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Does anyone know of a place to purchase blue or pink styrene foam in south Florida? None of the lowes or home depots I have checked carry them ...

i had the same problem but eventually found a lowes that carried the foam. the only advice i can give is to check them all and dont assume that they all have the same stuff.

Did you try asking the guys at Lowes and HD? They may know.
Also, you could check your local Yellow Pages. Just call them until you find a store that sells it.

You might also try their websites. Some items can be bought online, then shipped to thes tore for pick up. In that instance, though, I don't know if there would be a minimum order.


Eric

the only blue foam I know of is 'closed cell' foam, like you put under sleeping bags. I've seen 2 types. 1 style is egg crate style. The other is flat and about 3/8's to 1/2 inch thick.
I've found that at outdoor/camping stores. also mart stores that sell camping supplies.

If that's what you mean, I hope that helps.
If not, give me a better description and I'll ask around.

Blue foam is just like pink foam. It's an extruded polystyrene insulating foam sold in a lot of "DIY home construction stores. It has different ratings than the pink stuff but, in the end, there's not a huge difference when you're making terrain with it.



Eric

is it soft and bendable or is it stiff, like styrofoam?

if the blue is bendable, that's what I bought in camping supplies.

kturock wrote:is it soft and bendable or is it stiff, like styrofoam?

if the blue is bendable, that's what I bought in camping supplies.

It doesn't feel EXACTLY like the pink stuff, but it's close. It's rigid. Definitely not the same stuff.

Eric

It's used in construction for insulation... It is generally called Styrofoam SM.

It is GREAT for terrain projects.

I have made some pretty impressive projects with it.

Just don't use spray paint on it.

It is sold in ALL hardware stores up here... cause its cold up here lol.

I just talked to two of the local crafters here in WPB. 1 owns a furnature repar/refinishing shop, the other works there. Both are gamers. They make alot of scenery and are the inventors/creators of the bananna box storage.

They said the blue, about 3/8" is available at Lowe's. It's called 'Dow board', since it was 1st made by Dow Chemical. Most everyone in construction, knows it by this name.

Look at construction sites, especially if they're building multi-family homes. It's not real good as temperture isolation, but is good at sound insolation. Small enough pieces can easily be found in the trash or even blowing around the work site.

If that's not a possiblity, check with companies that make home theater rooms, especially if they insulate the room for sound.

Search the name Dow board, that covers both the pink & the blue.

http://building.dow.com/na/en/products/ ... ion/sm.htm

Styrofoam SM is actually the correct name. Dow board is a slang term.

In the southern states, building code is a little different than the northern states and especially Canada.

As Kturock explained the 3/8 they use down there proabably wouldn't be very good for terrain, because it would snap too easily.

Up here 2" is code for construction, for thermal insulation on all exterior walls, so it is very prevalent. The thinnest I would go for terrain would be 1".

You could stack the thinner stuff, and use white glue to bond it.

I am sure you could find some 1" and thicker at a commercial building store. A place contractors go to buy construction supplies. Up here it is less than $20 a sheet and 1 sheet would do you for quite a while. They would use it to insulate refrigeration units, basements and sometimes use it for padding for certain types of siding. So I am pretty sure it would be available somewhere.

Nah, white glue is for pansies. Liquid Nails for the win.

Nah, white glue is for pansies. Liquid Nails for the win.

That does work better!!!

Like Norseman said, it's used for construction.
He gave the correct name. I was told what all the construction workers call it. [like xerox for copy machine & kleenex for facial tissue.]
The local Lowe's sells the thin stuff.
The thick is available as scrap/trash at construction sites for multi-family homes.

It is actually called "Insulated Sheathing", and you do have it down in Florida.

http://www.lowes.com/pl_Insulated+Sheat ... reId=10151

Extruded Polystyrene.
That's the term I couldn't recall.