Substitute for cork for bulletin board

[William Hall]

I need to make a bulletin board for our rec. center. Cork is out of question. What can I substitute for it? It will be a pretty large one, about

4'X 6'

Bill

[Tom Watson]

Homasote.

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

(webpage)

[Richard Cline]

You didn't give us much of a clue as to what you want. Cork is obviously a preferred material for bulletin boards. Whay is it "out of the question"? You must have something special in mind already. If you don't like the appearance of cork, you can cover it with a fabric or a felt to obtain the appearance you want.

Dick

[TrailRat]

I've used mdf to some extent as a pin board or those fire retardent ceiling tiles they put in suspended ceilings.

[Unisaw A100]

And if you don't like Homasote cover it with cloth (wrapped over the edges and stapled around the back).

UA100

[Tom Watson]

But...it's already that pretty Delta Gray color.

tjwatson1ATcomcastDOTnet (real email)

(webpage)

[Nova]

... and if you don't have any Homasote see if you have any suspended ceiling tile laying around.

-- Jack Novak Buffalo, NY - USA (Remove "SPAM" from email address to reply)

[Unisaw A100]

The edge yes but the face of the sheet I have here is kinda brownish/not as spanky as the Delta gray.

Though the piece I am using as a bulletin board is gray so I suspect it's a hit or miss thing.

UA100, who really shoulda made the shop bulletin board a wee bit larger, like 4' X 8'...

[DanG]

Fiber board. Often sold as sound board.

Rigid foam insulation.

Ceiling tile.

They all do better as bulletin boards with a coat of paint or fabric.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ Keep the whole world singing . . . . DanG (remove the sevens) [e-mail]

[Joe_Stein]

Balsa wood is soft enough you could stick tacks in it, but that might be expensive. Just a thought.

Another thought just occured...styrofoam? Have fun. Joe

William Hall wrote:

[Richard Cline]

How about rubber. There are interlocking rubber floor mats. Use the rubber material that is used under carpets. Some of the natural colors are OK but a fabric cover would provide mmore choice.

Dick

[G.E.R.R.Y.]

We used to regularly use sheets of styrofoam in classrooms for large, very cheap bulletin boards until the school board banned their use because, if there is a fire, they burn easily and emit cyanide gas. That was back in the Sixties and I don't know if the chemical composition of styrofoam has since been changed. I think I'd definitely want to find out first.

Gerry

[Edwin Pawlowski]

It does not now nor has it ever given off cyanide gas. Styrofoam is Dow Chemical's trademark for an extruded polystyrene board. Thee is also expanded polystyrene that is often galled Styrofoam mistakenly. The products of combustion for either of these products in carbon dioxide and soot.

Modified versions do not burn easily. They burn no more than paper, wood, and less than vinyl and many other materials. Foam products used in construction, according to code, or in a bulletin board must be made of modified material what will not burn if the source of ignition is removed. Food items do not have that additive. Take a piece of foam insulation and take it outside. Put a match, lighter, or torch to it. It will burn, but if you take the flame away, it will go out.

There are other foam materials out there and I do not know what they do if burned. There is much good information from independent sources if they care to find out the facts.

[firstjois]

I've used heavy weight cardboard for temporary BB before. The carton for a new appliance is a good example. They throw them away and there is usually one or two behind the store waiting to be crushed into a cardboard recycle bin.

Spray paint is best, some water based will raise the surface in an ugly way.

Josie

[Glenna Rose]

For my office, I made dividers for two sides of the entry/waiting area screening it from the working areas of the office, 4'x8', out of the material that is like ceiling tile (cannot think of the name at the moment) purchased in 4'x8' sheets from the lumber store. I purchased a fabric that looked like a "cross" between linen and burlap and covered them before framing them into the framework which supported them. The

8-foot was the width (divider was open at the bottom, dividers were 6-feet tall). With the right choice of fabric and good finish on the wood (I used a beige fabric as the cover and Danish walnut stain on the frame), it can look very nice.

Because of the nature of the board and the texture of the fabric, it holds up extremely well as a bulletin board. I changed the displays on the entry side frequently and used the "inside" for various in-house notes, etc. Burlap-type fabric has too open a weave to be really good for this but it will work though not as well as a more closely woven fabric.

It also helps a tiny bit with sound absorbtion.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

Glenna

[G.E.R.R.Y.]

You're most probably correct. I was relating what we were told back then by Our Lord and Master, the school board. Honest, your Honour, I was only following orders. ;-)

Gerry

[Edwin Pawlowski]

Not probably, I AM correct. Yes, I understand you were given bad information so I'm just trying to educate people that have been given bad information. I'm sure you don't want to pass on more of the same mis-information. School boards seem to be one of the worst places to get an education. I've worked in the EPS foam industry for 35 years. Once reason I continue to do so is the overall safety of it. I'm not going to jeopardize my life.

[David Fosdike]

I am new to rec.woodworking and have not seen the rest of this thread (my ISP's news server often only gives partial threads) so pardon me if this has already been suggested.

In Australia we have a material called 'Canite' which is made from sugar cane waste. Besides bulletin board applications I have seen it used for sound absorbing ceilings, lining rooms, garages etc. Quite a versatile material. I don't where else in the world you can get it.

David Fosdike dfosdike at nospam(leave this out and change 'dots' and 'at') dot elders dot com dot au