QuietBrace Characteristics

Great info, thanks! I looked at this several times as an alterative to foam, but was hesitant because of lack of info, now I may do it. Thanks James

I haven't seen quietbrace, is it the same as celotex or ceiling panels? Will water damage it?

QB sells for around $8 a sheet-4 x 8- if you can find it. I live in SE Ohio and found it at Menards which is 1 hour away. Homasote is going for $20-$30 a sheet around here so it may be advantageous to use QB. I have a sample coming from them to compare with Homasote. The testing done here is convincing enough to me to use it on my layout. Besides having to drive an hour to get it, there is a train store in the same town that has a great selection of O scale.

Frank

This is the second or third topic in the past week that included testing and standards. Very useful information but can it all be found easy enough in the futrue as needed. Would another sub-forum be better to store this type of thing in? Seems like it would be a one stop area for research almost like an OGR library.

Just a thought.

Thanks for the review and pics,very helpful.. I started on a large layout but had to discontinue for now due to an injury. I may use the product if I can find it within a reasonable distance from my house. Do you cover the whole layout with the product or just cut it for under the track?

Dale H

Dale,

The first tracks I laid were the graded mains, and of course these required the QB just under the track. Since most was curved, I cut the QB with a jigsaw and a knife edge blade set at 30°. I didn’t think 45° would be necessary, the 30° was easier to cut, and the edge looks just fine at 30°.

When I started laying the rest of the track I also cut the QB to fit under the track only. But after I had cut a few sections, I realized that I did not really need to do all this cutting, and proceeded to cover most of the area around the tracks with QB.

When I was done laying the track and started placing the structures to get an idea of how the layout was coming along compared to what I had envisioned, I discovered that in most cases having the entire area covered with QB would make it a lot easier for the scenery, streets, buildings, etc., so I did a lot of patch work to fill in the voids.

If I had to do it all over (which I won’t) I would cover the entire area except where there is a need for the ground to be at a lower elevation than the track. Again, for elevated tracks or areas were the track is not surrounded at all by anything else, then cut the QB to fit the track.

Just my 2¢.

Good luck!

Alex

PS. The thread on my layout shows a lot of the cut and 'patched' QB. (Link under my name - first post of this thread)

Homasote holds screws very well.  I've been screwing the track directly to the Homasote for more than 50 years.  Does it do as well as Quitebrace I don't know.

Jan

Check your local Home Depot or Lowes if they are close. I was able to get QB at Home Depot for under $8 a 4X8 sheet and Lowes dd not have in stock but could acquire from another Lowes Store. I plan on coverin my entire new layout when the time comes as I've heard nothing but positive reviews.

Only the HD stores down south carry the product. Lowes does not. I live in western Pa. I called the Quiet Brace manufacturer. The closest outlet he could find was Canton Ohio about 200 miles.. No problem I will make a trip load up my pickup,and see the Football Hall of fame on the way back.

Have one more question for Alex. What do you fill up the adjacent seams with? thanks 

Dale H

I have been using QB for a over 25 years without a problem.  Way back it used to be call Black Board....now it is essentially the same composition with a different name.  When Alex visited my layout back in October, before he got into the main construction of his, he had a chance to see first hand how I had used it.  Alex, I don't remember if you had used it before on your previous layouts but I think we both agree that it works as well as Homosote...at least for our purposes AND it is much less expensive.  Dale...I remember some time back you and I talking about trying to find QB in your area.  I am glad you finally found it even though it is so far away.  If you need enough of it, perhaps the trip and gas will be worth the savings.  To answer your question about the joints between sheets.....I didn't notice that Alex did anything special when I saw his layout but on mine I do nothing.  The sheets are pretty uniform and generally there is a good match from one sheet to another.  For those that seem to vary when next to one another, I take a hammer and a two by four and align the two by along the edge and smack it with the hammer.  This seems to level the offending edge....  Hope this helps...

Alan

Alan

Thanks so much. I have the framework up but not the plywood yet. Since we corresponded I had 2 serious accidents and also a serious illness in the family. My leg is really torn up and I can not lift much, I am looking into about a 6 month more recovery period. Anyway I did not calculate exactly but I would need between 20 and 30 sheets. The layout is layered L shaped about 50 by 55 feet varying in width. It will be more of a toy train display where the trains will run automatically following each other on a loop.. I plan 5 main loops and some trolley lines. The track is mostly all 0 120 K-line shadow rail and the bench work is rounded dog bone to fit the curves.. I prefer the QB to carpet so I can easily attach lamp posts and such. I think with one pickup load I can get what I need.  This stuff is also cheaper than carpet. I do want to cut down on noise a bit. 

Dale H

Dale,

Menards in Lancaster Ohio have it also. Lancaster is south east of Columbus. Might save you some travel time. If you go to Canton, Arronscitytrains is just 20min. north on I77. They have a really great selection of O trains.

Frank

Dale,

As far as the seams go (between QB pieces) I use whatever the ground cover is in that area. I have covered the QB with roofing paper to simulate roads and parking lots, and this has worked well.

I first used QB on my first O-Gauge layout, which I built in 2008 and dismantled early in 2010 to sell our house. That one was smaller (7-ft x 19-ft +) and I more or less finished it. I used various sizes of ballast, dirt, simulated grass, etc. and added them directly over the QB. I painted all of that QB with brown latex paint.

