Walmart vs Dollar General foamcore boards
 

I really needed more fabric organizer boards so I decided to try the foamcore and cut them myself. I bought one of the foamcore boards from Walmart and it was hard to cut and didn't cut very cleanly. I was going to go ahead and get a couple more but they only had one more.

So on my way home I stopped at Dollar General and they had some. The paper on the outside is more like paper instead of like poster board and they're lighter in weight than the Walmart boards. They cut beautifully with one pass of the rotary cutter!!! Plus they're half the price of the Walmart foamcore! I can cut five 8.5 X 11 inch fabric organizers from one sheet of foamcore.

I use the jumbo vinyl coated paper clips to secure the fabric and Walmart didn't have any of them. But Dollar Tree did and at DT they're only a dollar per package. I even found a cute box to keep them in.

To add more info, I looked the company up online that makes the Dollar General boards and their website says they're acid free!! I think I'll go get all they have!

thanks for the post . good to know that.

Thanks for the tip! I've been thinking of doing this & you just gave me the incentive!

Good old DG! Gotta love em!

When I cut foamcore I use the straight razon blade the ones that they use to cut open boxes with. You have to cut it in the same place 3 times. Saw it done on the Carol Duvall show Worked fine for me

How much does this make your boards cost each? Uline has them already cut but I think they average around $.50 each. Is this cheaper?

Thanks for the information

Interesting, who knew there would be a difference. I did this to my fabrics a few years back, but found I had way more fabric than foam core! JoAnns Fabrics gives the empty bolts away, and the ones that are flat and just cardboard are the perfect size. The way they are folded, I get about 4 per bolt and it cuts with a rotary cutter too. Not nearly as pretty but free!

The Dollar Tree has foam core boards for $1 apiece. I cut mine into 5" X 12" pieces and I was able to get 9 or 10 of them out of one sheet of foam core. That makes it about 10 cents apiece. I had to buy 40 boards to have enough to do almost all of my fabrics (now that tells you I have to much fabric!!) so for $40 I got 400 fabric boards. Not a bad price! Uline would have cost me $200.

just make sure to always check the maker to be sure you are buying acid free...most $ stores use a "drop ship" ordering and the foam boards can come from different companies....
acid free is a must to protect your fabric....I figured I would need over 1,000 boards, and would LOSE space, so gave up the idea of doing this...will try the ruler folding instead!

It IS acid-free http://www.adamsplasticsinc.com/index.php/readi-board

The foam core board I got at the Dollar Tree is manufactured by R L Adams Plastics in Wyoming, Michigan and it is ACID FREE.

The boards I cut cost me .20 cents each. The best part is I don't have to wait for someone to ship them to me, I don't have to pay shipping costs and DG is right in my neighborhood on the way to or from practically anything else.

My Dollar Tree didn't have any foam core boards. They only had poster boards. The foam core boards I got at Dollar General are manufactured by the same company though and they're acid free and cut with one pass of the rotary cutter. They really do cut beautifully.

OK, I have been "on the outside looking in" at this board for a long time. Yes, I am addicted to it! I have learned a lot and cont. to learn lots. This is my first post. I can not find these foam core boards at my Dollar General. I looked on their website also and could not find them.

not sure about the DG but some places call it " science board" ( I assume, due to schools used to have the kids display/explain their science project on this board)
Not all stores carry the same items.. keep searching other stores as you travel thru other towns.

I also get their 3 ring binders and clear pockets and keep my patterns organiized in the binder. Prices are right and the stuff is sturdy

I got mine at Dollar Tree. I didn't find them with the poster board. They were in a box down by an end cap in the same aisle. When I didn't see them with the poster board, I figured they didn't have them. I started to wander the store and that's how I found them. Ask an employee if they have it.

I guess I am off to the Dollar Tree!!

Do you all know the plastic corrugated boards that people put on those wire (stick in the ground) stands? Around here, some folks advertise their yard sales on them or if they are running for local office, they are pre-printed. I collect them when elections/yard sales are done and cut them into boards, 6 x 9, to wrap all my fabric. I've got quite a stash of them waiting for my fabric stash to catch up!! Cost? ZERO!!

