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Large foam board

I need some large foam boarding to box in a growing area (grow rack) so that light won't get out. I use some smaller foam boarding I got at Staples to cover the fronts of my smaller terrariums, but they don't sell anything over 48 inches tall. I need something at least 4 or 5 feet tall.

Anyone have any suggestions as to who would sell this stuff?
 
my parents have been doing a ton of renovating lately...I just asked my stepmom and she said that Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. have large sheets of foam designed for use as insulation for houses.  apparently they're "not cheap", but sounds like they're what you're looking for.


Edit:  here's an idea of what it looks like
 
Regular ol' foam core/foam board can be found at hobby shops and office supply stores. Ben Franklin craft store carries it in a certain size. If you want larger, they can cut you a piece in the frame department but it will cost you an arm and a leg.
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Thanks for the info guys.

Presto: Would you mind asking your stepmom exactly what "not cheap" is? It seems that's the kind of stuff I'm looking for, so even if it cost a bit more than I would like to pay, it might still be worth it.

Also, do you guys have any other ideas? Foam is my first choice, but I'm sure something else could work too. I just need the light to be boxed in.
 
Try poking around on Froogle. I saw a headline for 40"x60" on there, not sure if it's precisely the kind you want but the internet is always a good place to look. You could also just join some smaller pieces with a waterproof glue like polyurethane or hard silicon epoxy. If you do end up ordering big solid pieces off the internet, shipping will likely be expensive because of the unusual shape of the package.
Best luck,
~Joe
 
How about cutting up a card board box and wrap it with aluminum foil that is what I did. I have a metal 5 shelve rack. Looks pretty getto but it works really well.
 
Thanks again everyone for the replies. Piecing together smaller pieces of cardboard sounds like my best bet. Perhaps I'll try that.
 
Those 4 ft x 8 ft sheets of foam insulation at home depot aren't too spendy, it really just depends upon how thick you want it. The 1/2" thickness is cheaper than the 4" thickness. I buy the stuff to use as armatures on oversized/lifesize sculptures and props. Anyone trying THAT will wanna get the blue stuff not the pink (clay sticks to the blue but not the pink) but for blocking light or actually using it as insulation, it won't make a difference which color. It's not so spendy, just go take a look I think the 4" thick sheets at home depot were about $10 each.
 
Oop I forgot to add, Office Depot/Office Max has oversized foamcore sheets (up to 6 ft long) but if I remember right they were kinda expensive for what you get. Cheaper to use clear packing tape to "double up" a regular 2 ft 3 ft sheets of foam core.
 
  • #10
Thanks Swords! I might stop by Home Depot today and pick up a few of those 4 x 8 boards. I probably would only need the 1/2 inch think ones, so how much do you think those would be?

Also, I went to Office Max and I didn't see anything but the smaller boards. Are the bigger ones somewhere special in the store?
 
  • #11
Are you sure you want to use insulation? I don't understand why you'd need to keep a grow rack insulated in California. I thought you wanted light, not necessarily heat. A fully insulated, six foot tall grow rack lit with fluorescents at every shelf would roast. It would be little different than a giant terrarium, only the insulation probably wouldn't handle the humidity as well as glass. I kept my old apartment warm in the winter by leaving my grow rack running late at night. If you're just looking for light, you should go to the sporting goods store and pick up some mylar emergency blankets, and stretch them around the outside of the rack. Attach with packing tape, and they last pretty long (mine survived being ripped off and put back up twice, and I could probably put it up again.) Shiny side in for brightness and heat; shiny side out will give you roughly the same light with less heat and glare. Covering all but one broad side of a 4 x 1.5 x 6 foot rack takes four blankets tops; when I did it I spent less than $20, including the tape.
~Joe
 
  • #12
Well my grow rack is basically an old DVD/CD stand, so the plants aren't completely within it, which means I just need to make a box of some kind of material around it to keep the light in. I don't really need the insulation, I just picked foam because it's not heavy and easily moved for when I need to water.
 
  • #13
I have the foil/cardboard on three sides and the shoplight rigged up to the underside of the shelves. Plants seem happy!
 
  • #14
Update: I ended up going to Home Depot and picking up three nice sized pieces of foam (I think they're 48 inches in height, but I can't quite remember!) for about 5 bucks each. They do the job perfectly, blocking out all the light and keeping it all within the growing area.

Problem solved for a mere $15
smile.gif


Thanks again to everyone for their input.
 
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