| Warrenss2 | 16 Jan 2007 7:25 p.m. PST |
I would like to try out making some cork tile buildings like the great Matakishi (as shown here… link Has anyone followed this master's teachings and discovered a place in the US that sells UNTREATED Cork Tiles? If so would you please provide a link (or phone # – area code included) to the place? Thanks,
Warren |
Blind Old Hag  | 16 Jan 2007 7:41 p.m. PST |
Not sure what untreated means but I know the local Menards has cork tiles to be used as a pin up board rather than flooring. |
| Warrenss2 | 16 Jan 2007 7:49 p.m. PST |
I've been told (I can't remember who… maybe Rich Johnson of .45 Adventures fame) that those cork pin up boards are not of good enough quality. Sorry, but no cee-gar. ;-) The quest continues…… |
| Rattrap1 | 16 Jan 2007 7:55 p.m. PST |
Nope. The pin up boards are not the correct thing. You want to find the cork used for flooring. Unfortunately, I have not tried M's style yet so I have not looked for a place that has it. Rich |
| Logopolis | 16 Jan 2007 8:09 p.m. PST |
I've used the pin up boards to make buildings before. Once painted they hardened up quite nice and have had no problems with breakage during games. YMMV
Dave |
| Saginaw | 16 Jan 2007 8:14 p.m. PST |
The best suggestion I can come up with would be for you to check out your local Home Depot or Lowe's, or possibly a flooring company. If you were to get them from the latter, I can tell you that you'll be paying $$$, as the cork tiles aren't cheap (as they're meant to take a heavy amount of foot traffic). Also try you local Michaels or Hobby Lobby. Good luck on your project, Warrenss2! |
| Jana Wang | 16 Jan 2007 8:33 p.m. PST |
I put the words "cork flooring" into Google and got a ton of web sites that sell it in any color or quantity you like. At discount. |
| Blind Old Hag | 16 Jan 2007 8:46 p.m. PST |
Here's one for starters. But you have to buy 100 SF minimum. link |
| Crusoe the Painter | 16 Jan 2007 9:03 p.m. PST |
I don't get the difference, those look just like the cork tiles Office Max or other places sell to use as a pin board. They should work fine. Mine do. By carefully picking through the tiles, you should be able to find ones with as fine or coarse grain as you like. I use pieces of tiles to make rocky terrain. |
| Crusoe the Painter | 16 Jan 2007 9:04 p.m. PST |
Wow though. He goes to all that work to make some cool buildings, then paints them up utterly bland in a solid color. |
| Boone Doggle | 17 Jan 2007 2:38 a.m. PST |
I don't think they are painted. |
tima113  | 17 Jan 2007 3:26 a.m. PST |
I've used the pin up cork tiles to make the warehouses (got a few packs of tiles at a considerable discount at a 5 below store). Seem structurally sound, though I still need to paint them to obscure the leaf or lip printing on the one side (discounted cork tiles don't come without their issues). I think a 4-pack of tiles was enough for 4 warehouse buildings. I've also used his instructions/dimensions to make tenements from foamboard and covered them with a printed brick paper rather than paint them. The cork tiles are MUCH easier to cut than the foamboard, especially the windows. Overall, I like the brick paper buildings better than the few I painted. His dimensions are intentionslly small to force perspective (building footprint is small) so they don't easily mix with commercially available paper and model railroad structures IMO. |
| Chris V | 17 Jan 2007 6:32 a.m. PST |
I haven't used it yet, but I got my cork at corkstore.com . link Unvarnished pebble cork. I think I bought a box of 10 sheets at a reasonable price. |
| preston | 17 Jan 2007 1:02 p.m. PST |
I got my cork tiles from Lumber Liquidators. I ordered them online and they sent them to the local retail outlet with not additional charge for shipping. I found it on sale at the time for 99 cents/square foot so got two packs. Which is pretty much a lifetime supply for me. There were 21 square feet per box. It took about 3 weeks to get to the retail outlet. TTFN
Preston
link
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| Warrenss2 | 17 Jan 2007 4:11 p.m. PST |
preston, won't they ship it directly to your residence? |
| preston | 17 Jan 2007 8:24 p.m. PST |
Yes, they would. I had them ship to the retail outlet because it's fairly close and they didn't charge shipping. Even better, a friend drove me there after lunch one day. TTFN
Preston |
 KimRYoung | 18 Jan 2007 9:38 a.m. PST |
Preston, Where the cork tiles un-treated? I have not been able to find un-treated tiles. Treated (coated) are easy to find but I don't think they are as workable as what Matakishi has suggested to use. Have you tried to use yours yet Kim |
| preston | 18 Jan 2007 6:30 p.m. PST |
Hi Kim, The tiles I bought appear to be untreated. There is no mention of any factory applied sealants on the box or in the instructions. The instructions specify that a sealant must be used after installation & list a few recommended brands. I haven't used mine yet. Can you think of a way to test for their suitability for your uses? TTFN
Preston |
| KimRYoung | 19 Jan 2007 7:01 a.m. PST |
Preston, Untreated (or un-varnished) cork is very east to cut with a simple x-acto blade. pre-finished cork tile has already been coated with a wax finish or coats of polyurathene. You would find these difficult to cut. The ease of cutting is the key to making buildings quick and easy. I have tried several different types of media. mat board is sturdy enough and durable, but it is very difficult to cut out lots of building windows. Foam core is also good, but cutting is not as precise and the paper coating can separate from the foam when painted. I'm considering just using a heavy card stock and painting windows and doors rather then cutting them out. Kim |
| Warrenss2 | 20 Jan 2007 11:01 a.m. PST |
preston – some final questions: Do you remember what the item code was on the tiles you ordered? How much did it cost you? |
| preston | 22 Jan 2007 8:03 a.m. PST |
Howdy, I cut a quarter inch square section off of the top one in package this weekend. I used an rather old exacto knife and didn't have any problems cutting. it. So, I'm pretty confident that they are untreated. Warrenss2 – I'll check the box for the item code when I get home from work. The total price for 2 boxes (~42 sq ft.), including sales tax, was about $32. USD TTFN
Preston |
| preston | 23 Jan 2007 10:10 a.m. PST |
Hey Warrenss2, I checked the box at home and the item number is the same as the link in my previous post – CKML TTFN
Preston |
| KimRYoung | 24 Jan 2007 7:13 a.m. PST |
Preston When do you plan on trying out making something? Let us know how it goes ok Kim |
| Cacique Caribe | 18 Jun 2007 7:22 a.m. PST |
A few weeks ago, I bought a package of the dark brown 12" x 12" 'Hobby Cork Tiles' (the thicker "crumbly" ones about 3/8 of an inch or 1 cm thick). Just for fun, a couple of days ago I cut a few pieces for ruins and glued them with plastic cement. They finally cured and are ready for a layer of brushed wood glue. I figure that, though the crumbling ability is great for getting the right look, it may get in the way of durability. A couple of reinforcement layers of wood glue will be a must. CC |
