Piles of Foam

I had this half-baked idea that I would go to Menards, pick up a 4x8 piece of foam insulation and within minutes have made a set of risers that would rival the Woodland Scenics product. That was the plan and it sure started out good!

I actually put some planning into this project, did some research and did a little math to plan a proper elevation percent, you know, rise over run!

I had purchased 2" foam and planned on using an extendable knife. The first problem I ran into was the knife blade was not long enough nor stable enough to make a good cut through the foam. So I then tried the cut on both sides and while it worked, it was problematic at best. I also tried the method of scoring one side halfway through and then simply breaking the piece away. This method actually was not horrible. It did leave the foam a bit uneven and in need of sanding.

Another lesson learned is having the proper working space is essential. I did not have a great space to do this work and as a result, worked on the basement floor in a cramped space.

You can see that my first cuts had large missing chunks. In a few subsequent cuts I did manage to get a set pretty close, but still in need of some large amount of sanding to smooth out some wavy spots and given enough time, I probably could get a working set of risers.

In the end, the cost of making your own risers will get very close to, and in my case, surpass the cost of simply purchasing a set of professionally made risers. This is obviously a personal choice and those who really enjoy the working with their hands and have the time and talent, making your own is not impossible. For me, I have a pile of foam that will make great mountains and other structures, but probably not a set of risers!