...twisted, scaly and rough—with a few knots thrown in for good measure.
I'm getting toward the end of a project that I should have done years ago. That is, putting down some decent carpeting instead of the mish-mash of remnants that I had for the past 25 years!
At the same time, I am finishing the fabric covering on the fascia, too. The end result is that the 2 x 4 legs are looking pretty rough.
So I'm contemplating a vinyl covering or wrap of some kind. Paint might be OK but with the carpet and all, I just thought a quick covering with a vinyl material would be quick & easy.
This is what I'm thinking so far:
Peel and stick vinyl like the old "Contact" paper, but thicker if I can find it.
Vinyl flashing bent to a channel shape to slip over the 2 x 4.
Vinyl downspout, with a slit cut so it can be slipped over the existing leg. Downspout is actually only 2 x 3 unless there is a size closer to the 1½ x 3½ inches of the 2 x 4? Will it fit over a 2 x 4?
Idealy something like this would be nice, but this is for a 4 x 4.
http://www.homedepot.com/p/RDI-4-in-x-4-in-x-96-in-Vinyl-Flat-Design-Post-Wrap-4-Piece-73018473/203896307?MERCH=REC-_-NavPLPHorizontal1_rr-_-NA-_-203896307-_-N
Anyone have any ideas or leads?
Thanks, Ed
Maybe some old wallpaper rolls, end-of-roll type stuff? You could cover the sides with thin 1/8" plywood or hardboard/doorskin/luan/masonite and not have to paint in some cases. You could cover the legs with that deck-covering goop that has some texture and is pliable or rubbery if you can get it for a song. Many ways to cover a cat.
Hi Ed:
Ya, my legs look awful too. You should see my feet!!! No, you don't want to see my feet! Oh, sorry, you were talking about benchwork legs...
Have you thought about a skirt around the whole layout instead?
If you do want to cap the legs, you might consider aluminum instead of vinyl. Flat vinyl has a tendancy to get what the industry calls a "tin can" effect. In other words it doesn't like to stay flat. It tends to develop 'wobbles' (high and low spots) on the flat surfaces, or at least that was the case when I was selling the stuff a few years ago. When we did vinyl siding jobs the capping was still done in aluminum. The challenge with doing it in aluminum will be trying to find a way to do it economically. If you hire a contractor they will have a minimum job charge that could be more than $600.00. That's probably a non-starter. You can rent a brake (bending machine) and buy the aluminum sheet in smaller quantities from the big box stores, but getting it to look square and neat will be a learning experience. Attach it with caulking, not screws!
How about plain old wood veneer panelling with 90 degree mouldings on the corners?
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
The idea of covering with thin plywood or masonite is a good one. You can get away with doing at most 3 sides on the majority, depending on the sight lines you may have.
hon30critterHave you thought about a skirt around the whole layout instead?
Dave's idea is worth considering. I use black landscape cloth and hot glue clothespins to the inside of the bottom edge of the fascia to hold it. A friend went a little further and used regular cloth, sewing velcro to the back top that fastens to more hook-and-loop on the fascia.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
How about 4" aluminum vent duct? This is the rigid duct used for venting clothes dryers. It's open along one side, so you can easily cut it, using tin snips, to the required length, then slip it around your ugly legs and snap the mating edges together. Not too expensive either and readily available.
Wayne
I have a fabric drop that covers everything, to the floor, like Mike. I also like Wayne's idea with the dryer duct. It would look like heavy pipe columns under your layout, which you could paint before installing, putting the seam to the back.
Check out 3M DI-NOC:
http://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/All-3M-Products/Design-Construction/Architectural-Design/Architecture-Construction/Architectural-Finishes/?N=5002385+8709317+8710037+8710647+8710818+8711017+3294857497&rt=r3
Mike.
EDIT: If it were mine, I would consider staining and gloss clear. I like the look of wood.
My You Tube
Not sure why but I always thought that as Dave suggested, a skirt around the layout was the sort of proper etiquette to follow.
Lynn
Present Layout progress
http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/290127/3372174.aspx#3372174
Check out the march 2016 issue of model railroader. I think that would look great under your layout.
Steve
gmpullman ...twisted, scaly and rough—with a few knots thrown in for good measure.
I'm lookin' at the picture, and the legs look pretty good from here. I think I'd either paint them flat black or fill the knotholes with sheetrock mud and paint them flat black.
A problem I have with fabric skirting is that it can collect dust. Well, so can that carpeting that I see, but it's a little late there. Plus, it's easier to vacuum carpeting.
Another problem with skirting is that it's always in the way of getting behind it. And, when you move it, it releases, yes, dust.
Of course, a big plus for skirting is that you can pile up huge quantities of really wonderful and valuable "stuff" behind it and not see the "stuff".
Oh, yeah. Another negative of the skirting: the time it takes obtaining it and installing it. As opposed to using that valuable time on the computer talking to your ne'er do well friends.
Ed
7j43k I'm lookin' at the picture, and the legs look pretty good from here. I think I'd either paint them flat black or fill the knotholes with sheetrock mud and paint them flat black.
I agree with Ed. I've seen worse. I vote for painting. Try it. Might be surprised how well it turns out. If not, you can always go to Plan B.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
ROBERT PETRICK 7j43k I'm lookin' at the picture, and the legs look pretty good from here. I think I'd either paint them flat black or fill the knotholes with sheetrock mud and paint them flat black. I agree with Ed. I've seen worse. I vote for painting. Try it. Might be surprised how well it turns out. If not, you can always go to Plan B. Robert
Yes you could paint them black or another dark color. Or you could use a nice varnish and make them look more like furniture. That's my vote.
