Foam for railing (1 Viewer)

[DisplacedTexan]

Due to current location I'm having issues finding a single sheet of foam for the railing. Looks like I'll need to purchase 24x72 maybe 24 x96 if I'm lucky. With that being said, has anyone had issues with creases or durability when splitting foam into multiple sections on the railing?

 

[Drej]

I wanted to save money and purchased separate sheets for the railing and I regret it. I have slight ripples that you can see on the vinyl from the separate foam pieces underneath.

I don’t think my players actually notice them, but since I made the table I notice all the little errors.

 

[zshearin]

I just bought some foam from YAT last week that should be the right size you're looking for: https://www.yourautotrim.com/1x54x1060hdr.html

Not sure if that helps for your location

 

[stonker]

I’m going to attempt to pad a 54” round rail with 8 sections of 1” foam and then glue a 1pc 1/4” headliner layer over all of it. I’m hoping the extra layer of head liner minimizes visibility of the seams.

 

[JP1984]

I tried using multiple pieces…I ended up redoing it though. Couldn’t get the finish I wanted. I know some have had success and it’ll depend on your vinyl too, if it’s thick enough to hide the sins…

 

[BGinGA]

I’m going to attempt to pad a 54” round rail with 8 sections of 1” foam and then glue a 1pc 1/4” headliner layer over all of it. I’m hoping the extra layer of head liner minimizes visibility of the seams.

Cut your joints at diagonal angles, not 90 degrees. Glue the joints, but not near the top edges (otherwise you will feel the hardened glue under the vinyl). Cover the joints with dryer sheets to smooth them out. Using a one-piece headliner between foam and vinyl will definitely help.

You can make a satisfactory rail using multiple pieces of foam, but it takes a lot of extra effort. Not worth it imo.

 

[DisplacedTexan]

Cut your joints at diagonal angles, not 90 degrees. Glue the joints, but not near the top edges (otherwise you will feel the hardened glue under the vinyl). Cover the joints with dryer sheets to smooth them out. Using a one-piece headliner between foam and vinyl will definitely help.

You can make a satisfactory rail using multiple pieces of foam, but it takes a lot of extra effort. Not worth it imo.

Thank you. Base on current location I'll have to use 2 sheets to do the entire rail.

 

[BGinGA]

Thank you. Base on current location I'll have to use 2 sheets to do the entire rail.

And when I say 'glue', I'm referring to spray adhesive. Typically 3M Super 77 Multipurpose Adhesive.

 

[stonker]

Cut your joints at diagonal angles, not 90 degrees. Glue the joints, but not near the top edges (otherwise you will feel the hardened glue under the vinyl). Cover the joints with dryer sheets to smooth them out. Using a one-piece headliner between foam and vinyl will definitely help.

You can make a satisfactory rail using multiple pieces of foam, but it takes a lot of extra effort. Not worth it imo.

Thanks for the advice. I was afraid to cut the edges on angles But after cutting them straight I realized angles wouldn’t have been much harder. The 1” foam was left over from my last elliptical build and I already had head liner on hand. Between making sure the edges were cut nice, the additional layer of headliner and the texture of the crocodile vinyl I cannot feel the seams.