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Painting Green Foam

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  • Member since
    January 2021
  • 4 posts
Posted by JackMack on Tuesday, January 19, 2021 8:11 AM

Thanks very much.  I think you may have persuaded me.  Now I'll take it up with the boss (my son) to see what he thinks.  Of course, it's got to be his call!

  • Member since
    December 2015
  • From: Shenandoah Valley
  • 9,094 posts
Posted by BigDaddy on Monday, January 18, 2021 3:28 PM

Welcome to the forum.  Your initial posts are delayed in moderation.

The shade of green foam I have (and yours may well be different) has a lot of blue in it.  Somewhere between Emerald Lake and the Fraser River in Canada.   Any spots I miss with ground foam will look almost as ugly as the pink or blue foam. 

I went to Home Depot to the returned paint section and bought 1 gal for $9 of brown paint.  They also have jars that hold maybe a cup of paint that would be suitable for a small layout as foam doesn't absorb the paint.   The returned green paints tend to be garish colored.

3M makes the foam, and they say it doesn't shrink.  Some people think it does and paint it thinking that prevents it.  I'm not sold on that theory.

 

Henry

COB Potomac & Northern

Shenandoah Valley

  • Member since
    January 2021
  • 4 posts
Posted by JackMack on Monday, January 18, 2021 3:13 PM

Thanks.  We expect that everything will eventually be covered by some type of landscaping or structure.  Is the purpose of an earth or dirt - colored base because the base color "leaks" through the materials above (grass, sand, dirt, whatever), so it's needed for a natural look?  If the base color leaks through landscaping materials, then I see that a light green may not look so hot (at least if it's not grass above).  But if the base color ends up hidden by the landscaping materials above, the light green should be fine.  I'd appreciate your thoughts.  Thanks for the help.

  • Member since
    May 2010
  • From: SE. WI.
  • 8,253 posts
Posted by mbinsewi on Monday, January 18, 2021 2:53 PM

Some modelers, myself included, like to paint the base with an earth or dirt colored flat latex paint.

It's totally up to you.  If it looks OK than leave it.

Have fun! 

Mike.

 

  • Member since
    January 2021
  • 4 posts
Painting Green Foam
Posted by JackMack on Monday, January 18, 2021 9:29 AM

My son and I are creating an relativevly small HO layout for his daughters, and we are really beginners. We have a tabletop of 1/2" plywood with 1" light green extruded foam.  I have seen a lot about painting the tabletop, especially if it's plywood or pink foam.  But why would we want to paint light green foam?  Should we?  Thanks!

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