Suggestions for black-top on layout.

[darianj]

Hi all!

I'm looking for suggestion of what I can use as the major top of my layout. I know many people use the green, fake grass, turf, outdoor carpet which simulates grass. I'm going for a more urban look and would like to simulate asphalt or blacktop where there are no buildings.

Right now I have 2" pink foam board on top of plywood. Should I get ride of the foam and go back to the plywood and just deal with the noise?

What else can be used for the top of your layout once you've put down your foam?

Thanks in advance!

Darian

[otftch]

Our club uses wall joint compound.Tape the edges and trowel it down where you want blacktop.Do a light sanding and paint with woodland scenics blacktop paint.The results will surprise you.You can take some shiny black and with a fine brush simulate repairs.
Ed

[pbjwilson]

Several paint companies have textured paint that may do the trick. Ralph Lauren calls it "River Rock". Benjamin Moore has a sand finish. Home depot has it in the Bahr paint line. Any way you bru***he paint on and it has a very fine sand texture to it. Might look good in a deep grey color.

I found a gallon at the Depot that was mistinted in an olive color. I actually used it on an HO layout I had several years ago. Has a very flat finish which is great. Could also be called "Suede Finish".

Now that I'm thinking about it, the suede has a lighter texture to it and is easier to brush. The river rock gums up in your brush.

[Buckeye Riveter]

I use a mixture of thick black paint and HO ballast to get the look of a blacktop road. I then make pot holes and skid marks on the pavement. Just drag a vehicle along the top of the roadway holding the tires and you will get real good skid marks.

Hope these photos help. I consider this just a rural road, typical of what we find in Ohio. If I was building an interstate, it would be smoother and I would add the center white skip and the yellow left and the white right edge lines. I should have put in some ditches along the sides of the road to make it look better.



BTW, the lanes on most roads range from 10' to 12' in width. Shoulders on an interstate are, at todays standards, 8' to 10' in width with many many exceptions throughout the country.

Just this week I was telling CSXT John that he could put an elevated interstate across his small town to add more space to display his die-cast car collection.

[Anonymous]

You can get 1/4" black foamboard at a art supply store.(Call around) It's flat black and It's about 2'x3' in size. Cut and place where you want it. Cover the edges with Elmers LATEX window glazing. Apply with a wet brush, it won't crack when it dries. Put FINE sand or dirt or ground foam off the road and on the edges. The sand I get is from the beach. It's very fine. Sprinkle lightly on the foam for that "dirty road look".

[Anonymous]

I went to Lowes and purchased a roll for the starter course of roof shingles. I cut off the part with the glue portion leaving me with about a 5" strip for roads.These are black with stones in it so it is a bit sparkly. I then use yellow or white paint pens to mark lines in the road. You can get these in a craft section at Wallmart. The roll also has an adhesive back so it is self sticking but can still be removed.

Dale Hz

[Roger Bielen]

I used Masonite, 1/8" hard board, cut to shape and painted with a very dark gray flat latex. If you like you could use the rough side up for texture. For stripes I used pinstriping tape, drafting tape could also be used.

[marxalot]

I've used the roof underlayment paper/felt. This stuff can be cut and glued own. It really has a little tar like finish. I gouged some ruts and holes in, used a little thinned pait etc.... It looked okay....... Mine was left over from a roof job.... I think you would have a life time supply for most of the forum members if you bought an entire roll of the stuff though................

Jim

[cnw1995]

Like Dale, I also use shingles. -they're easy to cut into curves and intersections.

[darianj]

Thanks everyone for your answers. I'm going to make look into all of your suggestions and see what I think will work best for me.

[csxt30]

Well, I started to make some streets last night & am using Woodland Scenics
Blacktop so far. Next I want to construct sidewalks, maybe from balsa wood & paint them with their Concrete. Everything will have to be elevated then. Be sure & give me your opinions & ideas, please !
Thanks, John

[Dr. John]

Although hard to find, Moondog Products made a great similated asphalt roadway made of 1/8 thick rubber. I just purchased a box of 25' on Ebay which includes straightaways, curves and some intersections. Looks just like blacktop.

[mickey4479]

John. Your photos bring back fond memories of that stage of work on my layout. The roads look good. The mountain with tunnel ports looks good as well. Did you use plaster cloth or towels? I also noticed you had to deal with a support column. I did as well. I had painted mine an aluminum color like the beams in my basement to brighten the room and to clean it up. What if anything are you going to do with your column? I am still puzzling about mine. Interested to know dimensions of your layout.

[FJ and G]

1st photo is asphalt, and concrete pavement is 2nd.

For asphalt, I lay sand down, affix with diluted wood glue, and paint with glossy black. Friends are always surprised that it looks and feels like the real deal.

For concrete, I lay a very thin coating of drywall mud (joint compound) over Styrofoam. It is thin so it won't crack, although cracks can be a good thing. Non-cracking material to use would be water putty. I mix up a batch of white and add just a bit of black latex until I get the desired color, then, I may add some patches or off coloring.

The KEY is to take you digital camera out and photograph a ton of roads. That's what I did. In fact, that's what I do for all my projects.

[csxt30]

Dr. John; I remember those Moon Dog streets made in the 90s. I was going to get them back then, but never did. Very nice, wi***hey still made them.

Mickey: thanks, those are K-line portals. I probably should have used a texture on the roads. The pole, if I get some of the bigger buildings later, I figure I could move the McDonalds & build some sort of taller building around that pole. If not that, I could at least box it in & maybe use it for some sort of billboard. Now the Mtn. is all plaster cloth, with different shapes of wood underneath for support.
Hard to describe my layout, as it goes around a portion of the basement. It's around a 50ft' oval, sort of, but with at least 72" radius. I keep finding new places to add new sections to. I'm going to ask a friend how he would describe my layout plan. I always say that I just look around & see where it could go & build benchwork & lay track down !!
Thanks, John

[FJ and G]

one more blacktop road I found from my previous layout...

[Sturgeon-Phish]

I'm laying my foam roadway now and I'm pleased with the way it's coming. I would like to weather the black surface so as not to look like "new" blacktop and maybe apothole or two. Any ideas?
Thanks
Jim

[FJ and G]

I've had success in "weathering" asphalt and cement surfaces by tossing dried clay (from the field) onto the wet paint.

If already dry, toss it on (or chalk). No need to seal it.

[cnw1995]

David, I just love the backdrop on your old layout - the clouds and sky have a real sense of depth to them.

[FJ and G]

Doug,

Glad you like the backdrop. Here are some others (my daughter did the last picture; she's the REAL artist!)

The COOL thing about a shelf layout is that you can set up scaffolding and go to work really easy even when the layout is completed.

I changed my backdrop more than a few times