I've seen many discussions about Homasote and how best to fasten it to benchwork or foundation, such as plywood.
My question is different and has a simple answer--I hope!
How well does Homasote take and hold screws, such as small wood screws, if you want to keep track and accessories in place on top of it?
And is there a certain type of screw it grabs and holds well?
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The product page for Homasote states to use a Bugle head #6 x 1 ¼" drywall screw when attaching floors (which are usually made of wood). I imagine they make a 1" and shorter screws as well. I'm not sure if they would be the right thickness to fit in the pre-drilled holes on accessories though. I'm sure any screw which goes down to the plywood underneath would work. Being a paper product and thin, I'm not sure short screws just going into the Homasote would work all that well in the long run.
-Greg
To attach Homasote to plywood use Sheetrock screws come in one inch course screws to screw in track accessories use thin sheet metal crews can buy both by bulk pack if needed they work fine Homasote densely compressed and will hold most items it also paints up well only downside very dusty when cutting easily cut to recess acessories
I used fairly common steel Phillips flat head screws - they sort of blend into my Fastrack. If you have plywood under the homosote, you want to be sure that the screw doesn’t go through the homosote into the wood (that would transfer sound).
I used drywall screws to attach it to the plywood and Atlas screws to attach Atlas track. No issue with either one.
Homasote is a building product available in several different thicknesses. We commonly use nominal 1/2" in model railroading. if you want a screw to bite and hold in homasote use a drywall screw. It works to hold things down. 1/2" does not provide much bite.
Our house had 1 1/2" homasote as the flooring in an upstairs office laid directly over the floor joists. It held the carpet tack strips for 22 years with no issues and even survived water leakage from windows. We took it out during the remodel and I saved a small piece since I had not seen homasote this thick.
I used 1/2" Homasote 30+ years ago and used either 3/4" or 5/8" (5/8' i think but can't remember) brass CS wood screws to hold down Gargraves track. It has held up just fine.
I glued it down with liquid nails and dry wall screws. After the glue has dried, I removed the screws to reduce sound transfer to the plywood. I used regular track screws to hold the track. It has held well for over 20 years.
Instead of homasote I used sound board, same as ceiling tiles but in 4' x 8' sheets. Plus they were less expensive and hold screws better, IMHO. I attached them to a plywood base with drywall screws and used #4 pan head sheet metal screws to hold the track in place. Just make sure that they do not go all the way thru the sound board and contact the plywood.
@Doug W. posted:Instead of homasote I used sound board, same as ceiling tiles but in 4' x 8' sheets. Plus they were less expensive and hold screws better, IMHO. I attached them to a plywood base with drywall screws and used #4 pan head sheet metal screws to hold the track in place. Just make sure that they do not go all the way thru the sound board and contact the plywood.
I’ve read on the forum that Homasote will warp in humid conditions. Does sound board have this problem, too?
@Mark V. Spadaro posted:I’ve read on the forum that Homasote will warp in humid conditions. Does sound board have this problem, too?
Homasote will warp if NOT SUPPORTED! In other words, Homasote is most commonly used on top of plywood, and glued/screwed down to prevent warping. Then track/ties are glued down on the Homasote, and ballast added & glued last.
We use 1/2” on top of all plywood. Screw it down with dry wall screws, paint it brown. Screw track to it. Never had a problem, no vibration, no noise. 18 x 38 feet.layout space.
Be sure to cut it with a knife blade in the saw. Virtually no dust. I cut a small piece Saturday inside the train room and cleaned it up with a shop vac in seconds. Usually do outside but the rain was really coming down.
Feel free to e-mail me if any questions.
I have used Homasote (sheets for large (4'x6' & 2'x8') areas and Homabed for roadbed) since `88 or`89 in my basement. It has been held down to whatever scraps of wood (1/4", 1/2" & 3/4" ply, pieces of pine, etc.) I had, using either nails or screws that were at hand. NO GLUE. It hasn't warped!! I'm beginning to think warping Homasote has become an urban legend.
Well, I've seen unsupported Homasote warped badly, but if it's secured to plywood, it's really hard to see how it would warp. I sure hope it doesn't, as I have a lot of it on my entire main level! 
@Mark V. Spadaro posted:I’ve read on the forum that Homasote will warp in humid conditions. Does sound board have this problem, too?
Living in SoCal we "rarely" have what might be considered high humidity for any length of time so I really can't say yea or nay about it warping. Where I have used it there has been no warping. As others have said if homasote is glued & screwed down on a plywood base warpage should be non-existent. I went with the soundboard primarily because it seemed to be better at minimizing sound transmission and significantly less expensive.
Just my 2cents
@modeltrainsparts posted:I'm beginning to think warping Homasote has become an urban legend.
For the typical home owner having their typically horizontal layout in a typical home with typical HVAC control throughout,...it's not a problem.
However, for typical retailers of Homasote...it can be a BIG problem. Before Menard's came to town, the only source around here was a classic lumberyard that has been around for 100 years. And that availability was only by special order, no cancellation, no partial returns.
