I am getting ready to start a carved mahogony bulletin board for church to display photos of members serving in military. Was researching thru the archives looking for info on attaching cork to 1/4″ plywood back. Several folks pointed out, in replies to another cork inquiry, that a better back than plywood would be homosote board (with cork attached with contact cement). I thought I was familiar with just about every building material, but “homosote” is a new one. What is it, has anyone actually used is as cork backer to a bulletin board, and is cont. cement good for attaching it?
Thanks, as always, Gary
Replies
Fabric wrapped around Homosote board makes a nice bulletin board and you have more choice to match colors. Homosote makes a great sanding block and easy to shape for profiles.
It is an "old" material. Been around for a long time. My guess is you are more apt to find it at a lumberyard. If you know of a large model railroad club you might check with them. Many of them have used it as a base.
Alan - planesaw
It is a greyish composition sheet product (4X8). Often used as carpet underlayment, "insulation" (not much), cheap walls in, for example, attic spaces, etc. It looks like it's made out of ground up paper pressed tightly together. It's pretty soft & easy to work with (but, oy, the dust!) It would make a good backer for a bulletin board.
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
Mike,
Is homosote the same as what we used to call "celotex"? Used it for sheeting outsides of bldgs, under weatherboard or brick veneer.
Just curious,
Ray Pine
>> Is homosote the same as what we used to call "celotex"?Similar. If I remember correctly, the difference is that Celotex is impregnated with asphalt to make it a little more water resistant than homosote.
My Dad and Grandpa made our cottage out of homosote. Lasted for 30 years...far east end of Lake Ontario...50 yds from the lake. Many...many coats of paint. Place is still standing. Covered homosote with T-111 in the 80's. Still 30 or so years in that environment should say something for that forgotten old friend homoste....
Homasote is basically a thick sheet of cardboard, it is made from recycled newspapers, which would explain the gray color. In the northeast it is commonly available at most lumberyards.
Homasote will work by itself as a bulletin board, but it isn't perfect, tacks work loose too easily dropping things on the floor all the time. A cork facing added to the Homasote solves this problem, because the cork grips the tack's shank firmly.
Celotex isn't the same as Homasote, it is made from wood fibers and is less dense, but it will work as a tackboard with a cork facing.
John W.
The old house that I grew up in was built in the early 20th century. Some of the interior walls were lined with "compo board." Your discription of homasote sounds like that stuff.
It's a compressed recycled paper product, fairly hard and stiff, gray, with slightly textured faces. It would be OK to use behind cork, but by itself it takes a pretty good effort to make a push pin go in and hold. I've used it in 1/2 inch thicknesses. Don't know if it comes in other thicknesses, but I believe it is a 4 X 8 sheet product. Haven't used it in some years, but when I did it was for the same application you are thinking bout. I covered it and then put a wood frame around it. Think about how you're going to hang it before you start because it's hard to rework any mistakes due to its poor holding power for fasteners.
My dad used to call it "Horsesh*t insulation" Rick
Latin for paper-mache.
I don't know if it is still available, but a few years back, one of the local yards sold 4X8 sheets of homosote with the cork already attached. It was--is -- 1/2" thick and is designed as bulletin board stock.
I did a run of home offices back then, and used it as a bulletin board between the desktop and wall cabinets.
EDIT: I just googled this, and found this link on the Homasote web site:
http://www.homasote.com/cork.html
I am pretty sure the product I used was call "Nova Cork" (link above), but strangely they don't mention a cork veneer with it, but I didn't look very hard. Look around on their site for other ideas for bulletin board materials.
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"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
Edited 1/28/2006 10:11 pm by nikkiwood
Thanks to all who replied and for those who provided the links, from which I learned my local Lowes carries it. I'll check it out. However, it may be too thick for my use. If it is 1/2" and I face it with 1/8" cork, and I rabbet the 4/4 frame, that only leaves 1/8" above the rabbet, which is a bit too skimpy. Anyway, thanks much. Gary
If you can find the Nova Cork I mentioned, that stuff is 1/2" total. That would give you 1/4".Depending on how big your bulletin board may be, you could frame it with 5/4 stock instead, leaving you with a 1/4" on the back for a plywood backer which would lend more rigidity.However, I prefer to skip the backer, and screw the whole thing directly to the wall -- using either brass or black (drywall) screws, countersunk flush to the cork.********************************************************
"It is what we learn after we think we know it all, that counts."
John Wooden 1910-
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