Hi all,I was browsing around Home Depot for various materials the other day and checked out a number of possibilities for backdrops. I ended up getting a 4'x8' sheet of vinyl about 1/8" thick. I think it was in the $15-$20 range - but would have to check the receipt to be sure.
It's easy to cut using a utility knife (ed: hmmm, I wanted to use "an" there but it ended up sounding British somehow) and is nice and flexible. I cut a 68"x13" strip of it for insertion as a backdrop in a 4' bookshelf unit and I think it will end up looking quit nice once glued in and painted. I will post a pic when I get a little further along in construction.Oh, and one side is smooth while the other side has a slightly rough texture. I'm thinking the rough side will actually look okay painted with just sky colors and clouds - though the smooth side might be better if you're painting much detail.
Just thought I'd throw it out in case someone is looking for a good backdrop material. HTH.
M
I'm in the process of putting up vinyl flashing right now and I've found it to be excellent. It curves very easily so it's really good to work with. It comes in a 20" x 30' roll for about $35. It's not real thick, so it does require some framework for support, but thats no biggie. 1x2's made short work of that. I hung it with a staple gun and I'm now using joint compound to cover those. Next is paint.
Here's a pic so you get the idea........
In this shot you can see the front on the bottom and the back on top.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Autumns%20Ridge/7-22-070.jpg
I won't bore you with all the pics, but this one shows how it curves and a joint I'm working on between two rolls.
http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Autumns%20Ridge/7-22-075.jpg
On my first layout, I used Masonite. I still have nightmares about the experience. It darn near killed me trying to get that stuff hung and bent inside the corners. Then, there was the issue of trying to hide the joints. I am definitely "Spackle" challenged. Talk about an effort in frustration. I vowed I would never do that again unless I have an army of people to help me.
On my current layout, I decided from the very start that I was not going through that frustration and torture again. I needed something a bit more flexible. I pondered the vinyl sheeting that you are talking about and almost went down that path. From prior experience with working with that stuff though, I knew it was still not much more flexible than Masonite and the thought of fighting to get the stuff bent inside the corners made me break out in a cold sweat.
Then, the idea hit me. I pulled out the Yellow Pages and looked for plastic distributors. I found a company that happens to be about 5 miles from my house. I gave them a call and found exactly what I was looking for. I bought a couple 4'x8' sheets of styrene from them. I think it was about .040 in thickness (about 1/16" thick). The cost was somewhere around $25 per sheet! I was shocked at how cheap it was. I also bought a can of glue from them.
Wow! What a difference it was in using that stuff. I was able to get enough to go completely around my layout with 2 sheets with lots left over for all kinds of other projects on the layout.
I used plain old panel nails to attach it to the 2"x2" studs that were bolted to the wall of the room. I used a nail set so that the nail heads were slightly below the surface of the styrene. Splicing the sections together was a piece of cake. I just cut a strip about 6" wide and used that to splice the two sections together on the backside. I left about a 1/16" gap between the two sections. Once the whole thing was up and securely attached, I used modeler's putty to fill in the joint and the nailheads. Once it was dry, it carefully sanded it with wet/dry sandpaper. Bending the stuff around the inside corners was not a problem at all. In fact, it was almost easy. If you've ever tried bending Masonite inside a corner, you know what a chore that is.
It litterally took my fiance' and I about an hour total to hang and prep the backdrop for the entire layout. It redily takes latex paint and the final project looked great. Too bad my mountains painted on the backdrop don't look as nice as the rest of it.
Give it a try. I think you will be pleasantly suprised at how easy it is to use. And, I still have all kinds of styrene left that I have been using for various other projects around the layout.
loathar wrote:Sounds like that stuff they use for shower stalls or public bathroom walls. Should work fine with the short height your using. Probably bends pretty good too. Be careful drilling any holes in it. Some of that stuff can crack or split fairly EZ.
That's what I was thinking. I've seen something similar, textured side up, in 'cheap' public restrooms surrounded with screwed-on metal strip. This stuff is fairly thick and though it bends easily it would take a lot to get it to bend and crease - i.e. the bends are pretty gentle. The stuff I found is nice and pliable and I don't think it'll crack or split (takes several passes to cut it) but I can't say what will happen as it ages - might get brittle or something.
I actually got a fair bit into construction of my little shelf 'layout' last night. I am using an Ikea Markor bookshelf bridge - has top, bottom, sides with 4'x1'x13 1/4" interior - that looks heavy (almost antique) but is made of soft, light wood. I added a set of 4 LED-based flat shelf lights, spaced evenly along the top then cut the vinyl backdrop material to fit in. At the bottom is a slip-in deck with 1/4" plywood supported by a frame made of 1 1/2" x 3/4" stock. On top of that goes 1" pink foam cut to fit the curving backdrop behind. I have a fascia cut to fit inside the top to hide the lights and upper rear mounting board and will cover the outer face of that, the sides, and the platform with a thin layer of the vinyl as sort of a 'face plate'.
I like the way it's turning out so far. I'm going to try to rig up a sector plate today for access to hidden staging behind the scenery. Inspiration for the set-up is Iain Rice's Curren Street Yard. Don't know quite how that's going to turn out. It looks good on paper and in my 'simulated' operations but I have to figure a way to make the sector plate useable without having the 'hood up' during operation, since it serves as one end of the runaround. Oh well. More later I guess.
Yeah. This stuff is definitely *not* as thick and difficult to work with as masonite. I couldn't imagine trying to use masonite in my little shelf...maybe it's okay for sweeping curves or something. I think you'd have to kerf it or something, but I'm no shopmaster.
Hmmm. I'll try to find out what the name of this stuff is so that you'll know it when you see it. It's very like what the poster above mentioned getting from his plastic supply company - except that it's vinyl, not styrene (which would have been cooler, IMHO, because of the many uses for the scrap).M
At Home Depot, it's called Polly Wall. I used it for the backdrop on my N scale layout.
