My family and I recently bought a TV stand and, to my delight, it was packed in some nice pieces of white packing foam that I've used to widen my small 4x6-ish layout. I used two long strips of white foam that were 2" thick, 3.5" wide and 17" long. I was able to widen about 2/3 to 3/4 of the length of the layout with these.

I now need another mere 8" length of this 2" thick by 3.5" wide foam but I've run out. I'm trying to do this as cheaply as possible so I don't want to go out to Home Depot and buy a 2x8' section to chop up. Does anyone know of any places that might sell the original 2x 3.5 x 17" sections? as another one of those would be ideal. There must be a factory that spews these out for packing and mailing suppliers. I did some googling and it seems that courier and mail houses might be my best option. AFAIK, places like Home Depot don't seem to sell anything smaller than the 2 x 8' (x2" thick) size.

Thanks in advance.

You might ask at any of the box stores (Walmart/Home Depot/ect.) if they have any from unpacking the items they use on display. If so they are probably going to throw those peices away so they might give them to you. Also a check of the dumpsters/trash bins at these places might yield some peices as well.

Tyson Rayles Wrote:You might ask at any of the box stores (Walmart/Home Depot/ect.) if they have any from unpacking the items they use on display. If so they are probably going to throw those peices away so they might give them to you. Also a check of the dumpsters/trash bins at these places might yield some peices as well.

Thanks -- I'll try checking these then, especially Home Depot's scrap bin. Future Shop or Ikea might also be good choices.

Mike's idea is a good one. We had a business where we built different sized security panels, and when we got ready to ship, we'd always go to the closest dumpsters and find packing material and cardboard boxes that fit our needs. A lot of places recycle boxes, but not packing material. I'd suggest going to an industrial area or a smaller store since their dumpsters are more likely to be accessible and not locked up.

ezdays Wrote:Mike's idea is a good one. We had a business where we built different sized security panels, and when we got ready to ship, we'd always go to the closest dumpsters and find packing material and cardboard boxes that fit our needs. A lot of places recycle boxes, but not packing material. I'd suggest going to an industrial area or a smaller store since their dumpsters are more likely to be accessible and not locked up.

Thanks, Don -- I'll try to do some scavenging over the next few days !

Home Depot (or any other big box home improvement store) might have broken pieces of extruded (pink or blue) foam. I bought 2 sheets of 2x8 that had been crushed on the corner and the shiplap broken for $10, instead of $20 each. Scraps might be had for nothing. Make them an offer - that's what I did.

I would not use the white "beadboard" unless it is supported by something. It's not very strong.


Andrew

MasonJar Wrote:Home Depot (or any other big box home improvement store) might have broken pieces of extruded (pink or blue) foam. I bought 2 sheets of 2x8 that had been crushed on the corner and the shiplap broken for $10, instead of $20 each. Scraps might be had for nothing. Make them an offer - that's what I did.
I would not use the white "beadboard" unless it is supported by something. It's not very strong.
Andrew

Thanks, Andrew. I'll check HD again -- there's one only a few minutes' walk from where I live!

Yes, the white foam is weaker -- the rest of the layout uses the stronger green (environmental) foam -- but I only used it to increase the layout's width slightly. Hopefully, it will still hold up OK!

Rob

Hi Rob,

Scavenging as recommended above sounds like the best idea to me, but if you can't find anything would you consider the dense green foam florists use? I find it in craft stores like Michaels in various shapes and small sizes . It may be much more expensive per square foot than construction foam though.

Ralph

Ralph Wrote:Hi Rob,
Scavenging as recommended above sounds like the best idea to me, but if you can't find anything would you consider the dense green foam florists use? I find it in craft stores like Michaels in various shapes and small sizes . It may be much more expensive per square foot than construction foam though.
Ralph

Ralph,

That's not a bad idea! I'll try to do this in the next day or so. It would also be nice and strong and I probably could it it easily & nicely to the right shape.

Cheers,
Rob

The florists' foam has almost no structural strength (even less than the white "beadboard" styrofoam) and will deform at the slightest touch. It also is very moisture absorbent. I would not recommend it for this application.

Andrew

MasonJar Wrote:The florists' foam has almost no structural strength (even less than the white "beadboard" styrofoam) and will deform at the slightest touch. It also is very moisture absorbent. I would not recommend it for this application.

Andrew

Totally agree. We used to use it as a base during the assembly of printed circuit boards. It was easy to push the component leads into the foam, but they were constantly breaking off from handling and you could push a finger into it without any effort. Besides, it's not that workable, and really not that cheap.

Hey Andrew and Don,

I should clarify what I'm referring to. I don't mean the dark green spongy stuff that I think you guys are talking about. Perhaps it's not called "artist foam" (?) but I fnd it at Michaels near their plastic flowers.
Looks like this:


As you can see, it has good structural integrity. I've used it as a base for rock walls and tunnel entrances. It comes in a variety of sizes, some that sound like what Rob might be looking for.

Ralph

Thanks for the clarification re the artists' foam. Still considering this as I haven't found any scraps yet. Cheers, Rob

The other green floral foam is called Oasis. (the stuff that should not be used).