My train room is my home office. The room is 11.5 x 14 feet and is carpeted with a medium pile carpet. When I built my little layout, the carpet was not a real factor during construction. The layout was small enough that I could build the whole thing in the garage and bring it in when it was finished. The new layout is L-shaped, running the width of the room (11.5’) plus another 6’ along the adjacent wall. There is no way I can build the whole thing in the garage and bring it into the office. I am building the bench work in three sections that will be built in the garage. However, at some point, the whole thing has to be assembled in the office. This has to occur before all of the track is laid, therefore there will be some drilling, and all of the ballasting over the carpet. Any suggestions as to the best way to do this? Should I just plan on putting down tarps before I begin anything messy?
Richard
My train room is carpeted. I cover the work area with newspaper, plastic, a flattened cardboard box, or whatever when I'm doing scenery work. Otherwise I just vacuum any mess, as with sawdust.
Rob Spangler
Ditto to what Rob said.
I've got a nice carpet in the train room, which is slowly be reclaimed from the "family room" it became until our daughter went to college. My layout is built in sections, too, and stands on its own legs so it does not have to be attached to the walls.
I use a square wood box frame with pink foam over the whole thing. For almost all scenery and other messy work, I'm on top of 2 inches of foam, so there's nothing falling on the carpet. I do put something down when I'm working at the edges.
I have one of those "boot tray" things that I keep around for soldering beneath the layout, or for pouring Envirotex where I might get leakage after the job is done and I've left the room.
I would recommend keeping a roll of paper towels and a vacuum cleaner in the room. The faster you get to a spill, the easier it is to clean it up.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
My biggest concern is ballasting. I am building an N-scale layout, so I am using a relatively fine ballast. I am worried that the ballast is going to get into the fibers of the carpet and the vacuum will not get it all out. I like the idea of using newpaper--easy to pick up and dispose. (Now I will just need to subscribe to a newspaper. )
The majority of my "real work" is renovation and quite often covering traffic/ work areas to protect hardwood flooring or carpet is a must. During some of the heavier, messy constuction, covering the carpet w/ masonite/ luan works rather well. This can actually remain for the most protection, When working on a messy project, then cardboard, newpaper or my fav, rosin paper work great placed over the plywood, when done roll up and dispose. I like that boot tray mrB mentions. tarps work for the most part, however you find yourself tripping and pulling the tarp w/ clumbsy feet. I always have a good suppy of cardboard on hand for spot coverings or to protect a wood floor for the short term. If your carpet pile is a bit too heavy the thin plywood or masonite works far better as the thinner cardboard, paper material tends to buckle when worked on.
There is also a rolled carpet protetion that I use for carpeted stairs and hallway/ traffic areas. this is a self stick heavy plastic drop on a roll. This product may work well for you placed in a few strips under the layout.
Modeling B&O- Chessie Bob K. www.ssmrc.org
If you contemplate using carriage bolts as leg level adjusters then be mindful that any steel or other metal that touches the carpet may well after a time leave a rust spot due to ordinary moisture in the air. Note that carpet cleaners often put a small square of aluminum foil under the metal gliders on furniture and you may want to do the same. Even if your legs are pure wood be prepared for a more or less permanent indent to be pushed into the carpet.
Many modelers complain that their concrete basement floor just kills their back when working for long periods on the layout (or having long operating sessions). Carpeting will have many benefits but don't expect it to look lovely once the layout is removed decades hence.
Dave Nelson
dknelson. . .Carpeting will have many benefits but don't expect it to look lovely once the layout is removed decades hence.
You are operating under the mistaken assumption that the carpet looks lovely now. We are talking 15 year old carpet so it is fairly matted. I would still rather not fill it with ballast. I like the idea of the plastic carpet runners.
" (Now I will just need to subscribe to a newspaper. )"
There are lots of online newspapers that are free. Oh...on second thought those may not help you much.
The guy I bought the house from installed really nice new carpet when he put it up for sale. He should have known it was going to be a train room.
Anyway I have plastic vaper barrier in a large tupperware tub under the layout. When I am going to be messy I can roll it out and have the entire 15' x 24' area covered in no time. The reason I used vaper barrier was because it was thick enough that it would roll out easily (not sticky) and was thick enough to stand on alot without ripping it. Also certain things would take longer to eat through it if I had a disaster.
I hope (unlike mine) your trainroom doesn't have PINK carpet.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
RideOnRoad.......therefore there will be some drilling, and all of the ballasting over the carpet. Any suggestions as to the best way to do this?
Very ,very very, carefully.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Batman offered: I hope (unlike mine) your trainroom doesn't have PINK carpet.
But it matches the pink foam! What could tie the room and layout together better than that?
On the subject of the legs digging into the carpet, for the newest section of my layout I found some screw adjusters with carpet bases which distribute the weight well and should protect the carpet. This part of the layout is mostly an 18-inch wide shelf, so it will never take on much weight. The other parts of the layout put more weight on the legs. For those, I use screw adjusters, but I put a 3x3 square of plywood beneath them to better spread the load.
Hi Richard; After my wiring was finished I stapled painting drop sheet plastic from HD to the bottom of the frame of the layout and it is still on there now, until I finish scenery, ballasting etc. Keeps the carpet clean and I also have a portable vac to use on top of the layout as I work. Doug
At a job yesterday, finished laying a laminate floor, customer used the "el cheapo" foam underlayment from Home depot. Thought this would be a great floor covering for spot protection for the real messy stuff. Just a thought.
I built over carpet with free standing tables. I loved it. I learned to find little things that I dropped. Then the basement flooded and getting the carpet up from under the table legs was a problem, though solved. I am still glad I did it and I miss the carpet now that it is gone.