# All Hail Southern 3/4" Foam!



## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

After spending the last hour on the phone with both Home Depot and Lowe's, trying to find a way to get that gorgeous 2" foam that all my Yankee friends take for granted (ok, just kidding, don't send me hate mail!) and it suddenly hit me that maybe I should start thinking of the reasons that I *LIKE* this thin little foam. Lets see here...

1. You can draw out a tombstone shape and cut everything with a utility knife in about 25 seconds. The blade goes all the way through to the table! That's a plus.

2. It gives you the chance to test every glue known to man-kind, trying to find the best thing to glue 5 or 6 sheets together to get a realistic stone. (ok, that one was slightly sarcastic. Let me try harder)

3. It's a lot cheaper. While I was on the phone with Home Depot, I saw the price of one of these 2" sheets and nearly had an attack of the vapors. I am only spending 9 bucks a sheet down here.

4. It allows me to use cheap white beaded styrofoam for my first 300 layers of the stone, and then just one layer of pink on top for carving. Again, cheaper.

5. The light pink 3/4" foam has a completely different texture than the more purpleish 1" foam that I have recently started finding here. The thinner one is very easy to carve, whereas the thicker one tends to roll up on me more, and becomes almost gummy with the Dremel. I really do enjoy carving the thinner pieces better.

Hmm. That's all I can think of. Unfortunately the reasons I WANT 2" foam far out weigh this small "I Like It" thread, so I will probably continue to try and get the coveted Blue. As a side note, about 30 minutes after I got off the phone with Lowe's 1800#, an associate from my local store called to get more specifics. How much am I looking for, what am I using it for, can anything be substituted, etc. He is trying to find it within a specific radius that I'm willing to drive to, and is also going to find out if there is any way to special order and send to my store. Way to go Lowes, you sure beat Home Depot - who was like............ nope, can't order, can't ship, can't help. Move to New Jersey. Hahaha

So........ anyone else have any reasons to love Southern Foam?


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## Bascombe (May 18, 2010)

See if he'll give you a discount on damaged pieces


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## trentsketch (Jul 27, 2009)

Dixie, I'm far enough north that I have access to all the various foam thicknesses and actually prefer the 3/4" because of the price. It's nice and sturdy and serves its purpose for what I do. I don't leave my haunt out for weeks because of the neighborhood and even if I did, those pieces wouldn't move an inch by the time I'm done securing them to the lawn.


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

I really think that's the way I'm leaning too Trentsketch.... I have spent years dreaming of having this superthick foam, and am kinda realizing that I wouldn't want to pay that much for it, as well as the fact that I kind of see it as "carving foam" whereas the white beaded foam is more of "filler foam" for thickness - makes it seem like a waste to make a 4" stone out of nothing but carving foam.

On the other hand, I probably spend MORE on a stone with the glue in between all the layers, and I always put a coat of monster mud on the white beaded foam on the back, not only for texture, but for strength. If I add in those costs, the blue is probably still cheaper. Hahaha, it's all in how you look at it.


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## curley (Apr 3, 2011)

Hold on, you cant get that foam there??? thats crazy


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

No way, no how. Apparently it has to be cold to get the blue stuff, so they don't order it at all here (I don't think you can get it in Cali or Florida either). The odd thing to me is that we don't even have the ability to order it and have them ship to store. Seems like that should be a do-able thing, but then again, I'm not in retail merchandising or transportation at all, so go figure.

We only had 3/4" for a long time, and only in the last year got 1". And boy, were we ever excited to even get the 1". :/


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## jaege (Aug 23, 2009)

Isnt it...odd...the things that make we Haunters happy. LOL


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Oh Dixie I felt your pain too once. A forum member found this place that sells the blue foam here in California at a reasonable price. I've been getting my foam from them ever since. They sell all different thickness there, personally I love the 3". I looked them up and they sell in Tx too. I don't know how close they are to you but If they sell what you want it might be worth a road trip.
http://www.alliedbuilding.com/about/alliedBranches.aspx?stateflag=1&id=1&stval=TX


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## Dixie (Feb 18, 2009)

*Gasp* THREE inch??

Oh wow, BB... there is an Allied in my area... although I would have to drive to Houston to get to go on a Saturday, or take a day off work to go on a weekday. Sounds like a vacation day to MEEEEE!

THREE INCH?!?!?! nooooooooo, say it isn't SO!


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## buckaneerbabe (Jun 5, 2007)

Yea, I did an happy dance myself when I found the 3". Just be sure to call ahead, not all locations carry the foam.


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## CreeepyCathy (Mar 28, 2009)

Just a reminder to all the forum members who have a military I.D. card (whether it be active duty/ dependent/ retired) :

flash that I.D. at your Lowe's/ (most) Home Depots and get a 10% discount on ALL purchases.  Not much, but it's saved me alot of $ over time.  

Thank you, and now back to our regularly scheduled program.


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## stick (Jan 21, 2009)

The new purpleish is a little harder to deal with than the old pink foam in my opinion also. Sorry to hear that Home Depot does not carry it for you they have 4 sizes here 1/2", 3/4", 1" & 2" where as Lowe's only sells 1" blue foam sheets.

were we ever excited to even get the 1"
(that is something you don't hear a female say much.)


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## daBOOhouse (Aug 4, 2010)

Bad news in San Antonio. The SA location doesn't carry ANY insulating foam and won't order it. I'm stuck with the Low's and Home De-Pot...


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Here I can get up to 1" foam, they won't even consider ordering the 2". Home depot knows me so well that they don't even ask for my military ID anymore. They just put the discount on my purchase. Is it just me, or is that kind of sad?


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## Jaybo (Mar 2, 2009)

If you push the issue, you can get them to order the larger foam. You just have to order an entire pallet of the stuff. Not cheap. It all ships from the same place, so they are more worried about getting stuck with the foam than they are the shipping cost.


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## BioHazardCustoms (Aug 5, 2009)

Wonder how much a pallet of 2" foam would cost? I may have to find out.


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## Jbaum (Mar 24, 2011)

*Look at commercial building suppliers*

We also do not have the thicker foam in NW Florida but I do see it on construction sites. I will have to ask around to see if they will sell a sheet or two or where they order it from. No luck at Lowes or HD


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## Allen H (Feb 13, 2010)

Dixie, 
I normally just use the white foam and buy from powerfoam in midlothian. I buy a 3'x4' block and they do all the cuts I want for free. 
about $280 for the block but I get 16 3'x8' sheets 3" thick thats about $18 a sheet, but each sheet gets me three tombstones so thats 48 3" thick 2'x3' tombstones. Thats about 6$ a tombstone for foam and one five gallon of senergy coats all of them for $70.
Its a 45 min drive to Midlothian but its actually on my way to the haunt so its not a big deal. Here is alink, I hope that helps.
http://www.powerfoam.net/products/


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## Hellvin (Jul 6, 2008)

The standard issue here at about 51-North is the 1", 1.5", or 2". There will often be smaller stacks of 3" available. The types are either higher density "pink" or lower density white bead or a medium density "green". There is also opportunity to get 3/4" but finding it tough to get 1/2"...

If I had a foam "planer", I could slice 1" sheets into two 1/2" sheets...


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