Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

2" Extruded polystyrene board

12836 views
7 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
2" Extruded polystyrene board
Posted by Anonymous on Sunday, January 13, 2008 9:03 PM
Can anyone tell me where I can purchase 2" X 4'X8' extruded polystyrene foam? My local Lowe's and Home Depot do not carry it. Home Depot does carry 1" sheets and I am wondering if it would be better to go with the 1" sheets and layer them where needed.
Moderator
  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Northeast OH
  • 17,237 posts
Posted by tstage on Sunday, January 13, 2008 9:17 PM

pabk, 

Yep.  Layering them will work just fine for you.  For adhesives: Make sure you use one that is "foam friendly".

I used a $2 tube of DAP Latex caulk for adhering my cork roadbed to the foam top of my layout.  Worked great! Approve [^]Thumbs Up [tup]  Set in 45 minutes and was dry in 24 hours.  Some of the other adhesives have some nasty chemicals and aromas and cost a lot more.  White or yellow glue works but can take quite a while to dry completely.  (I've heard some say up to 2 weeks.)

Hope that helps...

Tom

https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling

Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: Pocono Mts. of Pa
  • 196 posts
Posted by LNEFAN on Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:27 PM

I layered 1" foam and used adhesive caulk. This makes it easier to carve below (or above) grade scenery detail later. I then painted with cheap latex to get rid of the awful pink look! The layout is now operating and partially sceniked without any problems with the laminations.

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Alexandria KY
  • 470 posts
Posted by Zandoz on Sunday, January 13, 2008 10:40 PM
I've found not all Home Depot's are stocked remotely the same...the ones locally range from none to a good selection of thicknesses.  It pays to call around.  Also, at least one Menards I checked had a nice selection of thicknesses.

Reality...an interesting concept with no successful applications, that should always be accompanied by a "Do not try this at home" warning.

Hundreds of years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove...But the world may be different because I did something so bafflingly crazy that my ruins become a tourist attraction.

"Oooh...ahhhh...that's how this all starts...but then there's running...and screaming..."

  • Member since
    October 2005
  • From: Northern Minnesota
  • 898 posts
Posted by colvinbackshop on Monday, January 14, 2008 12:11 AM

Please jump in and correct if I'm wrong....But, are we talking about two different products here?

In my mind...Extruded foam is polyurethane foam board and polystyrene is an expanded bead board and if this is true, they are two majorly different products with much different properties.

I use the extruded product on my pike and can shed light on gluing this stuff together. I have many a layer glued together; this is what I have discovered.

A white or yellow glue works, but I have also had it fail. Solvent based adheasives (construction types) will "eat" away at the foam and do NOT work! The best thing I have found is PL300 which is formulated for gluing foam together (foam to foam or foam to wood....perhaps other components too) and does a wonderful job!

Puffin' & Chuggin', JB Chief Engineer, Colvin Creek Railway
  • Member since
    October 2005
  • From: Ulster Co. NY
  • 1,464 posts
Posted by larak on Monday, January 14, 2008 9:58 PM
 colvinbackshop wrote:

Please jump in and correct if I'm wrong....But, are we talking about two different products here?

In my mind...Extruded foam is polyurethane foam board and polystyrene is an expanded bead board and if this is true, they are two majorly different products with much different properties.

OK. "foamular" (the pink board) says "Extruded Polystyrene" on the label. It is not bead board.

Just google extruded polystyrene and you'll get lots of hits. Searching images is better.

Here's a page at dow.

 

The mind is like a parachute. It works better when it's open.  www.stremy.net

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: On the Banks of the Great Choptank
  • 2,916 posts
Posted by wm3798 on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 6:03 AM

My local 84 Lumber carries it in 2' x 8' panels.  You might try there if you have one.  You could also check with your local foundation contractor.  That's where it goes when it's not being used for mountains!  If there's a construction site where houses are being built on slab foundations, a bit of dumpster diving might net you what you need.

Lee 

Route of the Alpha Jets  www.wmrywesternlines.net

  • Member since
    February 2001
  • From: El Dorado Springs, MO
  • 1,519 posts
Posted by n2mopac on Tuesday, January 15, 2008 9:36 AM

The local Lowe's stopped carrying extruded foam in larger than 1/2" over 2 years ago. The really don't cater to contractors, and DIY people tend toward the 1" beadboard for building because its cheaper, so that's what they carry now. Of course that is worthless for modeling purposes. We have a Sutherlands here, however, that carries extruded foam in 1/2", 1", and 2" stock. Many lunber yards/building suppliers that cater to contractors (not Lowe's, Home Depot,  etc.) will have it, so check them out.

Ron

Owner and superintendant of the N scale Texas Colorado & Western Railway, a protolanced representaion of the BNSF from Fort Worth, TX through Wichita Falls TX and into Colorado. 

Check out the TC&WRy on at https://www.facebook.com/TCWRy

Check out my MRR How-To YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/c/RonsTrainsNThings

 

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!