Styrofoam in the UK

[chinbeard]

Do any UK members know a source for Styrofoam sheet, I've looked all over the web and wonder if this stuff exists, Jewson and Wikes have it listed on their websites but no stores appear to have stock, I need to crack on but need a base to begin.

[cteno4]

Are you talking the beaded stuff or the dense extruded polystyrene? Many times when you say styrofoam you get the beaded stuff (it's sold also for insulation) that is not great to use. It's the extruded polystyrene foam insulation board (usually pink or blue) that's used for scenery material.

 

Usually found at builders supply places, but also at walk in refrigeration installers in the US. Sometimes the refrigeration installers will sell you a sheet in areas where the stuff is not used for home insulation. Also check any local construction sites as sometimes there is scrap there they will give you.

 

There also is polyurethane foam insulation board that may be called styrofoam. It's much softer than the polystyrene board and also usually is faced with foil and paper (as it dings easily) and is not great to use for scenery.

 

Good luck!

 

Jeff

[Dave1960]

Have you tried Hindleys (http://www.hindleys.com/index.php/) here in the UK, see the Design Materials / Plastics & Foam section.

 

They list Styrofoam, not sure what the stock situation is, you may have to contact them.

 

It isn't cheap!!

 

Dave

[Claude_Dreyfus]

Agree, this stuff is not cheap. The pink or yellow stuff can be found at builders merchants - Covers* for example - or some model shops.

B&Q certainly used to sell the stuff and, as you say, Wickes claim to stock it.

* Sorry, just realised this lot are local to me. Local merchants may well have something in stock...

Edited October 18, 2014 by Claude_Dreyfus

[HantuBlauLOL]

is it 'that' hard to find a styrofoam there? 

[chinbeard]

Yes it's the extruded type I need, it can be found on Epay but the prices are stupid then add costly shipping. So far I have spent several days hunting and come up dry, the few sites listing the stuff don't have any stock.

I have everything I need to complete the layout barring a base board, it was going to be a Christmas surprise for my grandkids but it's looking like I may have to shelve the idea and get my wallet out again.

[cteno4]

Have you tried calling your local builders supply places directly and asking for extruded polystyrene foam insulation? I know the stuff usually does not show up on the websites well here at the big box stores all the time for these kinds of materials but you find them in the stores. At times when our big box home supply places did not carry it locally (they did just over the stare line at the time 10 miles away ironically I discovered later!) some of the smaller local builder supply places (non chain) did have it.

 

It has shot up in price even at the discount places in the last few years. It was $18 for a 2'x8'x1" piece last I bought some in the spring from the big box discount place (Home Depot). That was about double what I paid for it a couple of years ago.

 

The manufacture in the us is usually Dow/Corning.

 

Jeff

[Mudkip Orange]

I gotta go against the conventional wisdom here and say I prefer the beaded foam.

 

The denser, extruded foam is airtight. So in high humidity environments (such as Houston) or using certain glues (such as wood glue) there is a tendency for the foam to bow owing to the formation of air pockets between layers. This isn't an issue if you're just using a single sheet with plaster on top, but it crops up if you assemble terrain "wedding cake" style, as I do.

 

The beaded stuff is ridiculously messy, but I keep a shop vac by the layout for that reason.

[cteno4]

Interesting never heard of that happening. Always seemed like pva would be a problem curing between moisture impervious foam. Not sure what is causing the bowing you see with two laminated sheets of styrene as moisture should not effect the styrene layers. I could see an issue of bowing with styrene bonded to plywood where the plywood would swell and contract with the level of humidity and the styrene not.

 

I don't use wood glue to join the extruded stryene, I use the liquid nails that formulated for foam insulation. Works well, its a bit thick, bit spreads with a spatula and sets up pretty quickly. We get extremes of humidity here in DC as well and no problem with the liquid nails and the layout stuff is stored in a garage so it gets the full swing of damp to humid, to ultra dry in very cold parts of winter.

 

Foamcore can really have issues here. But it holds up pretty well if braced well.

 

I've been interested in trying inobu's spray mount technique as it seems like that could be a good bond and simple.

 

Cheers

 

Jeff

Edited October 22, 2014 by cteno4

[kvp]

There is a slight difference between the classic organic wood glue and the synthetic pva based wood glue. I prefer the full synthetic water resistent version, which is water soluble until dry, then non soluble in most liquids. Imho the best construction material is the step resistent foam material, because it's monoblock, but lets air through and can hold my weight, so doesn't crush or fragment like beaded press formed styrofoam or the fully solid version used for cups and packing. (this strong version is the pink and blue construction foam used for floor insulation and other heavy duty jobs)

 

You can apply diluted synthetic glue from a spray bottle or with a brush and it holds together wood, plastic, paper and even some metal surfaces. It's a non chemical bond, so it can be scraped off with some force from most plastic and metal sufaces, but it's still strong enough to hold a layout together.

[NJHA]

Oh my... styrofoam, isolation boards, white beaded stuff ... so many terms. 

 

Lets try to shed some light into this: 

 

Extruded polystyrene or XPS  - It's light weight, dense, usually colored blue or pink and used for isolation. If you step on it, your footprint will stay, but that is about it. It is also know as styrofoam (Dow Chemical company trade name for XPS)

 

Expanded polystyrene or EPS - It's light weight, usually white. If you step on a EPS board you will leave a big depression on it. EPS is most of the time flammable and sensitive to heat.

 

Polyurethane or PU - Also a light weight foam, usually yellow or orange in tone. It can be distributed in boards or in canned form (expanding foam). 

 

Photos: 

XPS (from Dow site)

 

EPS (From a german site)

[Mudkip Orange]

There you go. I started out using XPS and had issues with bowing/air pockets. I switched to EPS for the mountain for the Japan Fest layout and was sufficiently satisfied that I'm now using it for my main layout.

[cteno4]

Mudkip,

 

on noodling on this i think this might be due to the glue curing very slowly from the outside in that might have caused the stress to warp, i assume, 1" xps boards. hard to keep things clamped or weighted long enough with pva glue until completely cured (it can take a week on a larger section to cure all the way in, thats why i stopped using pva glue when one popped apart after like 3 days and i found the center glue hardly started to cure at all)

 

i cant see the air pockets causing any huge pressures for this warping. i can see the EPS probably allowing some air in to cure faster, but i expect its pretty impervious to air and moisture and its much easier to warp.

 

sorry just a curiosity to me, always trying to figure out what causes warping with things from my woodworking background. ive found it hard to warp the xps with anything. even have a couple of 2"x2'x8' sheet that have been laid out as 4'x8' sheet on top of a folding table for 10 years with train crap on top and amazed how well they have resisted bending around the edges when weight is applied. when the weight is lifted it usually comes back close to flat! 

 

jeff

[chinbeard]

Have you tried Hindleys (http://www.hindleys.com/index.php/) here in the UK, see the Design Materials / Plastics & Foam section.

 

It isn't cheap!!

 

Dave

 

I will trundle across to Sheffield, I'm in Hull, their prices are the best I've seen so far !

Many thanx, John

[Mr Frosty]

Try Sheffield Insulation, they have branches nationwide.

 

http://www.siginsulation.co.uk/

[chinbeard]

I got some 10x600x1250 sheets at £3:50 apiece, thin I know (I will use two sheets for the base) but the 10mm thickness will make contouring easier as I plan to have terraced paddy's.