Backdrops, what did you use?

[secondhandmodeler]

I am just about done building my benchwork. Before I put everything into place, I want to add supports for a backdrop. For those of you that have one, what did you use and how tall is it? I can't decide whether to use a photo, or to try to paint one myself. My initial thoughts were in the two foot area. Then I thought eighteen inches would be enough. Any thoughts on the matter? Thanks for any ideas or thoughts.

[dehusman]

1/8 Masonite, 32" high on the walls (from 50" to 82" on the wall) and about 16" on the fre-standing portion, (from 54" to 70" above the floor).

The height of the backdrop isn't as important as the height relative to the viewer.  A 40" high layout may need a 30-36" backdrop where a 60" high layout may be able to use a 12" high backdrop.

Dave H.

[loathar]

1/8" Masonite with 1x4 supports. Hand painted, but I will be using some Walthers building posters in one area. Clouds, mountains and trees are fairly EZ to paint even if you have no art talent like me.Just practice on some cardboard first.
PS-I went 24" tall, but that's a bit much. I wish I would have gone 14" or 18".

[Johnnny_reb]

Most people use foam core board, 1/8 inch masonite, 1/4 inch plywood, poster board. Any thing from 12 inches to 30 inches tall.

Too mount you can simply screw them to the layout frame or use two strips of Masonite outer over lapping the other under it or other material to form a slot along the frame work (but a few inches down from the top) for the backdrop to rest in and install one or two screws throw the backdrop into the framing about two inches up from the slot to stabilize the backdrop. Along the top of the backdrops use a clip of some kind to keep the edges aligned.  

As for myself I plan to paint my backdrops on the walls.

[Johnnny_reb]

Three answers in less than ten minutes.  

[corsair7]

I am just about done building my benchwork. Before I put everything into place, I want to add supports for a backdrop. For those of you that have one, what did you use and how tall is it? I can't decide whether to use a photo, or to try to paint one myself. My initial thoughts were in the two foot area. Then I thought eighteen inches would be enough. Any thoughts on the matter? Thanks for any ideas or thoughts.

Since my layout fore the mostg part will be around the walls, I am going to use the walls themselves. I haven't decided what to use on the free-standing penninsulas but I may decide to to put a divider down the center of those.

Irv

[GARYIG]

My layout is in the garage so i had to be sure that any connection or the breaker box had to be accessible, but at the same time be high enough to fir my needs.  I was able to find vinyle coating in 24" which was perfect.  Simple 4x1 for support and lattice srtips for bracing.

http://s50.photobucket.com/albums/f336/GIIG21/?action=view&current=918cd90c.pbr

 

[secondhandmodeler]

Thanks guys.  I was hoping to use the leftover 1x2's and screw them to the back of the 1x4 frame.  The bench work stands at fifty inches tall.  If I cut the boards to even lengths, I'll have a backdrop of twenty-one inches or so with three inches against the bench.  Maybe I'll try eighth inch Masonite painted a sky blue to start.  The layout is in a finished living room, so I have to do most of the work outside.  Do you finish the screw holes and seams with drywall compound?  I'll have to be quick with the vacuum if that's the way to do it.  I'm assuming that a purchased, photo backdrop is quite expensive.  Anyone use a photo backdrop?

[jeffrey-wimberly]

Mine is 28 inches high. It's sheets of stiff poster board screwed to the wall back of the layout. I painted the whole thing 'Nimble blue' and added a thin coat of white glue to mount a panoramic backdrop that I printed out on my inkjet printer. I've put clouds in on the left side, haven't done the right side yet. The clouds were made by cutting out cloud shapes from paper and painting them with varying shades of gray (had to get some help with that being that I'm slightly colorblind) and glued the to the backdrop with white glue.

[Bill54]

I used 1/8" masonite and 1x2's to make my backdrop.  It's 2' tall.  The table is 43" tall.  The 1/8" masonite wraps around corners pretty good.  Here is a couple pictures of mine while in the first stages:

Here is a couple finished and ready for clouds:

[CSXDixieLine]

... Do you finish the screw holes and seams with drywall compound? ...

I have heard quite a bit of talk that due to the flexibility and relative dimensional instability of Masonite/hardboard backdrops, it is better to use a vinyl spackling type compound as opposed to drywall joint compound because it is less prone to cracking during seasonal temperature/humidity changes. I am a few weeks away from backdrop installation, so the timing of this thread is most appreciated!

By the way, I believe I am going with a basic sky color and some generic mountain outlines for the contents of the backdrop. Can anyone possibly supply actual paint manufacturer & color names of what they used to paint their backdrop? This sure would streamline my trial and error process 

Thanks, Jamie

[gandydancer19]

By the way, I believe I am going with a basic sky color and some generic mountain outlines for the contents of the backdrop. Can anyone possibly supply actual paint manufacturer & color names of what they used to paint their backdrop? This sure would streamline my trial and error process 

Thanks, Jamie

I just finished my backdrop. I painted the walls the same color of light blue that is on the Walthers backdrop scenes. I then painted some hills on the walls. Just a solid color filled in outline really. Next I added some darker green by sponge painting in the painted hills. For the colors, I tried to match the Woodland scenics ground foam colors by mixing craft paints together. When I was satisfied with the colors, I took a paint chip of my mix to Lowes and had a quart of the two colors mixed. Once the hills were painted, I over sprayed it all with a light mist of white acrylic paint from a can. (There was a thread about how to do that here on the Forums somewhere.) My only mistake -I think- was that the hills were not rounded enough. The colors say "hills" but the shape says "mountains". Oh well, live and learn. (Sorry, but I don't have any pictures yet.)

