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Where to buy 1/4” open cell foam in States? (2 Viewers)

Ethan

Ethan

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I am pretty sure I want 1/4” foam under my felt. I’ve been trying to figure out best place to buy after digging through search but didn’t find much. Any help would be appreciated.

Also, I recall reaching on a table build or two about a thin additional layer of something to mitigate chip bounce without leading to stack wobble. What have y’all used? How does it rate?

Thanks in advance!

D36E8DF9-664F-4297-8D3D-117BF1053357.jpeg
 
1/4" open cell foam from YAT, or 1/4" headliner from Joann Fabrics.
 

Thanks y’all. Which of the three from YAT is best for under felt?​

  • 1/4" Thick Foam Padding - Medium Density​

  • 1/4" Thick "TS Backed" Pleating Pink Sew Foam​

  • 1/4" High Density Poker Foam (Open Cell) OUT OF STOCK​

 
Ethan said:

Thanks y’all. Which of the three from YAT is best for under felt?​

  • 1/4" Thick Foam Padding - Medium Density​

  • 1/4" Thick "TS Backed" Pleating Pink Sew Foam​

  • 1/4" High Density Poker Foam (Open Cell) OUT OF STOCK​

Click to expand...
Any idea which of these is correct?
 
This is what I bought from YAT a few years ago. Not sure which one it correlates to in your list, maybe the first one.

2-A Density Volara - 1/4" 2-A-Volara-Top-Pad-WHITE
Thick Closed Cell Foam
(WHITE)
 
Use the pink sew foam, with the white side up. If you want, you can put some 1/8" volara under it - sort of gives you the best of both worlds between open cell and volara.
 
Volara high density, closed cell foam. I put a thin layer of headliner (I mean, like a light blanket thickness) on top of it to deaden the bounce without making stacks wobbly.

I always got my Volara from YAT and my headliner from Joanne Fabrics.
 
1/4" HD is the best, but I've used TS backed sew foam as well when the HD is not in stock. There's not much of a difference.
 
On my Barrington build I just did I put 1/8 neoprene under the volara and I think it might be the best combination ever. Gives it extra cushion and allows for easy peaking at cards with that little bit of play.
 
I'll second the neoprene motion. 3/16" or 1/4" (think mousepad, exercise mat, etc)

Specifically a product called "Ensolite". Also known as "gym rubber". Which actually is just a tick firmer than most other "neoprene" sheets. & is cheaper than Volara. Softer than Volara but not so much that chip stacking becomes an issue.

https://www.foambymail.com/GR-_BLACK/gym-rubber-black.html

When I built my 2nd table with the stuff, I went back & ripped the Volara off the 1st one.
 
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FYI I ordered some 3/16" Thick Foam Padding - Medium Density on my last build to test out on top of closed foam to reduce bounce. It was too thick/soft to have good stacks. You could do 20 stacks okay but they'd lean with pressure next door. That type of foam is way too weak to support a playing surface on its own and too thick to add on something else.

I'd like to try neoprene, but easily sourced YAT 2-A Density Volara - 1/4" Thick Closed Cell Foam is easily my choice for now. @Dix's recommendation looks very solid though for a try next time.
 
Thank you all for your feedback!

I've gone with @Dix 's idea on the 1/4" gym rubber. ~$40 shipped for the full size of the table. Hopefully it is not subject to permanent indentions. I'll try to keep heavy objects off the play surface in case.

Stay tuned for results. :)
 
Actually, in that case you're far better off with neoprene/Ensolite than you ever would be with Volara.

Volara has a tendency to dent easily, & once it's dented, it's permanent. Leave a full chip case on it for a few hours & there will be 4 dents in it left by the case bumpers/feet that will never come out. The roll of it I got came "pre-dented" from shipping. Fortunately, it was in a spot that ended up covered by the rail.

I've left a full chip case on an Ensolite padded table overnight. There were 4 minor impressions when I picked the case up that were nearly gone by the end of the day & completely gone by the next weekend's game. It tends to rebound fairly well if just left alone.

Neoprene beats the crap out of Volara any day of the week & twice on Sunday. Also, Ensolite is usually cheaper, while even premium neoprene is only generally a couple bucks more than Volara.

Given that, why anyone would want to use Volara anymore is beyond me. I don't even think it's all that great a playing surface. It's harder to pick up cards & chips, & damages too easily. Other than the fact that it's about 100% liquid damage-proof, what's the upside?

I used it for my 1st table only because at the time it was what just about everyone else was using. That lasted as long as trying neoprene on the 2nd build.
 
Ensolite is *much* more forgiving than volara with regards to permanent indentions, it's a really nice product.
 
Ethan said:
Thank you all for your feedback!

I've gone with @Dix 's idea on the 1/4" gym rubber. ~$40 shipped for the full size of the table. Hopefully it is not subject to permanent indentions. I'll try to keep heavy objects off the play surface in case.

Stay tuned for results. :)
Click to expand...
any results!? :nailbite:

I am contemplating on what exactly to get myself.
 
JRald07 said:
any results!? :nailbite:

I am contemplating on what exactly to get myself.
Click to expand...
I haven’t installed it yet (this week’s project actually) but it feels amazing! Chips easily stack 40 high with little wobble. Very happy I went this route. Thanks again, @Dix ! I feel safe recommending it even before applying, to be honest.