You want Dollar Tree, not General....

Question
 

Are the foamcore boards better than comic book boards? I can get comic book boards at the local comic book store for 7.95 per 100 count. No cutting needed. With tax added, they are ~8.5 cents each. They are acid free and a perfect fit in the cube unit I found at Goodwill for 9.50. I am just getting started putting my fabric on boards and really like how much easier it stores and I can see what it have easily.

I made my own fat quarter storage bins with 1 trifold foam core board. I cut the 12" sides through the back paper layer and foam leaving the front "paper" in tact, making 2- 6" wide folding pieces, then cut 6" over from the fold of the center through completely. That left me 3 sides, folded up to make a box. Repeat on the other side to make a 2nd one. I used the left over 12" from the center piece, cut into 6 x 6" squares to make the top & bottom ends, and a couple "Shelves". Hot melt glued them in place and I was pleasantly surprised how strong they actually are!

Dollar General is where I found the foam boards. My Dollar Tree didn't have any. Check both.

There isn't a comic book store within a hundred miles or more of here. The foam boards are probably a lot stiffer than comic boards though.

I am doing a project for the 4th for my grand-daughter, I found the foam core boards at The Dollar Tree for a buck a piece, so you might try there and it cuts great with an Exacto knife!

I bought mine a the Dollar tree store. Can't beat them for a buck

Thanks ScissprQueen! You have been very helpful.:)

Somebody who moved to my town started this huge campaign to keep Dollar General out of town. There is one about 11 miles away, but this guy and his cohorts are making sound as though the company is Satan himself. You've given a good reason to have one nearby ! http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/14/us...ents.html?_r=1

My Dollar Tree doesn't always have them. But you're right they cut great!!

I used the large rectangle Wilton Cake boards. I got three boards from each rectangle and there are three rectangles in the package. They are non toxic for food so I figure they are fine for fabric to be wrapped around it. I kept buying all Walmart had every time I shopped there. I don't use any clips or pins to hold the fabric, it stays in place when put between other boards on the shelf.

I've had most of my fabric on the foam-core boards from DG. I bought it about a year ago and cut it as I needed it.

I also found I was losing space doing this so I've gone to folding for most of my fabrics. Larger quantities (2 yards or more) it makes sense to use the boards with my shelves. I fold my pieces so that they take up the whole depth of the shelf and that's also a space saver.

I'm almost done organizing and was able to "edit" out quite a few fabrics that I know I won't use. My local quilting buddies are getting first crack at those. As I find my quilting style (I've been at this for about five years now) I find more "what was I thinking" fabrics. I'm tempted to hold on to them, but I'm being firm with myself. If I haven't used them in four years, it's time to let go!

Happy organizing!

I used foam board from Wal Mart. I cut them with an exacto knife. They didn't cut well, but I didn't care. They were covered with fabric anyway. I use straight pens to secure the fabric.

Hooray for Dollar Tree!

I understand the foam core or snagging the cardboard from Joann's ( I do that for macrame) but what is "ruler fold" Right now I have the majority of my fabrics folded and stored in bins. We had to rebuild the room where I sew due to hurricane roof/water damage last summer. I did really well sorting until it came down to "I'm tired of this" attitude and just said "oh this is close" to blue/pink/reds whatever. Since all the fabrics are stacked, it's really hard to see what's in the bin. Perhaps if I took it out and refolded it around something and put it back in rows?? Thanks for any info. Retta

I just can't get myself to spend dollars on boards when I would rather buy fabric. I have used the comic book board inserts and they have been fantastics. Cheap, thin, and lightweight. Once the fabric gets all shoved onto the bookshelf it works great.

Hi, I went to dollartree.com and checked out the foam boards...If you can afford the $50 for a case of 50 ...order them online and they will ship for free to the store for pick up...

I had used the foam boards for a while. I tried different ones (thicknesses). I found that you can not get a clean cut if the foam boards are too thick. I go to Hobby Lobby and they have a foam board that is around 1/8 inch thick. Then I use a rotary cutter designated for paper to cut it.