Homasote - First-time user questions

If you are placing it on top of plywood you can use deck screws to fasten. Smooth side up works best. Sealing is ok but not necessary.

Gluing is recommended to fasten for best noise reduction. You can use screws to secure until the glue dries. Then remove the screws. Ogr. has a back shop video on this.

My past experience has been  I use a few roofing nails... very few.... to hold the homosote to the plywood. Where's it going to go? Ive never painted it in the 40 yrs I have used it..... that grey color of the board is a pleasing neutral color...

That's interesting, Jim.  I would have thought that in all of that time, 40 years, the Homasote would have absorbed some moisture, at least seasonally.  I was doing a job about 35 years ago with Homasote, using it as a wall liner in a garage.  Some paperwork was adhered to the back of the board and it suggested wetting the Homasote then letting it sit flat before installing it on the framed walls.  I thought it odd and didn't follow the suggestion.  Nothing happened to it, that I know of.  

Here's what I did with my Soundboard (just like Homasote at half the price). I rolled Elmer's white glue on the plywood and set the Soundboard on top. I used sheet rock screws at intervals along the edges and seams to keep things down then put joint compound over the depressions from the screws. And, as a matter of choice I rolled on an inexpensive brown latex paint. No issues since.

Mike

All I can add is.......CUT THIS STUFF OUTSIDE.......you'll thank me, if you do!    .......      

Tom Shirey posted:

All I can add is.......CUT THIS STUFF OUTSIDE.......you'll thank me, if you do!    .......      

 

I forgot that part. If you use any kind of electric saw cut it outside it's a pressed paper product and makes a ton of dust when cut. A fine tooth hand saw is better indoors and although a lot of effort a utility knife works too. 

Mike

Yes make sure you seal it with paint. I used this on an HO layout and when I ballasted my track, returned to a warped mess. Sealed it with some acrylic wall paint and no problems.

Yes, sawing can be very messy.  Do this outdoors if possible and use a fine blade.  You will be able to cut Homasote indoors if you install a blade instead of a saw in your hand held saber or jig-saw.  You can cut it by  hand with drywall knives, but that is a lot of work.  For straight pieces, some score it deeply, then snap it like drywall for less mess.

No screws should penetrate thru to the plywood or else noise will be transmitted.  Glue the Homosote and use drywall screws into the plywood, then when dry, remove all the screws.

Set your saw at an angle and cut tapers on both sides of your Homasote track bed.  For curved sections, alternate saw cuts on each side will allow you to bend it.  If you know the curve radius, you can also cut curves to that.

Homasote should be sealed with any latex water soluable fast drying paint after the drywall screws are removed.  Pick a light green, brown or gray color and your layout won't have that construction look and be easier to scenic.  Maybe a darker color if roadbed will be darker.

Thanks...

raising4daughters posted:

I'm building my 3rd layout and this time I'm putting homasote on top of the table top (about 8' X 12').  Three questions.

1. Should I fasten or glue down the homasote? I bought some PL300 just in case.

Glue it. A few dots here and there. I used buckets of water on pieces of 1 x 3 to spread the weight and hold it down. I suppose it is heavy enough you may not need any weight.

2. Which side is the top, smooth side or scored/rough side? (I assume smooth)

Whichever side that you like. The smooth is probably the better choice.

3. Latex paint OK? Seems like it needs to be sealed.

Yes. It will suck up the first coat. Plan on two coats.

Thanks!

Cut it with a box cutter / utility knife and a straight edge - no mess.

For angle cuts (to simulate roadbed) or curved cuts, use a jig saw with a knife-edge (no teeth) blade such as Bosch T113A3 (Amazon has them).

Good luck!

Alex

A question I have is do you use the soundboard on the entirety of the layout, or just under the tracks?

Timely topic, just as I was about to start building my first O-Scale 2-Rail switch in .148 Nickel Silver Rail.

I have cut Homasote with a carpet knife before and it can be a chore if you have a lot to do.  It is even harder if you are doing curves with a roadbed edge.

What I did was to make my own blade for my saber saw by using my belt sander to put a sharp edge where the teeth are.  Now the teeth are gone.  I finished up sharpening with a diamond sharpener and finished the edge on a stone.  If you are good at sharpening knives, this is not hard to do.

There is absolutely no dust at all and the edge you end up with is mirror-like smooth.

I meant to entitle this Dust Free Homasote smooth cut but hit the wrong key.

Thanks...

I have a few questions of my own. Right now have a 5x9 layout with 1/2 inch plywood on top. Green felt tacked down on the plywood. Since my layout was finished I have noticed noise from running the trains; with research I found out noise will happen if a sound proof barrier (homasote board) is not applied. I am looking into buying a sheet of homasote from Home Depot and cutting it into road beds for my fastrack and o-gauge 3-rail track.

1. Glue is preferred over nailing down homasote to the train board?

2. Could I use 1/4 screws to screw the tracks to the homasote? Will that cause any noise? I currently have both tracks nailed to the plywood so they won't move/shift. I read in the forum that nails will cause the noise to travel.

3. My layout is in a finished basement that is mostly cool all year around. Is it necessary to paint the homasote track bed before I install it to the train board? If paint is required, will latex wall paint be sufficient?