I’ll be searching for advice on how to do the actual build now that I have the materials. If anyone has a resource or two to point me towards I’d appreciate it. :)
 
Ethan said:
I haven’t installed it yet (this week’s project actually) but it feels amazing! Chips easily stack 40 high with little wobble. Very happy I went this route. Thanks again, @Dix ! I feel safe recommending it even before applying, to be honest.

I’ll be searching for advice on how to do the actual build now that I have the materials. If anyone has a resource or two to point me towards I’d appreciate it. :)
Click to expand...
Thank you. You just made my mind up.

Keep us updated!
 
Ethan said:
Very happy I went this route. Thanks again, @Dix ! I feel safe recommending it even before applying, to be honest.
Click to expand...
Glad you like it. Although, if you've never felt/used it before I wasn't surprised by the reaction. Like I said, when I built my 2nd table with it I ended up hating Volara so much I went back & ripped the 1st one apart to replace it with neoprene.

Although, anyone that's ever used an old mousepad to practice shuffling chips on already knows what it feels like. Mousepads are just 3/16" neoprene with a fabric coating. :D

As for building tips.... there's a ton if 'em if you do a search in that topic area... of course, you have to decide how complex you want to get. (standard or raised rail - racetrack yes/no - with or without cupholders - etc)

@Irish did an awesome topic pulling a ton of tips, tricks, & build links together in one topic.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/poker-table-building-guides-tips-tricks.64206/


& there's also his own table build that contains a ton of diagrams/illustrations.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/irishs-main-table-build.58753/


If you do a search, a lot of the topics asking for build info contain links to useful topics as well.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/sear...t&c[child_nodes]=1&c[nodes][0]=14&o=relevance

@T_Chan just did a custom felt for me as I'm going to do a "final table" build for our local Legion tourneys. Here's the link to the pic if you want to check it out.
https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/custom-cloths.3661/post-1299727

Keep us posted on your progress or if you run into any snags. I'm sure someone can get you sorted if that happens.
 
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Great looking table. Did you find a foam of choice yet?
 
Does this ensolite have enough give in it to make it easy to pick up cards? The only reason why i ask, is because i am about done with my 1st table build and i have 1/4 " Volara under speed cloth, and it just does not seem to be the same as a casino table. I feel like the padding is not thick enough compared to a casino table padding.
 
I found a place in my area which is a wholesaler—called them and picked it up in person. Not sure how common that is, but Albany is hardly the biggest city.
 
jbomb1018 said:
Does this ensolite have enough give in it to make it easy to pick up cards? The only reason why i ask, is because i am about done with my 1st table build and i have 1/4 " Volara under speed cloth, and it just does not seem to be the same as a casino table. I feel like the padding is not thick enough compared to a casino table padding.
Click to expand...

Volara is not the same as a casino table. It's original popularity I believe is because it's 100% spill damage proof.

But, that's the only upside. As you notice, it's way too hard. Also, if it gets dented, it's permanent. & that's not hard to do either.

If you know what a mousepad feels like, you know what 1/4" neoprene/Ensolite feels like. Which makes a MUCH better table surface padding, but not so soft that tall chipstacks tend to topple.
 
Dix said:
Volara is not the same as a casino table. It's original popularity I believe is because it's 100% spill damage proof.

But, that's the only upside. As you notice, it's way too hard. Also, if it gets dented, it's permanent. & that's not hard to do either.

If you know what a mousepad feels like, you know what 1/4" neoprene/Ensolite feels like. Which makes a MUCH better table surface padding, but not so soft that tall chipstacks tend to topple.
Click to expand...
Do you know what casinos may use? Is it open cell? Different foam all together?
Have you tried going thicker with Volara or the ensolite? Any pros or cons?
 
I'd rate neoprene & Ensolite a bit firmer than true casino surface, but not by a lot. Casino's may be an open-cell type.

Going thicker with Volara isn't going to do much, it'll still going to be harder than neoprene.

The premium neoprene at FoamByMail is a tick softer than Ensolite(Gym Rubber), but costs more & can be had in 3/8" thickness if you like.

Since I have a build coming up I found an eBay seller listing 3/16" neoprene sheet. I ordered a foot of it as a sample to get a feel for the density vs FoamByMail's.

I can let you know what I find out when I get it in if you want.
 
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I would recommend going into your local car upholstery shop. I got mine for less than what online sites were selling for.
 
Dix said:
I'd rate neoprene & Ensolite a bit firmer than true casino surface, but not by a lot. Casino's may be an open-cell type.

Going thicker with Volara isn't going to do much, it'll still going to be harder than neoprene.

The premium neoprene at FoamByMail is a tick softer than Ensolite(Gym Rubber), but costs more & can be had in 3/8" thickness if you like.

Since I have a build coming up I found an eBay seller listing 3/16" neoprene sheet. I ordered a foot of it as a sample to get a feel for the density vs FoamByMail's.

I can let you know what I find out when I get it in if you want.
Click to expand...
that would be awesome if you could let me know, I am on the fence about taking the volara off and putting something different on.
 

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