The reason explained to me was that they didn't have a climate-controlled storage facility for this type of material (paper product) which for its residential/commercial construction market had rather low demand and inventory turnover. Warpage and swelling was, indeed, the problem.
Well, Menard's stores these sheet materials...Homasote, plywood, Masonite, MDF, etc...inside their main facility, fully climate-controlled. No problem. And, as I would suspect, having a founder with model railroading as his hobby...as we all know and appreciate!!!...was careful to ensure this popular layout construction product was part of their inventory.
BTW, before Menard's came onto the scene, I needed a sheet of Homasote for a project. The aforementioned lumberyard would not special order a single sheet. So I approached a couple of the 'Big Box' home improvement stores of that era. Since Homasote's usual market is in home/business construction, I went to the Contractor's Desk at the nearest store.
Me: "Do you guys happen to carry Homasote?...I just need a single sheet."
Counter Intelligence: "What's Homasote?"
Re: holding layout thingies down on the surface (assumed to be near-horizontal) of Homasote without penetrating to structural elements beneath... Screws of any sort are the LAST thing I'd consider for fastening to that usual 1/2" thick 'cardboard'. My first go-to is gravity. It does a good job in our geographic area of holding things down. OTOH, guarding against vibrations, wayward elbows, de-railing high-speed trains, wandering/curious felines, etc.,etc...requires some help. I've used plastic tie-wraps, magnets, Velcro, wax blobs, rubber cement, pushpins, T-pins, straight pins, thumbtacks, duct tape, ....but not bubble gum.
FWIW, and TEHO.
KD
This is my experience with homosote. The 1/2" Homosote product sold in my area is meant to be hung on wall/ceiling studs with screws. I cut the pieces I needed an noticed how flat they laid, until I painted the top side with the idea of sealing the surface as much as possible with latex paint. Every piece curled to some extent and none were flat enough not to need something to hold them down. Drywall screws here and there do the trick. Glue works but is permanent.
I don't consider that I am using the homosote to quiet anything. I use solid rail track and a good foam road bed for that purpose. I use homosote because it works for attaching track with screws (I use those little Atlas track screws), and to provide a uniform surface to build on.
@Greg Houser posted:TBeing a paper product and thin, I'm not sure short screws just going into the Homasote would work all that well in the long run.
Actually, the 1" Gargraves track screws hold very well. They go through the track, roadbed, and into the Homasote. I have seen layouts many years old with screws into the Homasote that were still solid, so I have no worries about these suddenly coming loose.
@JBuettner posted:I've seen many discussions about Homasote and how best to fasten it to benchwork or foundation, such as plywood.
My question is different and has a simple answer--I hope!
How well does Homasote take and hold screws, such as small wood screws, if you want to keep track and accessories in place on top of it?
And is there a certain type of screw it grabs and holds well?
Never going to hold a screw or nail like solid wood but I have a way to increase it's holding power by quite a bit. I put the screw in, no longer than the thickness of the homasote, just bottom it out with no extra twisting. Remove the screw then squirt a little CA in the hole the screw was in. Give the CA time to cure then reinsert the screw. It will nearly double the holding power. You can also use a little CA on the screw when you reinsert it if you know you won't be removing it again. Warning if you glue it in you will tear out some homasote when you try to remove it. If you need more holding power. Get a cutter for making wood plugs, 1/2" is about right. Use the same cutter to cut a plug out of the homasote then glue your wood plug in the hole you cut in the homasote. However don't bottom your plug against the supporting plywood leave a small gap at the bottom or you will be conducting sounds through to your supporting plywood. You can also make a cutter specifically for cutting the plug in the homasote with thin wall steel tubing by sharpening the end of the tubing from the inside of the end. I just chuck the tubing in my drill and hold a pointed, half round, jewelers file just inside the end of the tube at the angle I want the hollow of the circular blade I'm forming. j
@JohnActon posted:If you need more holding power. Get a cutter for making wood plugs, 1/2" is about right. Use the same cutter to cut a plug out of the homasote then glue your wood plug in the hole you cut in the homasote. However don't bottom your plug against the supporting plywood leave a small gap at the bottom or you will be conducting sounds through to your supporting plywood. You can also make a cutter specifically for cutting the plug in the homasote with thin wall steel tubing by sharpening the end of the tubing from the inside of the end. I just chuck the tubing in my drill and hold a pointed, half round, jewelers file just inside the end of the tube at the angle I want the hollow of the circular blade I'm forming. j
WOW, I hope I never need that solution! Think about the hundreds of track screws I used, I'd still be drilling holes and gluing in plugs! 
@JBuettner posted:I've seen many discussions about Homasote and how best to fasten it to benchwork or foundation, such as plywood.
My question is different and has a simple answer--I hope!
How well does Homasote take and hold screws, such as small wood screws, if you want to keep track and accessories in place on top of it?
And is there a certain type of screw it grabs and holds well?
I used large head one-inch roofing nails.
I used #3 & #2 brass RH and CS (depending on application including Gargraves track) wood screws. They've held for over a quarter of a century. Methinks some of you have too much time on your hands and are over engineering what is a simple solution to the original question.
Glad to hear that, as I'm counting mine staying put for as long as I need them. 
There is no substitute for getting your hands on some homosote and experiencing it for yourself. I think people get nervous when they hear "compressed paper", which it is, but it is also quite dense. I have screwed down track to homosote, removed the screws and track for some deburring and then screwed the track back down it the same holes. It is possible to snug track down into the foam roadbed quit a bit with the small track screws and not strip the homosote. I also believe it is safer to use than any other material I could find for this purpose. It is fire retardant.
TT.
@Jamken posted:...only downside very dusty when cutting easily cut to recess acessories
I've had Homasote on a layout for an extended period of time. Cutting Homasote does create a significant amount of home-dust for sure!
@Dennis GS-4 N & W No. 611 posted:I've had Homasote on a layout for an extended period of time. Cutting Homasote does create a significant amount of home-dust for sure!
If you think cutting it creates a lot of dust, you should try routing it! Fortunately, the shop vac was there to catch most of the dust.
@modeltrainsparts posted:Methinks some of you have too much time on your hands and are over engineering what is a simple solution to the original question.
Nailed it! Seems to be a pretty common response level, too.
It takes the right tools to cut Homasote without creating a lot of dust.
These works wonders for me:
BOSCH T313AW3 3-Piece 6 In. Knife Edge Special for Soft Materials T-Shank Jig Saw Blades
Check out the wavy edge.
Someone earlier in the thread mentioned knife-edge blades. I wholeheartedly second the suggestion.
Thanks for bringing it up.
Mike
@Mellow Hudson Mike posted:It takes the right tools to cut Homasote without creating a lot of dust.
Band saw works great; set the table at 45 degrees and put a bevel on for cutting roadbed. Clean & polished cut.
I use 1/2 inch homasote on top of 3/4 inch plywood. I glue the homasote to the plywood with wood glue that I apply liberally with a paint brush to cover the entire plywood surface. I weight the homasote for 6 hours to let the glue set. I then use caulk to apply cork roadbed on top of the homasote. I attach the track to the cork with 18 gauge 3/4 inch brads. I use Atlas 2 rail track.
There are other ways to go, this has worked really well for me. You can push the brads in with a nail set and they stay put.
My hands and forearms aren't strong enough to use the utility knife any more. I tried the Bosch knife edge blades but I like the 3" Bosch scroll cutting blades for jigsaws more when I need to make fitting cuts. The scroll blades move easier through the material and are fine enough to leave a smooth edge. These create a bit more dust than the knife blades but the particles are mostly larger and fall quickly, those that aren't picked up by the shop vac. I'm not sure there is any more dust created when I cut homosote than when I cut plywood.
Airway #6 flooring handles and blades are much easier than any box cutter to cut. I am forever hand cutting Homasote both straight and
curves. The following is the evolution of my staging engine facilities:
Then dress the edge with a vacuum connected sander and you are ready to go. If the fit is a little sloppy use the router like we did on Gunners job. Then sand the edges. Again, just hold the vacuum hose up to the bit to all but eliminate any friable dust. If you are holding the hose properly to capture the most dust it will have some scallop cuts. If you are not damaging the hose end you are not holding it close enough. Of course watch your fingers. This will help the air to be clean. Start with a clean H.E.P.A. filter.
<< All free hand cut and sanded Homasote as described above.
Same here:
Try the #6 Airway, you may like it.
Tom thanks for the info on the Airway. Just ordered one and blades. We have had minimal problems with Homasote. Really like it.
Bill, I was truly surprised with how little dust we generated with the router on the Homasote, very little escaped the vacuum. The Homasote also really does make a huge difference over plain plywood as far as noise.
Someone on another topic a few years back alerted me to the existence of NovaCork, a bonded sheet of Homasote and cork - see this link:
http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/s...Z%2BPOGk%2B%2BKm4%3D
I have not had a chance to try it myself, but found the product intriguing; seems like it would be more quiet than Homasote over plywood.
David
Bill, with the Airway, first take very light pass following a line then increasing your pressure, in about 4 or 5 passes you will have sliced through your 1/2" panel. The last 1 or 2 passes raise the knife handle about80 degrees or so to fully extend your knife tip through the 1/2" material.
Do be careful, the blade is extremely sharp. I have mistakenly cut a finger to the bone before it stopped. Change the blade frequently. Some HD stores carry the knife and blades. Most any floor covering supply houses will stock the handle and blades. General Floor Covering in NJ, DE & PA stock them.
I would cut my finger off with that Airway! When I got out of high school I help a wood flooring guy and saw those in use but I never handled one. My job was fetching.
I'm only building a layout for myself so I can control most every aspect. The Bosch scroll blade works well for me because I can cut the plywood and homosote at the same time and get a matched edge. One pass and done. Not fast, but time is what I have the most of. I do this on the table saw for probably 90% of the bench top that is straight edged, and dust is handled by the cyclone collector.
If folks really want to obsess over vibrations and noise spend some time in an audiophile forum.
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