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I am still struggling to find a base material that isnt as warp prone as cardboard.

My hobby supplier sent me 3 large sheets of 5mm thick foamcore (i assume its foamcore as its very very compressed and not so easy to cut....my first assumption was something drywall related) either way it seems quite sturdy. but I wonder....will it warp? and is 5mm thick enough to prevent warping?

Also i have read working with foam one has to be careful with the glue. I am assuming that PVA and hot glue gun will work fine?

One more thing as a general question; I know PVA glue can warp materials due to the shrinkage.
can the same be said for the hot glue gun? does it also warp cardboard / foamboard?

thanks for reading Dakka.

If it's foamcard, then yes, it will warp.

If you paint one side and not the other, it will warp (the paint shrinks, pulling that side into a curve).
If you use a lot of pva on one side and not the other, it will warp (same reason - shrinkage).

A hot glue gun shouldn't warp it that much at all.

You sure it's 'foam' board and not plasterboard?
Foamboard/card is quite easily cut with a sharp knife.

I'm venturing in to unknown territory here.....the material inside reminds me more of compressed drywall than it does foam.

I'm not certain what plasterboard is except from the assumption drawn from its name....assuming it is plasterboard would it be good to work with / use as a base?

Have tried cutting it with a knife and if i put effort in to it i can slice it....but with scissors that would be a challenge.

On the other hand some hardboard has just opened up to me....though....again im not sure if it is or not (damn this inability to get specifics with the language barrier)
Its material sold by a scrapbooking DIY shop for book covers, 2mm thick and 1200 grams, would that warp / make a good base?

Sorry for the questions :S as i said these are uncharted waters for me....i want to do things right if im going to invest my time in to it

thanks

Edit: I just put a dab of glue gun glue on it and then tried to pull it off.....it didnt take the paper off but actually took a bit of the filler material too (i had to pull quite hard to get it off)
so i think foamcore or foamboard is ruled out.....so then plasterboard.....is it good?

Give it a good coat of primer before putting anything else on it to minimize your warpage.

Hans_Einberg wrote:On the other hand some hardboard has just opened up to me....though....again im not sure if it is or not (damn this inability to get specifics with the language barrier). Its material sold by a scrapbooking DIY shop for book covers, 2mm thick and 1200 grams, would that warp / make a good base?

Book covers are made almost exclusively from cardboard cores. The thickness and weight makes me think this is just stiff, dense cardboard, as well. Have you tried checking with hardware/home improvement/DIY stores or construction suppliers/lumberyards? It might be difficult to source, but I'm sure you could find MDF (medium density fiberboard - it's the smooth-faced brown stuff, often used to make clipboards and pegboards for tool racks) somewhere. I haven't had luck using anything less rigid (1" extruded polystyrene foam insulation boards are quite rigid, if a bit brittle, but are far too thick to be used as bases).

doesnt sound like foamcore if its hard to cut. Plasterboard is just plaster with a layer of cardboard each size and would be extremely bad base material.

Well....its not plasterboard....I have tested its durability by trying to break it by bending and i wasnt able to break it without assistance of a knife......

I have no idea what this is but it seems durable enough for what I need......the chinese name says this is foam....but I am so sure that foam is not this tough....i wonder what I have
seems to be good so far as a base.....

Plasterboard is drywall.
A sheet of plaster with a layer of thin cardboard either side.
It looks not unlike foamboard - but is harder to cut (but not by any means hard to cut) than foam-card.
It's what most internal wall surfaces are made from.

AKA 'gyprock' (plaster is just gypsum) which is a trademarked name.