I always thought the magazine needed more articles about making benchwork look like it belongs in the livingroom instead of the garage.
My reasoning for flat black was that it is the perfect drop-out "color". As in: "I'm not here. Don't even bother to look down here." Another very dark color might go with the room colors, though. Gloss finish will be more durable, but your eye is more likely to pick up the reflections.
I would disagree on varnishing the legs. That will NEVER look like furniture. In my opinion.
Doing an excellent layout presentation is certainly a good idea. Maybe not so much in a garage or "unfinished" space. Myself, I expect to have part of my layout on one wall of my home-office. And I will certainly be thinking about how things "look".
If the layout is in a dual or multi purpose room, it should look like fine furniture, if a single purpose room, once the trains start moving who looks at the benchwork???
Why not carpet it the same way you did the facia boards? Same process and you know they color will match the rest of the fascia.
Colorado Front Range Railroad: http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/
On second thought, Ed is right.
I have the right to remain silent. By posting here I have given up that right and accept that anything I say can and will be used as evidence to critique me.
Yeah Betty Grable's legs they ain't.
Another vote here for the flat black paint idea. At the very least it is easy and reasonably cheap to try it out for a dozen or so feet of layout and see how you react.
In fact that is one of the pieces of advice given in a classic old article by Chuck Douds in the August 1967 Model Railroader "Double Your Layout for Dollar" -- paint every surface of benchwork you can see flat black.
And when it sadly comes time to tear the layout down, not having to deal with some sort of covering or coating or whatever will be appreciated.
Dave Nelson
If'n I was applying flat black paint in this particular situation, I'd be brushing rather than spraying.
Thank You for so many great ideas, Folks!
The more I thought about the vinyl/aluminum the more concerned I was with dings and nicks. I use a "Dodgem" car under the layout for wiring and Tortoise installation tasks and I'm always bumping into the legs.
I had a fellow do some siding for me a few years ago, Dave, and he left all the remaining flashing rolls with me. I have a bunch of the stuff, in several colors, and the use of the brake where I used to work. It's a six-foot box brake but that would work for this if I needed it.
Some of the legs have a pretty good twist to them, guess I wasn't too choosy 25 years ago when I was building the benchwork.
So...
Renegade1cWhy not carpet it the same way you did the facia boards?
This idea seemed to be the best for my situation.
I went by Home Depot today and got a length of nylon indoor/outdoor carpet for about $15. 3' x 12'.
After I cut it to 10 ½" strips to wrap around a 2 x 4 I got 13 pieces. They had a remnant in light gray I picked up, too.
Here's my leg all glued up. I had plenty of goop left over from the fascia job.
...and the first couple of legs wrapped with the fabric. It's really pretty thin to call it carpeting. It wraps nicely around a 2 x 4 and I even wrapped the steel post with it, using spray contact cement, though.
I do have skirting that covers most of the "viewable" sections of the layout I just removed it while doing the carpet job.
It is sand/beige and has a suede look to it. The flat black is a great idea, too. The old theater trick that set builders used. Still, spreading the glue wasn't fun but the fabric covers lots of defects in the wood that the paint wouldn't.
Thanks again for all the great ideas and inspiration. This forum is the best "think-tank" ever!
Regards, Ed
Ed:
The carpet 'wraps' look great!! Best solution of the bunch.
hon30critterBest solution of the bunch.
I agree—but it sure was good to hear all the other ideas! I really appreciate the help.
Thanks again, everyone...
The workbench I recently built, I painted the entire 2x4 frame with cheap black paint. It sits in an upstairs room. All you really notice is the clear poly solid core door that is the top, and all my junk on top of it. (ok, my test equipment IS on shelves) The legs pretty much disappear and unless you are right up close you don't notice that there are knotholes and divots missing along the edges - I made sure even those undesireable features got paint in them. It took two coats, three on the legs and the lower braces (the parts you can easily see) but the "less than furniture grade" of the 2x4's is pretty well hidden from all but close inspection.
Put me in the "no fabric skirt" category - not only for the dust collection but also I don't need an express lane for the cats to climb on the layout. The downside of well cantilevered benchwork is also the upside - very few legs - otherwise I do like the way Dr. Wayne did his with the removable hardboard panels to hide the 'stuff'. Finishes things off nicely without becoming a dust magnet. But with widely spaced legs, you'd need to frame the panels to keep them stiff AND they'd get a bit unwieldy to handle.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
The carpet looks good, ED. I went with the skirting to the floor, as the space under my lay out is storage for the Tupperware storage containers that hold all of that family stuff, like seasonal decorations. I don't have to worry about the pet thing.
This is a good reminder that there are a lot of ways to do a project but sticking with what you already know may be the best.
p.s. Cats would love this layout.
My pet cat Max would say, "Best layout ever! Every leg a scratching post!"
Eh?
The top photo shows the 6' 16' table made by pushing two 3' wide tables next to each other. I can not reach the middle, but as you can see, there is nothing in the middle to worry about.
LION uses "mini-tables" that hold an element of the layout, and these are mounted to the table tops, in the bottom photo these are on two 5'x9' ping pong tables pushed end to end.
Behind the cats Is the back 40, three levels of layout running along two walls. LION used 1x4s fo construction throughout, all of it reused surplus from buildings torn down.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS