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I been needing 2 sheets of hardwood plywood for my layout. I need hardwood so I can stain it to match my shelves for my layout. It will be used in the corners of the room. I hadnt bought any yet since it was 56.00 bucks a sheet. Had to stop at Lowes today for some other stuff and walked down the lumber aisle. WELL, Lowes is discontinuing its Oak laminated plywood today. I ask the manager what he wanted for them. He said 10 bucks a sheet!!! I only need 2 but bought 4. Sometimes my timing aint too bad! Score!

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Went further here....closed both Lowes stores.  Now the nearest one is about 30 miles away.

OTOH, years ago I had need of a couple sheets of Homasote.   (I'll assume that most of the readers here are familiar with this material!)  I happened to stop by my local Lowes....across the street from my local Home Depot.  Anyhow, to shortcut my search I stopped at the Contractors' Desk in the lumber area and asked about Homasote.

Answer: "What's Homasote?"

Dumfounded...but polite...I explained in lay terms what I knew about the material.

"Never heard of it."

I left.

Home Depot's response reflected more knowledge, but was unable to deliver.

And, now we have Menards.  In fact it's 1.2 miles from my house.  And has all the hardwood plywood, Homasote, et al, that a layout builder could ever want/need.  Of course, that oak plywood ain't cheap!

But I digress......your $10 per sheet is a steal! I'd have done the same...bought extra at that price!

KD

dkdkrd posted:

Went further here....closed both Lowes stores.  Now the nearest one is about 30 miles away.

OTOH, years ago I had need of a couple sheets of Homasote.   (I'll assume that most of the readers here are familiar with this material!)  I happened to stop by my local Lowes....across the street from my local Home Depot.  Anyhow, to shortcut my search I stopped at the Contractors' Desk in the lumber area and asked about Homasote.

Answer: "What's Homasote?"

Dumfounded...but polite...I explained in lay terms what I knew about the material.

"Never heard of it."

I left.

Home Depot's response reflected more knowledge, but was unable to deliver.

And, now we have Menards.  In fact it's 1.2 miles from my house.  And has all the hardwood plywood, Homasote, et al, that a layout builder could ever want/need.  Of course, that oak plywood ain't cheap!

But I digress......your $10 per sheet is a steal! I'd have done the same...bought extra at that price!

KD

It is just the opposite here KD. I dont cross the street to go to our local HD. Understaffed and lacking knowledgeable people.

With that said you mentioned that you go to Menards now. I dont have one here close by but see you can order trains online. Do they carry trains in the store too??

Goldnut-“With that said you mentioned that you go to Menards now. I dont have one here close by but see you can order trains online. Do they carry trains in the store too??”

Yes, they carry most of what is online; rolling stock, buildings(HO & O) some small accessories, Lemax buildings during the holidays, etc.  They don’t sell engines or locomotives at this time.

Good deal, Goldnut!! 

I was able to buy Homasote here in Western Pennsylvania years ago, and still have a good bit left.  Last year I checked to see if it is still available, but I didn't see it at Lowes or Home Depot.  I don't recall which store it was that I asked for it.  The particular employee I asked, then asked me if it was like Creosote!!??  I was surprised at the question to say the least!   

TedW posted:

Goldnut-“With that said you mentioned that you go to Menards now. I dont have one here close by but see you can order trains online. Do they carry trains in the store too??”

Yes, they carry most of what is online; rolling stock, buildings(HO & O) some small accessories, Lemax buildings during the holidays, etc.  They don’t sell engines or locomotives at this time.

This is good to know. I have one about 30 minutes away that I have never been to.

If you are looking for Homasote, forget about looking at the big box stores like Home Depot and Lowe's (not sure if Menard's has the stuff since it has been a while since I have driven over to the closest Menard's).

You're best bet for Homasote, if available at all in your part of the country, is one of the smaller but well-stocked locally owned lumber yards, if you are lucky enough to have one in your area. It is generally used as an insulating material in colder climates, but has been largely replaced by foam products of various types.

 

Allan Miller posted:

You're best bet for Homasote, if available at all in your part of the country, is one of the smaller but well-stocked locally owned lumber yards, if you are lucky enough to have one in your area. It is generally used as an insulating material in colder climates, but has been largely replaced by foam products of various types.

Yep.   Neither Home Despot or Lowes stocks Homasote around here, but a local lumberyard does... 

Mitch 

dkdkrd posted:

OTOH, years ago I had need of a couple sheets of Homasote.   (I'll assume that most of the readers here are familiar with this material!)  I happened to stop by my local Lowes....across the street from my local Home Depot.  Anyhow, to shortcut my search I stopped at the Contractors' Desk in the lumber area and asked about Homasote.

Answer: "What's Homasote?"

Dumfounded...but polite...I explained in lay terms what I knew about the material.

"Never heard of it."

I left.

Odd, I went to Lowes for my Homasote, and they nicely brought the forklift over and pulled a new stack as the stuff on the shelf was a bit beat.  I got nice clean sheets for my build.  They had no problem recognizing what it was or where the generous supply of it was located in the store.

Creosote, Homasote.

Because both end with sote is why he thought they were alike.  I thought this to be obvious when I saw the original post on this.

Speaking of Home Depot and Lowes, am I the only one who walks past the plywood (even if I don't need anything in the lumber dept) just because the smell reminds me of layout building? I guess like the smell of pine trees, even in the summer, reminds me of Christmas

Homasote, or Celotex,  used as an exterior sheeting board, home, or commercial construction, has been shunned, recent years, as the overall insulation value of a wall profile has gone up.  Urethane, or styrofoam boards, with different face materials, add insulation.  IMO   Mike CT. 

     

Patrick1544 posted:

is Creosote  still out there? 

I thought the same thing when he asked, but he took me so off guard, I didn't think about it until later.  Having retired from 43 years mostly at power and telecom utilities, I couldn't say if I ever saw fresh creosote on site.  Though the early years I wasn't around poles much.

Creosote!  A lot of people today wouldn't even know what it is so they would think it's a cool name for a band!  

I was at Lowes here in Western Pennsylvania today, but got what I needed and didn't look though I was curious.  Another day.

Last edited by Mark Boyce

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