Hi!
As a matter of course, I have always painted the cork roadbed before installing track on my Ho layouts. After using a sanding block on the affixed cork roadbed, I would "slop" on a coat of thin latex grey paint. When dry, I would attach the track, paint the rails, and once satisfied that the track setting was OK, I would ballast with grey ballast and the dilute glue mix.
As I was involved in another posting on this forum regarding the use of caulk, it occured to me that I don't recall anyone else saying they painted their roadbed. Of course I do it so "brown spots" won't show thru the ballast.
But, I wonder if the painted cork has some downsides - perhaps making it harden and/or increasing noise transmission or ??? What do you all think on that subject?
Thanks,
Mobilman44
ENJOY !
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
Mine gets painted the same brownish spray can colors I paint my track after it's all laid. I don't paint it a separate grey color to match the ballast.
Yes. I paint it with cheap interior latex paint in a color not far off from the ballast to be applied. The paint makes the roadbed more stable by helping to seal out moisture, and a color not sharply contrasting with the ballast will make any roadbed showing through less obvious.
Mark
Don't know why not, as the above have mentioned. I would recommend at the least pre-paint the cork that will go under your turnouts, then, if you ballast lightly to avoid problems there, the color of the cork will not show through. In the future I will pre-paint enough to do under the turnouts before attaching it, because I have found a rattle can of gray primer paint a close match to my ballast. Some non-latex paints can damage foam, that's why I pre-paint. If your cork is on plywood, it shouldn't matter when you paint it.
Have fun,
I've never painted it. After a careful ballasting job, the ballast is much too thick to allow the roadbed to show through.
Midnight Railroader I've never painted it. After a careful ballasting job, the ballast is much too thick to allow the roadbed to show through.
Ditto. The only exception is the switch machine hole under Peco turnouts which just get painted black. If you can see the cork under a coat of ballast, you didn't use enough ballast.
Jay
C-415 Build: https://imageshack.com/a/tShC/1
Other builds: https://imageshack.com/my/albums
When I use cork, yes.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Never have painted my cork at alll. Kevin
I have never painted any cork I've installed. I glue my cork down with Bordens yellow glue and hold it in place while drying with 3/4" nails. After the glue sets I sand the top of the roadbed with sandpaper and brush the entire cork roadbed area with the same glue and then lay down the track. If I'm handlaying it I place the ties in the wet glue. If it's flextrack I let the glue dry first and then nail down the flex. After application of ballast & glue the cork doesn't show.
Roger Huber
modelmaker51 Midnight Railroader I've never painted it. After a careful ballasting job, the ballast is much too thick to allow the roadbed to show through. Ditto. The only exception is the switch machine hole under Peco turnouts which just get painted black. If you can see the cork under a coat of ballast, you didn't use enough ballast.
Same here, same reasons.
Have fun with your trains
I use the spray bombs of Stone Paint for the cork under the turnouts. If I ever get around to laying the ballast this will let me avoid gumming up the points.
MANY moons ago MR had an article or 2 on using THICK latex paint. One name brand, I forget which one now, had a very thick body. You could use it to paint the cork, glue the track (a slower version of latex caulk) and even glue the ballast.
Phil
Timber Head Eastern Railroad "THE Railroad Through the Sierras"
The reason I have always painted the cork (grey) is that there was typically a long time span between laying track, and wiring, getting firmed up on the configuration and getting to the point of actually applying ballast.
Sounds like you all have definite opinions on the subject, and I appreciate hearing them.
I paint HO cork roadbed a gray color nearly identical to the ballast I'm going to be using. I have also discovered gray latex caulk at Home Depot and use it to fasten the track. I never use track nails.
I paint the cork roadbed on my layout as well - a dull gray. I do it primarily to seal the cork to minimize moisture infiltration through the cork.
I paint the cork as I paint the ties, railroad tie brown.
Sue
Anything is possible if you do not know what you are talking about.
I have an N-scale hollow core door layout with an oval of track plus a passing siding. It is very basic: door, homasote, cork, track and no scenery. The cork was bare and unprotected (no paint). I built this in 1995 and pulled it out from under the bed last year where it had been for 12 years. The cork was just as pliable and fresh as the day I installed it. In fact, I pulled some up (was attached via track nails only) and rearranged the track to get some larger radius curves. Just my Jamie
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I just painted my HO cork roadbed based on the thought that it would seal the cork against drying out and have found that it has dramatically increased noise transmission. This makes sese when you think about it as the acoustic dampening would decrease if the latex paint 'fills in' the cork. Based on this experience I would advise AGAINST painting cork. Now I have to figure out what to do!!!!!! Time to get the sander out?
I never have painted it and don't see any reason to paint it. The cork does not seem to absorb moisture and swell as wood and Homosote does, so it seems to be a very stable material, not subject to movement over time and/or different humidity situations.
I also like the appearance of the cork, previous to it being ballasted. My ballast color is reddish brown with cinders and put on deep enough, so even if the cork were to show through, it would not be recognizable.
This a personal choice, if you want to paint it, it is certainly your prerogative!
NP 2626 "Northern Pacific, really terrific"
Northern Pacific Railway Historical Association: http://www.nprha.org/
I always paint the cork before laying the track. My prototype basically used dirt so I paint the roadbed a tan color. It makes it so that you use less ballast, especially around turnouts. It works for me.
No painted cork here. I work in N Scale and once I ballast the track/roadbed there is no cork showing. As another poster mentioned above, I also prefer the look of bare cork on areas of the track I haven't had a chance to ballast yet (personal preference).
Happy modeling!
Don.
"Ladies and gentlemen, I have some good news and some bad news. The bad news is that both engines have failed, and we will be stuck here for some time. The good news is that you decided to take the train and not fly."
I don't claim to know the answer, but it would seem to me that if using caulk to attach the track to the cork the paint might cause a problem. Since the cork has a coarse texture, and the caulk is applied with a putty knife forcing it down into all the cracks, wouldn't the caulk adhere better to the cork than it would to the paint?
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.
As shown here, the cork immediately under the track gets painted when I paint the track. Except maybe around switch points, ballast readily hides the cork.
Rob Spangler
wp8thsub As shown here, the cork immediately under the track gets painted when I paint the track. Except maybe around switch points, ballast readily hides the cork.
Now I have to correct myself as I did paint my track while it was atop my cork road bed. I assure you this was purely accidental and it was only painted with the overspray from painting the track. I found that this overspray had no effect on the sound deadening capabilities of the cork, as the track is still in bare contact with the cork.
My track was laid down around 25-26 years ago. I still have one unused piece, that slowly but surely is being used up in small chunks around the layout. I used some yesterday to level an area between tracks where a switchman’s shanty will be installed. This old piece has the same working qualities it had when brand new; so, I doubt there is much degradation of the cork over time and sealing it to keep it moist would seem an unnecessary step to me.
After the track is laid I paint the track with an airbrush and in the process the cork gets painted as well.
There's never time to do it right, but always time to do it over.....
I'm building my new layout in modules in case we move, and yes, I did paint the roadbed gray to help disguise the cork and seal it. Now for ballast...I hope the gray paint works!
Have fun!
Dan