Foam Core

Does anyone know of a good place to buy Foam Core that isn't too expensive, either local or internet? I'm in the United States (Maryland). I've seen a lot of houses built from foam core and I'd like to try it out. I was looking at the websites for craft stores (Michael's and A.C. Moore) but couldn't find it on there. I've found a few websites through searching, but it's hard to know which ones are trustworthy and what the pricing should be.

Michaels [ www.michaels.com ] does carry foam core in both white & black. Check their web site for a store in your area. GOOD HUNTING, Amigo!

Thanks, that's good to know! I frequent Michaels and A.C. Moore for various items for terrain, so I was going to look next time I went. I just couldn't seem to find it on the website, and searching for "foam core" and "foam" didn't help.

Any ideas on general pricing? I'm curious to see how expensive it'll be to make a single building on average.

That reminds me. Tewfik and I have been keeping all of our receipts from this project. At some point after the table is fully finished (ie decorated and sealed) I want to put up a post with all the materials we used and the costs. We'll do the same after getting a table's worth of terrain. I think it'll be interesting to see a cost analysis of the whole thing. The table cost is at about $200 right now.

I picked my last big sheet (we've built six houses and still have about 1/3 left) up for 75 SEK, which is about 10 bucks. If you don't need very thick foamcore you can save money by buying 4mm or 5mm thick which is a lot cheaper than thicker sheets, at least where I buy them.

I think the Michaels by me has foam core for $2.50 or so a sheet. Sometimes it'll go on sale for 50 or 60 percent of that. One sheet will do for several buildings.

I've heard other people mention that they get foam core from the 99 cent store for (surprise!) 99 cents. I haven't investigated this though.

Keep track of what brand of foam core you get, and experiment with different brands if you find them. They do have different properties. All work very well for standard, intact walls, but once you start playing with the foam core, the properties differ slightly. Some of them the paper layer will peel right off, which can be very helpful if you want to texture the foam beneath. Others, even after soaking and rubbing, it will cling on stubbornly. Also, some cut more easily, have foam which is carved more easily, etc. I've also found it in black, which can really save time when it comes to painting.

Well, I found some 20"x30" sheets of black Elmer's Foam Board for $6 a sheet at Michael's so I picked up a couple. I'll test this out and see how I like it. Thanks for the tips.

Another option to try for cheap foamcore is picture framing stores.
I pick up bundles of 20-30 sheets around 10"x15" at my local Framing place for AU$2. great for those on a low budget like me.

There was a discussion about this over on Frothers the other day (nasty place - those of a sensitive disposition are advised to avoid it) and Jed, the chap who runs Antenociti, thinks foamed PVC is a far superior material. More expensive, but better all round.

Now, Jed's UK-based and he does sell the stuff, but he is also rather a fine model maker. Apparently, it is available in the US under various brand names. Sintra is one of them.

PVC as in Poly Vinyl Cloride? (Probably spelt that wrong.)

Would anyone happen to know which stores in the UK might sell foamcore (more specifically in Norfolk if anyone else is from around ere.)

Yes, I imagine so. This it what Jed has to say about it:

Quote :

Foamed-PVC is a specialist rigid sheet material that is simply brilliant for making wargames scenery. It is known under a variety of trade names such as Sintra and PALIGHT and is to foamboard what foamboard was to cereal packet cardboard.

Foamed PVC comes in thicknesses of 1mm, 2mm and 3mm and is very strong and durable without being excessively heavy - it is considerably lighter than sheet styrene and somewhat heavier than foamboard. You can supplant everything you would make with 5mm foamboard by using 3mm Foamed-PVC and have it coming out much, much stronger: well constructed simple squares of 3mm Foamed-PVC can easily take the full weight of an adult human (and a lot more!).

It is waterproof and more warp-resistant than foamboard, plus you can sand it, carve and drill it to shape and it wont break or shatter when dropped.

It glues very strongly with thick superglues but can be used with emulsion glues if you lightly sand both surfaces to be joined and it also takes paints extremely well with the benefit of not "melting" when used with aerosol paints as do foam-based products such as styrofoam, depron and polystyrol (as well as the centre bits of foamboard).

We cannot recommend this material enough as it is surely what every wargames builder has been looking for: lightweight, very strong, warp resistant, easily shaped and joined and also cheap.

Foam PVC Sheet Characteristics
* Half the weight of solid PVC sheets. (Specific gravity 0.55- 0.70)
* Same thickness at lower cost
* Good mechanical properties
* Good insulation, lower heat transmission
* Easily worked with conventional tools, prints and paints
* Can be easily bonded, vacuum formed, nailed and bolted
* Flammability: self-extinguishing
* Low water absorption
* High chemical resistance
* Meets various international standards
* Non-toxic

Usage Guide: As a rough guide you would use 3mm sheets for the exterior walls of buildings for maximum strength; interior walls and non-weight-supporting walls can be done with 2mm and the 1mm sheets are excellent for adding detail or where flexibility is needed.

The Antenociti website http://www.barrule.com/workshop/

They are based in Shropshire. Doubtless other people sell it too.

Thanks. I hadn't known "foamed" (I assume he means expanded) PVC even existed.