oxygenates in fuels 30 years ago, and now want to ban what they more or less forced everyone to do! I bet those maroons were the same ones who wanted to ban chlorine 10 years ago.

Oops, I got on my soapbox. Sorry.

Mark C.

Mark--be my guest on the soapbox--PLEASE!! I'm a 5th-generation Californian, my forebearers arrived here from Germany, Austria and Cornwall in 1850. In my 65 years of living here, I've seen the state go off the deep end. A lot of other people tell me that California is where the fruits and the nuts come from. Wrong--it's where they're all moving TO! The extruded Corningware foam is dangerous? How in heck do those 'experts' we've got running around explain all the little 'beads' in the regular foam being safe? I just don't know (he said, scratching his head).
Tom [banghead][banghead]

[Anonymous]

here is something for you.... go to www.owenscorning.com and then do a store locator search.... from there you select the product you are looking for and then you input your zip code.... I did this and found stores in my area of california that carry foamular which is the product you are looking for.

[Anonymous]

in fact I just did it for you and these are a couple home depot's that carry FOAMULAR.

3611 TRUXELL RD
SACRAMENTO, CA 95833
916-928-0722

5310 FRANKLIN BLVD
SACRAMENTO, CA 95820
916-455-3057

1461 MEADOWVIEW RD
SACRAMENTO, CA 95832-1009
916-399-9905

according to the owens-corning website these all cary FOAMULAR so best of luck to you.... make sure you go and ask for the product by company and name and say it's insulation foam.

Best of luck to you in the search.

[twhite]

Brian--thank you, thank you THANK YOU!! I'm off tomorrow right after church and I'm going to wipe out the Meadowview store! But whatever you do, don't let the California Politically Correct know about this, or it'll be a bill in the State Senate by Wednesday, LOL!
Thanks again,
Tom [:P][:P]

[CharlieBedard]

Brian,

Nice try. I did that ages ago and got a list of Home Depot stores that supposedly carried the stuff. I went to every one of them. Nope. Not in stores. Just piles of the Insulfoam. I'm sure I went to the Milpitas store that "prompter" referred to. I did not find any pink extruded foam. I am eager to hear if he did, in fact, find some this weekend! If so, then it has reappeared!

I may try the insulfoam. I still plan on using a 1/2" plywood subroadbed but I'd like to lay another 1/2" of foam over the plywood. So, structural strength isn't an issue. Staying together and not crumbling over time is the key.

Charlie Bedard

[bodyman46]

I too have been looking for the blue or pink styrofoam foam insulation.I'm been looking all over the Southern Calif. area and no one has it. Not Home Depot, Lowes, etc. On my last trip to Las Vegas ,I look for some up there with no luck. I want to build a small layout using foam. I did find some, last year in Kansas but it was to big to bring on the plane.
carl

[Anonymous]

Mark C. stated:

QUOTE: I've seen stickers on circuit boards that claim the something is "known to the State of California to cause cancer".

Here in California that would be known as a "Proposition 65" warning. Several years back an initiative was passed here that required manufacturers of products to label their products if they contained any known carcinogens. These labels can be found on all kinds of products from adhesives to solvents, electrical components to who knows what else. I guess it makes the politicians in Sacramento feel like they are protecting us to let us know that nearly everything we come into contact with may cause cancer!

[twhite]

Okay, latest report--no extruded foam, just Insulfoam. I have decided to use it, because I need that return loop relaid, come hell or high water! Good point #1: I don't have to remove the blue plastic coating to glue the roadbed to it, it takes Elmer's Wood Glue very well. Good point #2--the stuff has FORCED me to use stronger bracing to support it, and I think it's going to work okay. God knows my layout--or at least that portion of it, should survive a tornado--oops, we don't have tornadoes in California, I'm told by the weatherman, we have 'Funnel Clouds'. Yah, well, they STILL take off roofs! Bad point: i'm still going to have beads floating around all over the place when I cut in the canyon, but then, that's why God invented the shop-vac, right? Just e-mailed an old buddy of mine in Texas who retired from Corning last year, told him my sad story about the Corning extruded foam. He just chuckled and said that was one of the reasons he moved OUT of California! Too many PC's protecting us poor dumb yokels.
Oh well, onward and backward!
Tom[banghead]

[Anonymous]

Hi bodyman46,
Blue foam is available in Lowes new store in Summerlin, Las Vegas.
My son-in-law bought some last week following my 'instructions' from here in the UK.
You guys get it a lot cheaper than I pay for it here[:O]

[Bikerdad]

Try Mechanical Insulation Supply, in North Highlands, CA

[Jetrock]

I've been to the one on Franklin--they don't have it there. I used the beaded extruded stuff and it was fairly dreadful to work with...

[Anonymous]

Too bad you dont live down south. LA has everything including's the world's
largest Model R.R. store, which carries foam specifically for model R.R.. The trip
may be worth it. Only 7 hours south.

[Bob Hayes]

mac 4884,
Where is "the world's largest Model R.R. store" in LA? Hope you're not referring to Fred's place?
Bob Hayes

[Anonymous]

Nope, Allied model trains in culver city on sepulvda bovulard.

[Bikerdad]

Yeah, or he could save an hour or more and just go to http://www.foamsalesmarketing.com in Burbank. Probably save a lot of money too....

[Jetrock]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Bikerdad

Try Mechanical Insulation Supply, in North Highlands, CA

Been there--they don't have it. The closest thing was this yellowish foam stuff that crumbled alarmingly when touched.

[Jetrock]

QUOTE: Originally posted by mac 4884

Too bad you dont live down south. LA has everything including's the world's
largest Model R.R. store, which carries foam specifically for model R.R.. The trip
may be worth it. Only 7 hours south.

That's okay, personally I prefer northern California. Although I may drop by there when I come down this summer for the King Tut exhibit (on the train, naturally!)

Only 7 hours...heh. Only in southern California do you find sentences like "only a seven-hour drive" spoken. I still have bad flashbacks of the one time I tried driving in Los Angeles (in an overheating rental minivan with seven smelly punks and 500 pounds of band equipment!)

[TurboOne]

In San Diego our HD had the foam with the blue back on one side. No two inch in stock in any of the stores. 1" is $5.97 a sheet. I have two sheets but haven't put it down yet as I want to finish other benchwork. Tom let us know how it comes out for you. Sounds like you put blue side up ? or am I just tired ?

Take care

Tim