The lumber yard outside salesman visited the job site today and left a sample of a product they are expecting delivery on the first of the next week. Evidently the increased cost of OSB and supposed shortage has opened the door to a spin off of what used to be called Celotex wall sheeting.

Older modelers might remember the white building board version of Celotex, which made a very good building board surface as it provided good density for pins without the nasty black tar surface of the Celotex.

This new version is called Quiet Brace and has a similar internal structure. The sample piece is black but the picture on the sample shows a tan color with black lettering. It is sturdier than Celotex and a minute or so of testing the sample with a pin convinced me that it is an ideal building surface with an ideal density needed for pins... not too hard to go in and not too easy to come out.

Quiet Brace, by Temple-Inland. It is offered in two thicknesses, 1/2 and 25/32 inch and 4x8-10 ft.

I'll likely use it on the next project starting next week and will probably have a piece on my building board sometime soon and not too soon as the old surface is pretty ratty.

AA5BY, you got it right.

I use the product I call Celotex (I think the big box stores call it "building board"). Sounds like the same stuff... not the black tar coating. Just primed white on one side and "natural" color on the other. Great stuff although messy to cut. Holds the pins well.

After the surface gets kind of dinged and cut up, I just spread a thin layer of spackling on it to smooth it out. When it's really trashed, I turn it over and use the other side.

However, I use a double layer of Celotex over the substrate because the T-pins I use are too long for 1/2" Celotex. When I want a really strong hold with the pin, I want to push it all the way in. Especially if I want the use the "T" of the pin to hold the building piece in its place. Two layers of Celotex allows a better hold, longer pins, etc.

Yes. I am an "older" modeler.

I ussed a Celotex covered building board for nearly 20 years. It finally gave up the ghost, and, last year, I had to replace it.

I couldn't find Celotex, so I used Homasote. It works well, but I doubt that it will be as durable as the Celotex was.

This places Quiet Brace in my future. Thanks for telling us about it !

Yeh... "Homasote". That's the name I remember, maybe, or was it something else? Hmmm. What is this about?

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I've found that ceiling tiles also work well. They stay really flat.