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Thread: Homasote?

  1. #1
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    Homasote?

    I was recently re-watching the NYW episode with the garage shop, and Norm mentioned using homasote for the ceiling. I looked around, and while that material may be plentiful in Boston, I can't find it anywhere here in SW Virginia. Is there anywhere I can get it? How much is it? Is there some other material that's more readily available that I could use in place of it?

  2. #2
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    Also, why use strapping? Couldn't I just attach whatever material I want to use directly to the studs and joists?

  3. #3
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    Hi Laurie

    If you go to the Homasote website you can search for the location of stores in your area, be it by state, zip-code, or phone area-code.

    Other than that, this is the first time I have heard of the product.
    Best Regards, Ken

  4. #4
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    What I am going to use is 1/4 inch luan for the ceiling. 8 bucks a sheet and very light. I have a detached garage so I'm not worrying codes, etc.

    As for strapping, this will help hold the insultation up in the ceiling since my ceiling rafters are 24 wide and insultation is 15 wide. The strapping also allowed me to run my wiring along the rafters (perpendicular) so I don't have to drill through them to run the lines. It also allows more area to screw the ceiling in.

    Hope this helps.

  5. #5
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    Homasote used to be commonly used in lower quality construction as it was pretty cheap. The material I am familiar with can be dented rather easily. My grand parents had their entry way walls done with Homasote and we used to catch grief because we would put dents in it with our fingers. All that was 40 years ago. I don't recall seeing any of their new products other than the covering for over ice rinks, which resembles thick tablet backing type carboard.
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  6. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Don Jarvie View Post
    It also allows more area to screw the ceiling in.
    And that's the point with homosote, it tears if you fasten too near the edge.
    Retired - when every day is Saturday (unless it's Sunday).

  7. #7
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    I understood Homasote was supposed to be a substitute for drywall, and added properties of sound insulation. Used mostly in commercial buildings or schools. Where I heard about it, never handled any, was with model railroaders. They would use this as a substrate under the track and it would muffle that toy sound of the train on the tracks when running. Easy to cut with a knife (utility) and the track nails held in it pretty good. Jim.
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  8. #8
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    Homasote is also commonly used as the base material for pin boards. You cut whatever size you need and use spray glue to cover it with a fabric of your choice. I made a bunch of pin boards for the shop and covered them with very cheap burlap.

    I find it at my local Menards store. They sell it in 4X8 sheets. It is approximately 1/2 inch thick. It is gray, since it is composed of fibers (paper pulp?). It cuts easily with a knife or saw. Very dusty on a saw of any type.
    Wood'N'Scout

  9. #9
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    I would be wary of installing Homosote in a potentially humid location, like a garage. It's a fiber product, with no grain, draws moisture, and will sag over time.

    You could try fasteners spaced about 8" apart, but if your garage ceiling joists are 24" O.C., it will probably sag.

    Don't put any weight directly on top of it.

    Have you considered 7/16" or 1/2" OSB? Not the prettiest when painted, but would fare better with humidity.

  10. #10
    Quote Originally Posted by Don Jarvie View Post
    What I am going to use is 1/4 inch luan for the ceiling. 8 bucks a sheet and very light. I have a detached garage so I'm not worrying codes, etc.

    As for strapping, this will help hold the insultation up in the ceiling since my ceiling rafters are 24 wide and insultation is 15 wide. The strapping also allowed me to run my wiring along the rafters (perpendicular) so I don't have to drill through them to run the lines. It also allows more area to screw the ceiling in.

    Hope this helps.
    You are going to end up with MAJOR sag after a couple of years! 1/4 inch is too thin.

  11. #11
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    I used Homosote as a sound insulator in my basement shop ceiling. I installed strapping first, then the Homosote, then drywall.

    As has been stated, it is a fiber product without much structural integrity, so I made sure that the screws I used to install my drywall were long enough to bite into the strapping and joists.

    As far as its sound insulation qualities . . . it did muffle the sound in my living area above my shop. I'm sure there are better methods and/or products for achieving better sound insultion, but Homosote was fairly inexpensive and does a decent job.

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by David Prince View Post
    You are going to end up with MAJOR sag after a couple of years! 1/4 inch is too thin.
    I plan to screw it to the strapping which will be ~15 inches apart and plently of screws.

  13. #13
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    My local Home Depot carries Homasote (Manchester, CT) in 4x8 sheets. I use it for sound deadening in my train layouts. It takes paint well, but is very dusty to cut. Also, not very strong.

    Bob

  14. #14
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    Homosote as a brand has many products and a variety of applications. The stuff that you are probably thinking of is typically 1/2". It is a 100% (I believe) recycled paper product. And as Steve stated it is a typical base for fabric covered pinup panels. It excels as a sound dampener but really is not that great at be a finish of its own, especially without full support beneath(or above) it (like plywood or gypsum board). It can be painted, and IMHO it does not look too bad in a shop or studio type space. However I would hesitate to use it as a finish that has to span stud to stud or joist to joist as it has the gumption of weak cardboard. And if it gets wet, forget it, mush.

    As for where to find it, you should be able to get it at any home center, HD or Lowes or a local lumber yard. When I was a student at VT we used it on the walls of our architecture studios all the time as a place to pinup our drawings. Worked like a charm. I don't remember where we bought it but it definitely was not hard to find, that was back in 98-03 time frame.

    Rob

  15. #15
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    Havn't heard Homosote mentioned in many years! I figured it was totally obsolete by now.

    It was the *track roadbed* of choice among model railroaders when that was my teenage interest back in the '60s. Kind of a denser Celotex, but gray instead of yellow, and without the white surface coating. As far as a legitimate use for Homosote, I never knew it had one.

    Upson board was also mentioned back then. It was 1/2" thick, had a pink surface, and was like the gray paper which backs writing pads. It could be pulled apart in layers. Good for *something* in the hobby craft world.
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