What to paint/cover plywood before setting down track etc

[Anonymous]

I am going to start a new 4 X 8 layout on a sheet of BC plywood. What is the best material/color (paint?) with which to cover it. After I lay tracks, I intend to ballast tracks, cover areas with ground foam, "plant" some shrubs/trees and have afew short roadways.

Also what is the best way to establish roadways - black paint seems too simple!!

thanks for your help

Tom[?]

[Big_Boy_4005]

I like a nice earthy brown. That way if you miss a spot it isn't obvious. Flat interior latex paint, nothing fancy.

[Chris F]

Tom,

I also used earth-town latex paint. However, I covered my plywood with 1/2" thick extruded foam (pink), and used 1/8" thick foam as roadbed underneath. Others have used homasote instead of foam. Cork is an alternative roadbed. Consider these other "covers" before you start painting.

Black or gray paint is simple and fast. Some sprinkle the paint with sand before it dries. One recommendation I liked was stair treads, the peel-and-stick stuff that looks like sandpaper (which also has been used for roads).

[brianel027]

Tom, I'll go with the others on using a simple brown or even grey latex paint to start. What kind of track are you using? I've found old vacuum cleaner belts work well for grade crossings with 027 track. Black paint is simple for making roads, yes. But you can mix a little sand in with the wet paint to creat a little texture for roads. You can also use thin slices of medical tape or self sticking mailing labels to make center white stripes for roads. You can also make roads from matt board scraps. Use spray paint to paint the matt board, or use black colored board. Remember real roads also have seams in them, so don't fret too much over where matt board joins together.
If you aren't using a homosote overlay or cork for the track roadbed, you might want to consider using self-sticking insultation foam under the metal track ties to help deaden noise. Making your own ties out of black foamcore board is not only economical but will also help cut noise. You can of course, also buy rubber ties for this purpose.

[Anonymous]

I covered my board with a flat green. If you're modeling back roads or older-style roads, you can use sifted pete moss.

[EMDSD40]

i painted the plywood a flat gray. then laid the gargraves track, painting it railbrown. next i used gray kitty litter for ballast and sprinkled sand covered by life-like green grass. now for roadways i used black roofing shingles nailed down using ho track nails. nothing is glued down, this makes it simple to make changes or add roads and structures. trees are planted with a dab of hot glue and covered with sand and grass at the base. it has been like this for years and i have no problems with the sand/grass or kitty litter. buy a pack of roofing shingles and you have miles of roadway very cheap, also very easy to cut up into parking lots, walkways etc... make the road system make sense with grade crossings and access to your structures...ENJOY