Finding homasote

I bought mine at Menards, but they are only in certain states.

The Homosote website has a dealer locator that may be helpful:http://www.homasote.com/WhereToBuy/

The lumber yard I used to get mine from is out of business--- but still listed in the locator! I checkedallthe other places nearby(50 miles)-- not one stocks it, it's all special rder.

As a rule Home Depot, at least here in Arkansaa, has employees with very little knowledge and very poor variety. A friend of mine suggested blackboard to me when starting my layout and it has worked out very well for me . Might try it.

I guess I am against the grain here, but I didn't use homasote. Partly because its expensive. I sealed the plywood with paint and used woodland scenics foam roadbed and am very happy with those results.

Hiya. Don't know where you are in NJ, but my local Home Depot in Dover (Morris County) has it in stock.

Also, I've bought it at the Home Depot in South Plainfield (Middlesex County). But, that was years ago.

Jim

Forget homasote.  I used 4' x 8' 1/2" sound deadening board on top of plywood.  Paid about $7 a sheet and is EASY to cut.   Works very nicely.  Got it at my local lumber yard.

These days, Homasote is very much a regional product in terms of availability.  Some areas of the country have it; some don't.

Just in case the people working in your local big box store don't know what it is it is usually in the same dept with the plywood and 4' x 8' insulation.  Just look around for it.  It is basically compressed cardboard and usually gray in color.

Rick

dont know where u are in nj but homasote is made in nj. maybe you could get it direct

find a local lumber store instead of the bigbox stores.

we have a local lumber store ,"Whites Lumber" and they have everything.

It's kind of funny. I go into my local family run Lumber Yard, ask for couple of sheets of Homosote, and the clerks first response is " building a train table? "

I wonder what else it's used for?

I did find one HD seems to carry homasote. Its in secaucus. So I will check them out today.

I walked into my local Home Depot and asked for Homasote and was told STERNLY by the sales associate that it was not politically correct and was now refered to........... Alternative Lifestyle sheet good!

I used the 1 inch green foam from Lowes.  I got a deal on 3/4 T&G plywood from a Builders Surpluss in North East Maryland and covered it with the extruded foam.  I have the risers in place and am tweaking the track before I start the hard shell over the risers.  Works for me and was about half the cost of homosote, and a lot easier to carry into the basement.

This is what I did as well...The foam roadbed is awesome and easier to work with than cork IMHO.

Jeff Davis

While Homasote is the old standby I am using SoundStop from Celotex with excellent results. It has much lower density than homasote thus less strength but mush better sound damping quality.

It also costs less.

Cut it with a razor knife, not a toothed blade, unless you like a room full of fuzz.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/440...2090212#.UYEEv6LMBMg

It's been a challenge for us here at Homasote. I guess we've been a great many different things during the 109 years since the first board was made. We still are all those things....including a good option for train layouts. 

The Home Depots, like the one I linked to above in Somerset, have us in their soundboard department....even when they don't realize it.

Homatech,

Welcome to the Forum and thanks for the information.

I bought my Homasote from Home Depot in Bridgewater, NJ but that was about ten years ago.

Homatech, I will echo Joe and say thanks for chiming in here, and welcome to the Forum. I've been using it for over 20 years. I wish I had used it on my first layout (back in the mid-50's)...that was one noisy layout! Dad thought 4'x 8' plywood on a wood table frame would be fine. Not! 

Yeah....thanks, guys, for the welcome.

I honestly think that the early use of Homasote as a train board was so popular that it opened some eyes around here as to its sound attenuation component. Nowadays the product has found a serious niche as a major player in new home construction as a sound board.

I think that all started on my old train board all those years ago.

Hi Homatech,

     I am originally from Baltimore, MD and the Christmas train layout was called a "Christmas Garden" with Homasote as the top surface, usually without any plywood underneath.  However, people in my family called it "beaverboard."   After doing a Google search, I am now confused if they are different products or the same.  Did your company ever make Homasote under that name, beaverboard?

Thanks, Take care, Joe.

P.S. Seriously regret not using Homasote on my current layout!!!  The noise is a killer!

Hey, Joe.

We manufactured our product under a number of names over the years (Pantasote, Vehisote, Structasote, Agasote) but it has always been the same product. It has always been that 'ubiquitous gray board'.

Here is an interesting link for information on fiber boards over the years.

http://inspectapedia.com/struc...ard_Sheathing.htm#H1

Regards from the Tech Desk. 

Hi Homatech,

    Thanks for the info!  The first time I may have heard it called "Homasote" was when I was in high school and I used an old piece of it to repair a large hole in a plaster and lathe wall before spackling.  At the time I was just trying to do a repair from what we had around the house, but it was an excellent choice and matched the thickness of the old plaster layers.  Unfortunately my father and I stopped using it with the trains.  It was also easier for a child to drive track nails into the gray board as compared to plywood.  If I am ever so blessed as to build another layout, I will most certainly use Homasote!!!!

Take care, Joe.

I have to say while the folks who work at Home Depot are usually very nice, they're not rocket scientists. (If they were, they'd be working a t NASA and not Home Depot.) Then again, I don't work for NASA either:-) I think you should have gone to the front of the store and talked with a manager.

All the HD's I go to in northern NJ carry 1/2 Homasote in 4x8 sheets, and they will cut it down for you into smaller pieces if you don't have an SUV or truck. Some lumber yards even carry the 1/4" thick 5x9 sheets.  I bought some of that and used it to make my own roadbed and saved a bundle in comparison with "Homa-bed".

Good to know that they will do custom cutting. I imagine some won't. 

I did try the secaucus HD store and they are out. I guess will need to try an alternative.

Homasote is carried by the HD in Harriman, NY, for sure.  I bought some at Kuiken Bros. in Warwick, NY, as well. 

Richie

They do have homasote at Home Depot.  The people are usually unfamiliar with it.  It used to be stored by the panelling, it is now stored by the insulation.  Lowes does not carry it. Just picked some up at the side pot for about $26 per 4x8.

Has anyone tried ceiling tiles? I just got back from HD to buy some materials and noticed 2X4 sections of noise reduction ceiling tiles. From experience I know if they get wet its a mess. 

Borderman, ceiling tiles are NOT suitable for use under train tracks. it's not dense at all, will not hold screws or nails, etc. Even glueing doesn't work too well due to the absorbency factor. Stick with soundboard/hushboard/homasote/quietbrace--- you be happy you did.

I just bought 8 sheets Homasote today at Home Depot in Wilkes Barre, PA. $24.95 a sheet.  They always have it in stock. 

Well I finally was able to find some Homasote. Going to pickup some tomorrow. But curious when i asked about soundboard the first time, some HD employee referred me to the following black sheet below in the pic. But I thought that does not look like 440 soundboard or homasote. So when I asked a second time the other guy show me the right one since it says 440 homasote. 

I believe that is called quiet brace. Not sure from the photo, but do an OGR search on Quiet brace and there should be several topics.

I got my homasote at Menards here in Michigan. Last time I was in there to get more, they wanted a ridiculous price for it so I didn't buy it. I understand that quietbrase is cheaper and better. I'm planning on expanding my lay out and I'm going to try the quietbrase. Unfortunately, Home Depot and Lowes are 30 to 40 miles from where I live so Meneards is it.

I asked on another thread but just in case, should I paint the black top of the QB if I plan on gluing a foam top layer on the QB? Or leave it as is? My concern will be the adhesive gluing the Qb to the foam sheet. Will be using the Loctite for Foam.

Thanks