Cork for benchwork top

[pacchardon]

I am looking at using 2' x 3' x 1/8" or 1/4" cork sheets to cover the entire top of the benchwork I am building which is 5' x 8'. I am building this above our garage where the temperature is going to go from 65 in the winter to 90 in the summer. Will I have problems with the cork expanding and buckling and/or shrinking and leaving gaps?

[RAM]

If you glue it down, I don't think you would have a problem with expanding and buckling and/or shrinking and leaving gaps?  My worry would be how durable  it would be for a work bench.

[jward]

5'x8' isn't a workbench. it's a layout.

to answer the question about the temp changes, i don't know how well the cork will hold up, i tend to stay away from that myself as it is not suitable to the type of track i lay. but i can say that you should make sure to leave room for expansion in your rail joints. track securely fastened down can and does kink with extreme temp changes. contraction is usually not a problem, but it rail expands and has nowhere to move forward, it will buckle to the sides. even a little of this will throw your track out of alignment and/or guage. the rule of thumb seems to be to leave at least the thickness of an index card between rail ends at every joint in the track.

[Doneldon]

pac-

I can't think of a reason you absolutely can't use cork for the top of your layout, but I don't see any advantages, either. And there are some disadvantages.

The 12"x12" cork tiles and the cork panels I've seen have quite an irregular surface which could complicate scenery construction. Cork won't add any structural strength as sheet material like plywood or (better) foam board does. Cork will likely expand and contract more with humidity changes than foam. I would hazzard a guess that it will move more than plywood, too. I'm not so sure that temperature will make a lot of direct difference but the fact that warmer air holds much more water than cooler air will likely increase expansion and contraction. Cork will physically break much faster than foam board. You'll notice this when you glue things to your tabletop but they come up with pieces of cork attached because the bond between your scenery and the cork is stronger than the bond between the chunks of cork.  Cork is more expensive than foam where I live which it makes it a poor investment unless it gives you some distinct advantages, which it doesn't.
                                                                                                               -- D

[Jim Banner]

I would avoid the cheap and chunky cork Donaldon spoke of.  But fine grained sheet decorator cork is fine.  It does not matter if it expands or contracts or if the base under it expands or contracts - cork has lots of "give" and will stretch or compress as required.  We installed cork in field lab trailers, usually directly on the wall if they were plywood or with an underlay of something similar to Homosote if the walls were hard board.  Usually (always?) used contact cement.  Closed up and in the sun, the inside temperature of these trailers would get to 50 or 60 degrees in summer.  In winter, the temperature would drop to -40 to -45 degrees.  That is a temperature change of about 180 of those little Fahrenheit degrees.  I don't remember any complaints about the cork lifting or bubbling.  So I don't think a change of just 25 degrees F. is going to make much difference.

Incidentally, if it were a workbench that pacchardon is building, flooring cork would be a good product to consider.  No, it won't stand up to dropping engine blocks on it.  But it will stand up to normal wear and tear and has the added advantage that things dropped on it bounce very little if at all and hardly ever break.  There are even special cleaners and finishes available from flooring dealers that handle cork flooring.

[jonathan]

My layout is in my garage, and likewise, I deal with temperature extremes in winter and summer.  I have had no issues with my cork roadbed, which is laid underneath about 90% of my trackwork.  I am more concerned with my rolling stock, which is stored away during August and Jan-Feb.

No track work has worked its way loose nor warped during the five years I have been building the layout.

Instead of glue, I used 1/2" brads to secure the cork to my subroadbed (plywood).

Regards,

Jonathan

[Johnson Bar Jeff]

Many years ago, as an exxperiment, I covered the entire top of a 39" x 48" table top with sheet cork in hopes it would deaden the sound more than just cork roadbed under the track. It didn't, but it also didn't cause me any problems with the track.

[odd]

Foam would be more durable and easier

[hMark Andeb]

That is true, foam will stay longer.