It's 1/16" thick with one smooth and one textured side. As mentioned above, it's for use in bathrooms and high moisture areas.
I used 4" base molding (inverted, tapered edge down) and hung the backdrop. I used Liquid nails and staples to attach the Polly Wall material to the back of the base molding.
At the corner, I left an 18" gap of the base molding and formed a 12" radius corner. I kerfed a piece of molding, then wet it thoroughly to form a curved insert for the corner, filled the gap.
I used three 4' X 8' pieces for the backdrop. The edge joints were butted together, covered with 3/4" scotch tape and then painted. If you don't know where the joints are, you have to look hard to find them.
If used for a center divider, it would require some framework for support, but for a wall backed layout, this stuff is great.
mls1621: Yep, that's the stuff.M
Just took this picture to give an idea of what I was talking about in my first post.
Beautiful! I am WAY impressed with how nice the moulding looks; especially the curved moulding in the corner! I haven't yet done anything with the top edge of my backdrop because I couldn't figure out how I was going to do the corners.
Now you've thrown down the gauntlet. I have to duplicate that on mine. I'm assuming that the moulding that you used is real wood and not that cheap foam stuff that you see at Home Depot.
Greg
Greg, it is real wood. As you can see in the picture, I drilled and counter sunk evenly spaced holes for the screws attaching it to the wall. The backdrop is hanging behind and about six inches below the top surface of the layout . In the corner, I cut a relief at the bottom for the corner of the layout. You can cut the Polly Wall with a sissors or a utility knife.
I bought a radial arm saw before starting the benchwork for my layout and it came in handy for kerfing the back of that piece of molding. I put cuts every 1/8" on the back then wet it thoroughly to get it to bend.
I had to trim the edges several times to get it to slip into the corner, but eventually if fit nicely.
One thing that got my attention was how much the wood had swollen after wetting. The cross section of the piece increased by alittle over an 1/8". Once dry, however, it matched just fine.
It started as a tongue in cheek experiment. My brother had commented, that it looked unfinished with the gap at the corner, so I got busy and performed the implant the following day. I didn't even have to do anything to hold it in place, it fits tightly and if removed, holds it's shape.
Another option is the thin galvanized metal sheeting. I can't remember exactly what it's used for, but I think either in the HVAC system or as flashing for roofing. I remember reading an article about it a short while ago either in MR or NMRA Scale Rails.
When using Masonite, if you're "spackling challenged" and wish to hide the seems, try using painter's caulk. You can obviously paint it, you can smooth it out quite easily with a wet finger, and it's much less likely to crack as it is more flexible.
You can get 1/8" thick Masonite sheets. They are easy to bend and cheaper than the thinner plastic sheets.
mearrin69 wrote: Hi all,I was browsing around Home Depot for various materials the other day and checked out a number of possibilities for backdrops. I ended up getting a 4'x8' sheet of vinyl about 1/8" thick. I think it was in the $15-$20 range - but would have to check the receipt to be sure.It's easy to cut using a utility knife (ed: hmmm, I wanted to use "an" there but it ended up sounding British somehow) and is nice and flexible. I cut a 68"x13" strip of it for insertion as a backdrop in a 4' bookshelf unit and I think it will end up looking quit nice once glued in and painted. I will post a pic when I get a little further along in construction.Oh, and one side is smooth while the other side has a slightly rough texture. I'm thinking the rough side will actually look okay painted with just sky colors and clouds - though the smooth side might be better if you're painting much detail.Just thought I'd throw it out in case someone is looking for a good backdrop material. HTH.M
I tried vinyl and wasn't impressed; buckled to easily, and the corners tend to curl. Plus, to easy to damage/show such damage, scrape, dent, etc.
ericboone wrote: Another option is the thin galvanized metal sheeting. I can't remember exactly what it's used for, but I think either in the HVAC system or as flashing for roofing. I remember reading an article about it a short while ago either in MR or NMRA Scale Rails.When using Masonite, if you're "spackling challenged" and wish to hide the seems, try using painter's caulk. You can obviously paint it, you can smooth it out quite easily with a wet finger, and it's much less likely to crack as it is more flexible.You can get 1/8" thick Masonite sheets. They are easy to bend and cheaper than the thinner plastic sheets.
Yeah, 1/8 Masonite is what I'm using, no complaints. And it's only $8 for a 4 x 8 sheet
To hide seams, I just use cheap drywall tape. Also works great.
I used styrene as previously mentioned here. Took it all around the train room with curved wood frames in the corners to support it for the rounded corners. I did glue it on drywall I had put on studs without using any drywall filler and that mess. Very pleased with the styrene, and very easy to paint for the back drop.
Have fun. Hal
ericboone wrote:Another option is the thin galvanized metal sheeting. I can't remember exactly what it's used for, but I think either in the HVAC system or as flashing for roofing. I remember reading an article about it a short while ago either in MR or NMRA Scale Rails.
I've seen non-galvanized rolls at Menards for roof flashing. You'd have to prime it though.
I have used .060 white styrene which I bought in 4x8 sheets from a Plastics Supplier in Fort Worth. Paid an extra couple of bucks to have them cut each sheet in half so I ended up with two 2x8 backdrops from each sheet. It has been great to work with, I nailed it directly to my spare bedroom walls countersinking the nail heads slightly then filled and sanded with plastic filler. Had no problem with my splices which I also filled and sanded and have two cove corners of about 5" radius. I nailed some wood pieces into the corners so the radius would be uniform. A big advantage is that I don't have to worry about any future shrinking or cracking since I would have a hard time reaching it to do repairs now that all my benchwork is in place.
Mike B.