I’ve wasted nearly a month deliberating roadbed. I thought Lowe’s was going to get me some 1/2″ blue foam, but the order fell through (You just can’t get the stuff in the Puget Sound area without ordering a lot of it). I searched for alternates: cork underlayment (Pricey and not easy to get), Rubber underlayment (Pricey and not easy to get), craft foam sheets (not consistent in quality), MDF (Heavy and requires saw to cut).
I like the look of Homabed from California Roadbed. It’s pricey, but it looks great. I’ve never acutally handled homsote, so I hope I like it. I chose the HO main line 45 degree roadbed. It is .240″ thick and beveled at 45 degrees.
The FAQ says it takes 2-3 weeks to mill the order and 1-2 weeks to deliver. I hope my order makes it here as quickly as possible. It’s a pretty simple order, maybe they already have it in stock.
When I get my roadbed. It’ll be stacked 1/2″ to 3/4″ high. This height will give me room for foundations and drainage, the rest of the areas will be filled with something cheaper that Homabed, perhaps sheet homasote of 1/2″ Sound Board and True Scene Scenic Fiber.
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I received my Homabed in early September and finally got around to opening the box today. Everything appears to be here. It looks great. A little fragile for 4 year old hands though.
I spoke with HomaBed today and their has been a delay as the owner had a heart attack. He’s just getting back to work. Of course I’m anxious to get my HomaBed, but I don’t want him to over exert himself. I assured him it’s not a problem and not to worry about rushing my order.
Thanks Ryan. I’m pretty excited about Homabed. Every photo I see of the stuff looks beautiful. Contact cement always scares me (sounds so instant and permanant) hopefully another adhesive will work.
Thanks for the tip on Vandermeer Forest Products I drove by there the other day and they said they only do wholesale, but I did find another supplier in Seattle: Compton Lumber carries 1/2″ 4’x8′ Homasote sheets in the $30 range.
Like you, I’m thinking on using 1/2″ Homasote sheet as the base in in some areas, with HomaBed on top of that.
Greg
I just saw your post on MRH Forum. You can use latex caulk to adhere the homabed to either plywood or homasote. You’ll never be able to reuse it though if you make changes. One of the reasons that I suggested the homasote is that you can attach the homabed very easily with 1/2″ brads and then you can always pull it up and move it around.
I wouldn’t be too scared of the contact cement, just get yourself some dowels and you’ll be fine. I used to use wood glue (which works fine by the way), but saw a post on MRH about contact cement. I gave it a shot and I’ll never go back. Plus it’s really nice to press the surfaces together and be able to lay track immediately if you like.
Thanks Ryan. I appreciate the advice.
You won’t be disappointed with the homabed! It usually doesn’t take as long as it says on the web site, but he generally doesn’t tell you that it shipped. Just be on the lookout for a long white package in the mail. Check Vandermeer Forest Products, Inc in your area for 1/2″ Homasote. I use 1/2″ plywood with 1/2″ homasote adhered with contact cement. Them I put the homabed on top of that.