I have been using the wilton cake boards I buy at michaels.  Of course they add up super fast and don't always have the size I need. I have seen where people make there own? I dont know where you would get cardboard for it.  Then ive seen some people use foam board? What do you use for cake boards?

I go to dollar tree and buy foam core boards.  I use a circle cutter for drywall to cut them or a utility knife if I want a square.  I glue 2 together to make it thicker and then cover with fondant and ribbon.  Easy peasy, fast and super cheap. 

If I want a thick base for a wider ribbon or if it's a heavier cake, I glue 3 or more together.  But, really, I've done some pretty heavy cakes with just 2. Two together is about a 1/4 inch thick.

Most of my boards are 12-14 inches around or wide so I really only need one foam core board, which at $1 is very nice.

Awesome! I will have to try! They sound sturdier than the wilton ones too!

I also use the foam boards from dollar tree, I glue mine to a cake board and that makes it pretty strong and I cover with cake Foils I have them in alot of different colors, you can look at my gallery to see what they look like

Hint- watch youtube videos on how to cut foam core. Best done at a slight angle. LOVE that tip!

Do any of you cover a cardboard with scrapbooking paper and cover with clear Contact paper?  I have found conflicting information as to whether the Contact paper is food safe, so when I do this, I use a cake board under that cake and then a pc of shelf liner to keep the cake from sliding around....

Elmer's Foam Board, 20 inches x 30 inches x 1/2",  purchased at Michaels (or other craft stores) with a coupon.  (Most cake people call it foam core.)  I strongly prefer the 1/2" thick foam core.

The 1/2" thickness will hold a 3 tier cake with zero problems.  Recently I made a 3 tier for graduation, 12x12x4 base, 8x8x4, 6x6x4 and placed on a 1/2" foam core base which I had cut to 16x16" square.  I covered the base with food safe foil, then placed a 5/8" ribbon around the outer edges.  I used the small, left-over odd-sized chunks and  hot glue'd those under the main, decorated cake board to give it a 1/2" clearance so the cake could easily be picked up and moved around.   [Trust me, with a heavy tiered cake, you want some room to grab and move the cake without sliding or tilting the entire structure!]

The bottom layer of cake was placed on a food safe cardboard, 12x12, which was then  placed on the foil decorated base.    (Don't put a cake directly on foil or you'll end up serving a tasty slice of foil with your cake servings......)

I learned an early, very difficult lesson with the &*%$#@ Wilton silver cake drums.  These are NOT meant for anything other than a fairly light, 4" high cake.  Never, ever, ever use them for any tiered cakes or they will bend and crack your fondant and/or buttercream.

I deconstructed a Wilton silver cake drum and found the 3 layers of cardboard corrugations were all aligned in the same direction---dumb.   You can cut your own clean cardboard and stack it with the corrugations going in opposite directions for MUCH greater strength.

Bottom piece of cardboard with the corrugations going east to west.

Next piece of cardboard with the corrugations going north to south.

Top (third and final) piece of cardboard with the corrugations going east to west again.

Oh, I've never heard that.  I'll have to look for that!

I haven't done that but I have seen a lot of people do that. I wouldn't have an issue with it with a  cardboard round.

Junkies, is there some wY I can view a picture of your boards covered with fondant? Sounds interesting!! 

Sure, my website is victoriahennessycakes.com.  All the boards with ribbon are dollar tree boards doubled up then covered in fondant.

I make some of my own foam core boards...but mostly I purchase them from www.cakethings.com because they have a plastic coating to prevent them from absorbing moisture.  I love their 1/2 thick boards for tiered cake bases, and the 3/8 inch thick for stacking tiers...you can even get them with the center hole already drilled in them.  I use the stacking method where I glue my center support dowel into the base, then slide each tier down over the center support....that way you cakes are automatically perfectly centered on each other.

I learned something reading through this thread. I had no idea that Wilton made cake drums or that they were only made with three layers of cardboard. Interesting to read that they were nit lined up for maximum strength.

The drums I buy are made of a rather thick pressed board similar to masonite. They are very strong. I will be thinking twice before I recommend a cake drum again in case someone thinks I mean a Wilton one which would not be strong enough for a large heavy cake even if it was lined up properly.

Yep the Wilton ones are pretty flimsy.  I do occasionally use them for two tiered cake because they come in a pack of two and with a Michael's coupon they are pretty cheap....but I do glue a circle of 3/8 foam core, cut an inch or two smaller, to the bottom for added strength.

In the 5 years I've been hobby baking, I've used a whole bunch of different things for cake base surfaces:

12x12 or 16x16" ceramic tiles from Home Depot (great for large gingerbread houses) covered with fondant or royal icing.  I place cardboard cut to size underneath since the bottom of tiles are scratchy and uneven, and put ribbon around the edges.

Various plates from thrift stores

Microwave glass "plates" (the ones inside a microwave that your food goes onto when nuking something).  I've taped or glued 1/4" foam board around the bottom so they stay level because they typically have three raised glass nubs near the center on the bottom

Clean cardboard, cut to size, taped together (with alternating corrugation directions for strength) and covered with foil or fondant or freezer paper

DIY cake stands which can given as part of the cake gift.   Here's a thread with photos:

http://www.wilton.com/forums/messageview.cfm?catid=8&threadid=161628  

Gold, scalloped cardboards purchased at a specialty cake store (good for 4" cakes 10" or smaller).  When I use a single piece of cardboard, I nearly always tape or hot glue an additional, slightly smaller cardboard underneath to provide a space which is used to pick up and move the cake around.  A 10"or 12"  gold scalloped board would have a cheaper 8" or 10" cake circle placed underneath.

I prefer to have my cake boards 2" to 4" larger than the finished cake to allow for borders or writing.  It also enhances the overall presentation.