I started painting (well, my wife Jud did) the QB for my present layout, but after painting six sheets or so, we quit painting it and used it as it comes – black. I realized that it will eventually be covered completely, so there would be no need for painting it.

HOWEVER, the black coating on QB can be rather staining as if you get it on your shirt or pants, or drag it on the floor. So you may want to consider painting it. I believe Alan painted all or most of his.

Good luck!

Alex

Alex is correct....I decided to paint all 37 sheets of my QB for the very reason Alex stated.  If you lean anywhere on it, you will most likely have a permanent stain on your clothing.  I painted the edges for that reason particularly.  I used paint from the "whoops" section at Wal-Mart. 

Alan

Thanks to all you guys for your input

Dale H

   "whoops" section   

 Typically resourceful Alan - and now funny too!

I should have included this earlier on: QuietBrace is a sound-deadening structural sheathing manufactured by Temple-Inland:

http://www.templeinland.com/Bu...ducts/Fiberboard/QB/

Alex

Received my QB sample in the mail today. Looks like it will fit the bill ,so to speak, for subroadbed material. There appears to be a good side, smooth ,and a not so smooth- textured side. I plan on glueing it down with construction adheasive and glueing the cork to it. Should hold together fine and the hard surface of the QB will hold track screws just fine. Thanks for the heads up on this material. I never knew anything about it until reading this thread. It will be a savings over homasote that will go towards track and switches.

Frank

I have another question. The linked site says you can score it with a knife to cut it. Does it cut like sheetrock where you score it and snap it?

Dale H

Dale,

There is a hard "skin" on both sides of the sheet that might snap if scored. I haven't experimented with my sample yet.

Frank

Three or so passes with a sharp utility knife will make a clean, dustless, smooth cut through Homasote.  I found this preferable to using a saw.

Jan

Dale, Frank -

No - QB will not score+snap as sheetrock does - not at all.

It can be cut with a utility knife, much the same way as Jan described cutting the Homasote, which is how I used to cut Homasote when I used it.

The QB does have a hard edge that perhaps runs about 1/4" into the sheet, and it is a bit harder to cut with the knife, but no big deal.

A straight edge and a utility knife work great for straight cuts and even for curved cuts, but it will be tiring doing the latter. A jigsaw with a knife-edge blade works great for curves, and for straights.

Knife Edge Blade: Bosch T113A3 4-Inch, Knife - $12 for three-pack at Amazon. (I bought two packs expecting that they would dull quickly, but have used only one blade so far! I resharpen it with a medium grit stone, and the slight serrations from the stone make the blade cut the QB even better than the original edge.)

The blades, whether utility knife or jigsaw blade, will load up with the QB resin. I used to wipe it off with lacquer thinner, but then found that it can more easily be scraped off with another knife - the coating falls right off the blade when scraped.

Good luck!

Alex

BTW, I checked the price of QB at Home Depot today (Wentzville, MO): $9.27/sheet

I bought 3 sheets of QB today  at Home Depot for $7.97/ 4x8' sheet and plan to lay it over 1/2" plywood, but I'm concerned about the smell. It smells a little like tar and I'm wondering if the smell will go away quickly....or do I need to paint it to seal the smell inside.

Most any latex paint is fine. Takes 2 coats. When the first coat dries it will look like you did not paint it. The second coat covers well.  These guys Alex and others,  made me aware of it.  I used 55 sheets. It is carried down south but not in the norteast. I purchased mine in Chardon Ohio.

Dale H

Its coated with asphalt
http://www.templeinland.com/Bu...d/QB/qbdefcomply.asp

I'll stick with my pink foam sheets

Bill,

I painted some of the QB sheets with latex paint, as mentioned above, and it works fine. But I left at least half of the sheets as they were, without painting them, and we can't detect any smell in the train room other than the regular 'train' smell - a combination of plastic, electronics, wood, smoke fluid, etc. (I believe I used close to 30 sheets.)

One advantage of painting the QB is that it protects your knees, hands, pants, etc., from getting stained if you happen to rub hard against the coating, especially against the uncut edges.

Alex

Can someone tell me the location of a Home Depot that sells Quiet Brace?  I live in Havre de Grace Maryland and checked at the three Home Depot's in the County and with in a 50 mile radius and none of the stores carry the product.  The store closest to me told me they can order it in from another store if I could find it.  They even called the manufacturer and they would only ship a truck load as the minimum order.

Jim Miller

Hi Jim...

Well, I spent about an hour checking every (or nearly) store within 100 miles of your part of the country and didn't find any that had Quietbrace.  I may have missed it but sure didn't see one that showed up with Quietbrace in their inventory.

It seems that there are parts of the country that just don't use it in the building trades.  Here in the south, we have no problems finding it for the most part.  Here in Mountain Home, it is available at both Lowes and Home Depot as well as our lumber yards... 

Alan

Quiet brace available in St. Louis Home Depot @9.38 per sheet.

Ken

You have to go down south below Virginia where they stock it. . If you go to the Home Depot website you can search stores that have it. I checked with my local HD store. They would only special order it if you purchased a pallet of 90 sheets. Just not distributed in the northeast.

Dale H 

I sent a email to Temple-Inland the company that makes Quiet Brace and asked them to send me a list of vendors in my area.  Their web site list Temple-Inland Fiberboard products are readily available in at least 75% of the continental United States. Those states include: Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming.  I think I can get by with about 12 sheets.  Homosote is available locally , but is 2-1/2 times the cost.