Delaminating Hard- To- Delaminate Foam Board

Flite Test uses Adams Foam Board in their kits. However, for some of us, we can't always get Adams (Dollar Tree) foam board- and we're stuck using foam such as Elmers or others.

Now, these foam boards work A-Okay for most builds. However, when it comes to delaminating the foam board (Peeling off the paper and leaving just the foam) for waterproofing or other purposes, those other types of foam just don't want to delaminate, and we end up either peeling off foam with the paper or leaving an incomplete, rough layer of paper underneath. The entire point of delaminating the foam is that you get down to just the foam- no paper, so it doesn't do so well to have another layer of paper after you peel some off or to have an incomplete layer of foam because some of it pulled off with the paper.

Thankfully, there's an easy way to delaminate non- Dollar Tree type foam board- water. For the purpose of this article I'll be showing this technique in a sink, but for larger projects you might be heading to the bathtub...

Any of us who have foam board aircraft who have landed in wet grass know that foam board and wet don't get along well. (Unless it's been waterproofed) The water will weaken the bond between the paper and the foam and if will start to delaminate. We're going to be using that exact same disadvantage to our advantage.

Start by running the foam board under water. Make sure that it has enough time and water to soak through entirely, and cover every bit of paper that you want to peel off.

After the paper has been thoroughly soaked through, start to gently peel off the paper. Keep the foam under the flow of water as you do so. 

After you peel off the paper, you'll see that there's still a layer of paper underneath. This should be a thinner layer, and with this layer you can either soak it and pull it off or you can rub it off with your fingers.

If you want to peel the rest of it off, repeat the process we did the first time- soak the paper thoroughly, and then find an edge and peel the paper off.

Now that you've gotten off the second layer, just go over the foam one last time and rub off any last bits of paper with your fingers. The remaining paper will roll up as you rub your fingers over it and the foam underneath the paper will be left fully intact.

If you're doing a project that requires both sides to be paper- free, just repeat the process. You should be left with a clean, paperless foamboard.

Delaminating foam board lets it bend and curve without developing stress marks, and if you want to use Peter's method of waterproofing foam board you'll have to delaminate it first.

If you've got a bigger project that won't fit under the sink- don't worry! That's where the bathtub comes in...