Q: What is the best adhesive to use for attaching cork roadbed to wood or extruded-foam insulation board? — Ronald Jaeger
A: In Basic Trackwork for Model Railroaders — Second Edition (Kalmbach Books, 2014), Jeff Wilson wrote, “Cork can be nailed in place, but glue is a much neater option. I prefer white glue for securing cork to plywood and Woodland Scenics Foam Tack Glue for adhering cork to foam.”
Jeff’s suggestions on adhesives for attaching roadbed are just a starting point. If you’re working on a wood surface, you can also use wood glue, caulk, and construction adhesive.
Care must be taken when attaching cork to extruded-foam insulation board as solvent-based products may etch or burn through the foam. Examples of foam-safe products include DAP Foamboard Construction Adhesive, Liquid Nails Projects & Foamboard Adhesive, and Loctite PL 300 foamboard construction adhesive.
In addition, we’ve used DAP Alex Plus and Dynaflex 230 (both acrylic products) to attach cork roadbed to wood and foam surfaces.
Homasote roadbed
Homasote, a compressed paper product, is a popular roadbed choice for those who handlay track. In most instances, it’s attached to a plywood layout surface with wood glue, as illustrated in this video from our HO scale Winston-Salem Southbound Tar Branch series.
But what if you want to attach Homasote roadbed to extruded-foam insulation board? In Ask MRVP: Episode 50, Trains.com Director David Popp tested four different adhesives for attaching roadbed: DAP Alex Plus clear latex adhesive caulk, Elmer’s white glue, Titebond wood glue, and Loctite PL 300.
After letting the adhesives dry for two weeks, David came in with a putty knife to see if he could separate the roadbed from the extruded-foam insulation board. As you probably expected, the DAP Alex Plus and Loctite PL 300 did the best job anchoring the roadbed to the foam. The Titebond wood glue stuck to the roadbed but didn’t bite into the foam. The roadbed attached with Elmer’s white glue peeled right up, with little if any damage to the foam.
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