The rest of the backdrop will be cut-outs of buildings from commercial backdrops glued to the painted scenery walls, and building flats.

[secondhandmodeler]

Hm, maybe I'll have to try the Bob Ross, happy little trees for my river bluffs.  That Masonite background looks pretty nice once it's painted.  I just can't decide if I feel like introducing drywall dust to the rental unit.  I suppose I'll be making a bigger mess than that once I start building scenery!  Thank you to everyone for their input.

[garya]

Someone gave me a roll of 24" aluminum, white on one side, brown on the other.  I'm not sure if it was roof flashing or gutter material.  I put up some scrap 1x3s, rolled it out, and put a few screws in.  The white side takes paint very well--I brushed sky blue near the top and white near the bottom, blended them, then went over it with a roller.  It left some streaks, which I then used to make clouds with thinned white and gray paint sponged on.

I followed Dave Frary's scenery method for painting a backdrop, using craft paints.  I'm not happy with the near color, so I will remix and try again.  I also want it to look more like rolling farmland and hills, not mountains:

Matching to your scenery materials is a good idea, which is what I will do one of these days.  Even so, a simple backdrop makes your railroad look 100% better, as does some simple scenery.   You can always change it if you don't like it.

[loathar]

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=painting+trees&search_type=&aq=f

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=painting+mountains&search_type=&aq=f

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=bob+ross&search_type=&aq=f

Great "how to's" on the Tube.

[secondhandmodeler]

Did you watch the "Bob Ross has issues" one?  Oh my! 

Yup, painting it is!  I'm a little intimidated, but it will be OK.  The back drop is one of the things will not move well when I move in a few years. If it sucks, then I'll trash it. I can't bring myself to pay for a back drop.  At least, not until I see my abysmal painting skills! 

[loathar]

Talk to Jacon12. His back drops are great and I think they're his first attempt. He's got a couple threads where he talks about how he did them. The great thing is if you don't like them you can just paint over them. Or put a commercial one over them. Faller makes a couple nice sky/cloud back drops that won't break the bank. I just used cheap craft paint to do mine and spray cans and stencils for the clouds.

[CSXDixieLine]

I have always wondered how so many great model rail scenes blended so seamlessly into the background; it never occurred to me to use a paint color matched to the ground cover color for painting the hills at the bottom of the backdrop. Thanks for the great tips! I hope I dont forget this before it's time to actually do it Jamie

[mikelhh]

 Backdrop painted with cheap acrylics. It really helps if you have some photos of the real thing to work from.

 

 Mike

[pcarrell]

For my backdrop supports I used 1x2's.  For the backdrop itself I used vinyl flashing from the local home improvement store.  This stuff ( http://www.duraflash.net/ ) was great to work with.

You can see both sides of it in the construction stages in this pic.  The dark spots are putty drying that was used to cover the staples.

http://i83.photobucket.com/albums/j319/pcarrell/Autumns%20Ridge/7-22-070.jpg

[CSXDixieLine]

Backdrop painted with cheap acrylics. It really helps if you have some photos of the real thing to work from.

Mike

I would love to tell you how great your backdrop looks, but I can't tell where the scenery ends and the backdrop begins! I hope I can have some similar results...your scene is fantastic. Jamie

[Rotorranch]

I'm so ashamed...

I stuck Walthers backgrounds on the walls with push pins.

One day I'll get it right.

Rotor

[nbrodar]

I used light blue craft paper, thumb tacked to the wall:

Nick 

[Grampys Trains]

Hi Corey: My layout is 48" high and my back drop is 36" wide. I used linoleum runner stapled to furring strips.  On one section, I had to provide a space between the back drop and the wall. Here I used 1x2s, fastened between the bench work and ceiling. I also have a 25' penisula, there I used 1x3s. As to finishing the back drop, I prefer the basic sky method.  Blue at the top, whitish blue in the middle, and almost white at the horizon, with thin wispy clouds. I've also used photos in some areas. My opinion is, when running trains, people tend to focus on the trains and right of way, and not so much on the backround. Here's a couple of photos.       

[CSXDixieLine]

The subtle effect of the trains going by with only the tops visible is something I absolutely must incorporate in my scenery. I think it feels so real because there are so many places I see this locally when I am out train hunting with the kids, yet it never occurred to me to represent that on a layout. This is one I have to go put on the white board TO DO list in the layout room--thanks again for sharing this scene. Jamie

[secondhandmodeler]

It seems that a painted sky with printed trees and such is a good way to go.  There are a bunch of truly talented people on this forum.  I hope mine turns out half as nice.  Thanks again for all of the input. 

[ChrisNH]

I used tempered masonite and vinyl flooring. The vinyl floor was used to create smooth curves while the masonite was used to provide structural strength. The vinyl flooring I got free from a flooring store.

 

My next layout will use the vinyl flooring exclusively, I will not need the strength of the tempered hardboard. The flooring was great to work with. I first saw this used on Joe Fugate's backdrop video which I downloaded from his site for $2.99.

Chris