Foam Board Installation: Liquid Nail VS. Elmers Glue

A no brainer for me, I'd use something other than Elmer's.   There is a Liquid Nails for Foam that would be the best choice.

Liquid Nails. They have a specific adhesive for foam. Over a large area, the Elmer's won't dry. It works better on porous surfaces and won't adhere to the non porous foam board.

THIS is a question right up MY alley having spent the summer rebuilding my layout which I moved in pieces from NJ to NC. Much of my basement NJ layout was still in the planning stage and therefore never glued down. I was PLANNING on using the Elmers glue and had a lot of it. So, in NC I began with the glue just to save money. Since it was old it was a bit thinker than usual which was actually a plus BUT it still took too long to totally dry. A bit of homework told me that since it is sandwiched between layers of this nonbreathable foam it might never truly dry for a VERY long time. I had everything I could find weighing it down for at least 48 hours.

WATCHING GLUE DRY!

THEN I purchased Loctite PL300 for foam. I read many reviews of Loctite vs Liquid Nails with both being good but Loctite winning in the end. It was easier to use, bonded quickly, and cured quickly compared to the Elmers, allowing me to move onto the next area in a timelier fashion.

Also, I had used Elmers a number of years ago on a layout that had to be moved into town for the Holiday Train show every November and back home in Jan where it was stored in a detached garage. Sections started coming apart! I don't THINK that would happen on a permanent layout but who knows. It did allow me to take apart my old basement layout though without too much of a mess.

I used Liquid Nails on my last layout that lasted around 10 years without any ungluing whatsoever.

The layout was in the basement where it would be humid in the summers. Again, I had no issues.

Tom

Elmer's school glue is pretty useless stuff. Glue All is the Elmer's you want, but its not going to have much impact on foam board.  You can use it to glue stuff *to* the foamboard, but I would not use it to glue the board down.  Its going to sit on the surface and merely tack it to the plywood. Use Liquid nails, or better yet, foamboard adhesive. The other thing you can use, if you have enough weights to prevent it from lifting, is great stuff spray foam.

The Winner is ......Liquid Nails. The glue does NOT dry. Foam board lifted right up. No adhesion with Elmer's glue.

@Mikki posted:

THEN I purchased Loctite PL300 for foam. I read many reviews of Loctite vs Liquid Nails with both being good but Loctite winning in the end. It was easier to use, bonded quickly, and cured quickly compared to the Elmers, allowing me to move onto the next area in a timelier fashion.

I used Locktite PL3 on the fascia of my layout, and I can tell you that's never going to come off without a fight!

Not all construction adhesives are compatible with polystyrene rigid foam, but it looks like the Liquid Nails HD is.  I use Loctite Power Grab.  When I want an instant bond (when building up terrain/mountains), I add a few dabs of hot melt glue to hold things while the adhesive cures.

I used Elmers Glue on my 2" foamboard and let it dry overnight while weighted down. It is not coming off and is easy to use.

I used liquid nails on my previous Standard Gauge layout.

That being said, I am NOT planning on using foamboard on my current layout.  Didn't like it for several reasons, but that's another discussion.

@cubalz posted:

I used Elmers Glue on my 2" foamboard and let it dry overnight while weighted down. It is not coming off and is easy to use.

Same here.

I used LN for Projects (works with foam) as others have said.  I glued foam on top of homasote, weighted it down overnight, then it was great the next day.

I had success using Elmer’s white glue to layer 2” foam board on a portable layout.  Many years of moving the layout and storing it on its side never caused the layers to come apart.  The layout even survived a move from one house to another.

I bought a gallon of Liquid Nails in a can and used a wide putty knife to spread the LN on the foam board and used bricks to weigh it down overnight.  This is the third layout I’ve done with layers of foam over 3/8” plywood.

You can always screw it down can’t you, won’t need as much glue.