4. 1/4 inch thick homasote thick enough to cut down on the noise?

I have these questions before I move on;  paying $29 for a 4x8 board and putting in the effort of all the cuttingI hope to hear noise go away.

Raising4Daughters:

Gluing

As someone who is currently reusing sheets of homasote from 3 layouts ago, I would say that you should screw it to the plywood (and benchwork) rather than gluing it.  If you ever move or change your mind about your layout, you can unscrew it and reuse it on the next layout you build.  If you're young and you're on your 3rd layout, odds are there'll be a fourth.

If there's a difference in the noise abatement characteristics of one fastening method over another, I'm not aware of it.  Glue, however, is definitely permanent.  Deck screws can be backed out.

Cutting

If you try to do it with a box cutter, you'll have forearms like Popeye in no time.  That leaves a jigsaw.  

If you do cut homasote indoors, use a jigsaw with a plywood or even a metal-cutting blade (i.e., many teeth per inch) and have a friend or a spouse aim the business end of a shop vac at the blade as you go along.  I am seriously considering carrying mine outside to do the cutting.  It's a godawful mess.  

Sealing

Our homasote was sealed with latex paint, in the same green color as the base of a 145 Gateman.  That was appropriate for our first layout.  For the one we are building now, grass will be on top, so no sealing will be done of the homasote itself.  I haven't observed any problems with a few sheets of unpainted homasote that I purchased 11 years ago and that I will finally be deploying soon.

Daughters

When it comes to raising 4 daughters, my screen name could be Raised 4Daughters.  If yours are young, beware of age 15.  I can explain why at York if there's beer involved.  Cooter Brown's solution is not out of the question...

HTH.

Steven J. Serenska

I've finished building the tables on a new layout that I'm working on.  The next step is to homasote the tables.  What kind of glue do you use to fasten it to the plywood?

Thanks.

Anyone know where to buy Homasote or Soundboard in the Oklahoma City area ?

Thks,

Rich

Try this link.

Serenska posted:

Raising4Daughters:

Gluing

As someone who is currently reusing sheets of homasote from 3 layouts ago, I would say that you should screw it to the plywood (and benchwork) rather than gluing it.  If you ever move or change your mind about your layout, you can unscrew it and reuse it on the next layout you build.  If you're young and you're on your 3rd layout, odds are there'll be a fourth.

If there's a difference in the noise abatement characteristics of one fastening method over another, I'm not aware of it.  Glue, however, is definitely permanent.  Deck screws can be backed out.

Cutting

If you try to do it with a box cutter, you'll have forearms like Popeye in no time.  That leaves a jigsaw.  

If you do cut homasote indoors, use a jigsaw with a plywood or even a metal-cutting blade (i.e., many teeth per inch) and have a friend or a spouse aim the business end of a shop vac at the blade as you go along.  I am seriously considering carrying mine outside to do the cutting.  It's a godawful mess.  

Sealing

Our homasote was sealed with latex paint, in the same green color as the base of a 145 Gateman.  That was appropriate for our first layout.  For the one we are building now, grass will be on top, so no sealing will be done of the homasote itself.  I haven't observed any problems with a few sheets of unpainted homasote that I purchased 11 years ago and that I will finally be deploying soon.

Daughters

When it comes to raising 4 daughters, my screen name could be Raised 4Daughters.  If yours are young, beware of age 15.  I can explain why at York if there's beer involved.  Cooter Brown's solution is not out of the question...

HTH.

Steven J. Serenska

Good tips. I'm pretty far along and did a combination of screw down and glue down. Some areas I had to screw down due to some bowing.

I could probably change my screen name at this point to a hybrid.  Oldest finished college last year, 2nd oldest is a college senior, and 3rd one is a college freshman. Then there's our little 3rd grader who's more like an only child.

I Am reading that homasote can be glue and or screwed in. Don't the screws help with bringing in the noise of the trains?

mjammer posted:

I Am reading that homasote can be glue and or screwed in. Don't the screws help with bringing in the noise of the trains?

I would guess yes. I just didn't have the options to go glue only. Probably could pull the screws out now as I used a strong adhesive. Might do that once I get operational if it's too loud.

Where do you buy this stuff? soundboard or Homasote? Home depot list it as unavailable and Menards is 5hr away one way. Nevermind used the link provided above

Jhagewood posted:

Where do you buy this stuff? soundboard or Homasote? Home depot list it as unavailable and Menards is 5hr away one way. Nevermind used the link provided above

This stuff is too expensive.  The purpose was its easy to get nails into it and reduces sound.  So does Fiberboard and it cost 1/2 or less of price and its in stock at Menards and best of all it is BLACK on one side which is perfect as a base color for earth and ballast.

raising4daughters posted:

mjammer posted:

I Am reading that homasote can be glue and or screwed in. Don't the screws help with bringing in the noise of the trains?

I would guess yes. I just didn't have the options to go glue only. Probably could pull the screws out now as I used a strong adhesive. Might do that once I get operational if it's too loud.

That is an idea, glue down the homasote and secure it temporarilly with screw. Then remove the screws when the glue drys. My layout will not get re-built. This permanent approach will be perfect for me.