Baseboard top material

Hi Doug
Thanks for your idea as I had absolutely no idea how I was going to hide the back of the board but the support is OK as I have a low table near the wall at the right hight that can be moved forwards when the layout is in use.
Ben

QUOTE (ben100 @ 6 Mar 2008, 19:44) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Hi Poliss
I suppose MDF hasn't been mentioned because of the health hazard.
Regards Ben

It has or is about to be banned in the USA!
Only ever cut MDF outside and wear a facemask.
It is a lovely smooth material, perhaps a little heavy, but absorbs moisture like a sponge, unless its coated in a sealant.

WBP Ply has to be the easy option in either 9 or 12mm thickness supported on a timber base ideally made from 21 x 44 PSE timber supporting framework narrow side up to the underside of the top material. Keep the timber grid to a max of 15 inches (400mm) and it shouldn't warp
I think the largest downside of a fold up layout is that virtually everything has to be removed before it can be folded away.

To address this issue about MDF

Good heavens, what a lot of #)(*&^%

MOST domestic furniture and most flooring or cupboard construction is one form or another of MDF type material - we'd all have two heads and be on respirators or dead if the web panic about MDF was even half way true.

Truth 1: There are more biological and chemical nasties in the average kitchen cupboard, garage, shed or Loft than in any amount of MDF dust.

Truth 2: This is a massive beat-up which as far as baseboards are concerned is based on half information and inflated by web rumour. The two components that are said to cause health hazards are wood dust and Urea Formaldehide which is part of the adhesive which bonds it together. Interestingly there is more written about the hazards of wood dust than the UF.

I note too that there is a recommendation for chipboard vs a no-no for MDF. Interesting as the components of BOTH are exactly the same - softwoods and urea formaldehide. In the flooring and water resistant grades of chipboard that WERE recommended there are actually MORE toxins than in MDF.

My summary for baseboards.

Chipboard. Least recommendable. Heavy but relatively weak as its not overly hard compression wise. Less warp resistant tan MDF or Ply. Most susceptible to swelling when wet. Once surface is broken it MUST be sealed or it will swell.

MDF: Used in thiknesses of 12mm or more for baseboards it cuts well and is reasonably stable. I use it however I always roll on a coat of undercoat and when the cutting is done I seal edges with undercoat. This is because like ALL woods it changes size when humidity is high. (expansion / shrinking of up to 1/2 centimetre on an 8x4 sheet - this does more to damage track than expansion of rail under summer conditions)

PLY: My preference but only when used in thicknesses of 12mm or more. I also paint all surfaces just as I do with MDF as ply ALSO expands by several MM when humidity is high vs low.

If you use thinner then it is essential to brace at the very least each 300mm - even better, brace less but stiffen it by cutting a long strip 25mm wide and screw/glue under the trackbed on edge (underneath the board) to make a very stable "T" shaped beam.

If you need thinner for transitions in any of them, then use two layers of say 6mm, laminating with high quality wood glue OR fibreglass resin + screws. Also clamp until the lamination glue is set properly. This will be MUCH stronber than a single layer of MDF or PLY.

Safety:

Wood dust is wood dust. ALL of the above use urea formadehyde as an adhesive so the "parts" are equally hazardous. It is the fine dust caused by high speed power saws and power sanders that is harmful - and this effect is equal for MDF, Ply or Chipboard. Wear a disposable mask when using power tools for an extended period and vacuum up / clean up soon after - this is just common sense.... it stops you breathing in muck and stops the house getting dust throughout which will be MUCH more harmful to your health when "she who must be obeyed" hits you with the frying pan for messing up the house.

The REAL advice for good baseboards.

Keep any timber to be cut in the room it will be used in for at least a week so it will stabilise in its intended environment moisture-wise.

Use your noodle: use a mask when making lots of ANY fine dust. Otherwise you'll have sore eyes and nasties up your nose.

Paint ALL timber of any type - it ALL moves with moisture... This takes no time at all with a disposable roller and will stop problems due to baseboard movement over the years. Perhaps an hour of added work for a lifetime of better running! We all have 1/2 tins of paint in the shed - anything will do!!

Consider using PLY for the framework too. When I build a layout I have several sheets cut into 100mm wide strips (usually of 12mm). These become the framework which will NOT warp like the usual pine does.

glue, Screw and use short corner blocks of pine to reinforce corners for a rigid structure.

Personal issue:

I hate straight lines on baseboards and curve most baseboard edges... Its easy: Why not make the baseboard edge free-form - Build a standard frame then add the free-formed gently curving edge. Bend around any corners with 3mm ply and then add 1~3 more layers - this'll give a very strong baseboard edge that looks heaps better than the usual right-angle and ALSO lets you take the curve around more narturally with less lost space on the BB itself....

Kindest regards

Richard
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