Hi all. I am wanting to do the facia on my layout and want it to match the contours of the ground. But I don't know what the best material to use is. What do you use for yor fascia?
Masonite or Hardboard
Rio Grande. The Action Road - Focus 1977-1983
riogrande5761Masonite or Hardboard
Mike.
My You Tube
Ken Patterson uses 1/8" plywood, oak stained with 3 coats of polyurethane. It looks really nice but if you've priced plywood lately, you'll be using 1/8" tempered hardboard too.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
I had originally covered panels of 3/16 lauan plywood with dark green vinyl wall paper.
IMG_1333 by Edmund, on Flickr
Later I decided to cover this with a dark green indoor-outdoor ribbed carpet using latex carpet cement.
IMG_7108 by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_7721_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
It holds up extremely well, does not scuff, reduces noise and is easy to keep clean.
IMG_0759 by Edmund, on Flickr
The carpet is not at all expensive and is easy to work with. I bought mine at Home Depot and they cut it into 16" strips for me which made installation easy.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/TrafficMaster-Elevations-Color-Leaf-Green-Ribbed-Texture-Indoor-Outdoor-12-ft-Carpet-7PD5N620144H/203240737
Good Luck, Ed
Another
This is my 1/8" hardboard, easily curved and contoured. Primed and painted w/ 2 coats of semi-gloss.
Ed
gmpullmanLater I decided to cover this with a dark green indoor-outdoor ribbed carpet using latex carpet cement. ... The carpet is not at all expensive and is easy to work with. I bought mine at Home Depot and they cut it into 16" strips for me which made installation easy.
I visited a layout where the owner had done this same thing - the inexpensive indoor/outdoor carpet covering the fascia -- and I have to say it looked extremely handsome and really gave a professional museum like look to the entire layout (as does the skirting below a fascia).
In terms of Masonite/hardboard, I have seen excellent examples of nicely painted Masonite/hardboard, but I have also seen layouts which leave it unpainted and assuming neat workmanship and relatively consistent coloring to the hardboard, it too looked neat and clean and professional. I do note that the Masonite type stuff with a high gloss finish to the smooth side seems prone to having paint scrape off of it. Years ago I bought a sheet of a Masonite/hardboard like product which had a different color, a bit more yellowish to the brown, and the surface was flat but matte to the feel, not hard and shiny. I have been unable to find an exact match ever since. So I am glad I didn't start in using that stuff and expect to find more.
I have even seen layouts where the fascia uses pegboard and again assuming neat workmanship, it can look nice.
Dave Nelson
Another vote for masonite.
You CAN bend it around cuves. The trick is to wet (not soak) the back. Additionally, you can pin it to the pack part before screwing it in.
After experimentation with the product, I am going to use 5/8" PVC boards as my fascia. I can recess mount the power packs and the control panels.
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Wow Kevin. You still have a functioning Troller power pack!!!.
Have used 1/8 hardboard for my facia on both levels of the layout. Found it to be flexible enough to bend around corners when wet and sturdy enough to use screws to attach panels and switches.
Scott Sonntag
Lakeshore SubWow Kevin. You still have a functioning Troller power pack!!!.
I think I have more than a dozen Troller Transpak 2.5 units ready to go.
I concur
Masonite, ...As there is no substitute.
We get it fresh up here as it's manufactured in Bemidji Minnesota. I do hear it called Bemidji board quite frequently up here.
TF
I'm starting a new layout. I used beadboard plywood on the last layout. I like Kevin's idea, we use lots of that material in the construction work I do.
But not using Masonite, I have never liked working with it.
I was considering some curved edges, but not sure at this point. The PVC will do that as as well as Masonite does.
Sheldon
SeeYou190 Lakeshore Sub Wow Kevin. You still have a functioning Troller power pack!!!. I think I have more than a dozen Troller Transpak 2.5 units ready to go. -Kevin
Lakeshore Sub Wow Kevin. You still have a functioning Troller power pack!!!.
There is a blast from the past! I used to have dual throttle Troller back in the 80's. I don't know what happened it in all the many moves I've made. But not wanting to be stuck controlling a train from a stationary power pack, I got a Star Tec Hogger with a tethered throttle. It's the only decent DC power pack I have anymore.
Thanks everyone. I think I'll go with the hardboard.
At Lowes I'm seeing the 5/8 pvc in 4x8 is $80? 1 Adam 12
When using 1/8 inch hardboard how small can you get a radius before cutting kerfs or wetting it? When you do need to wet it are you talking about soaking it or a spritz?
Rick
LastspikemikeHardboard can be curved quite tightly if you kerf the backside....
1/8" hardboard can be easily curved, without need of kerfing, down to at least an 8" radius, as on this corner of my layout...
This one is somewhat broader....
...but was used because the aisleway here is fairly tight, and the smooth curves eliminate any chance of snagged clothing...
...another narrow aisle, but, as the sole operator, plenty wide enough for me...
I also used 1/8" hardboard to cove all 10 corners of my oddly-shaped layout room, both inside corners...
...and outside corners, too...
The gaps are there to allow installation of a partial second level of the layout, now in place.
Here's a sketch of the arrangement of materials for the coved corners...
The red line represents the drywall tape, and the green is the drywall mud.
Wayne
ATLANTIC CENTRAL I like Kevin's idea, we use lots of that material in the construction work I do. <SNIP> The PVC will do that as as well as Masonite does.
I only have two inside corners on my layout plan, and a 6" piece of PVC notched out at 45 degrees will do fine for me. I have never been happy with my curved fascias. This is not something I am good at.
BigDaddyAt Lowes I'm seeing the 5/8 pvc in 4x8 is $80? 1 Adam 12
I use nominal 1 by 4 and 1 by 6 PVC boards for my fascia. The sketch shows a cross section of my planned construction method.
Well, I wouldn't have commented about my preference of 1/8 masonite, I think it's been pretty well driven home. But when I saw Ed's carpeted fascia, WOW! I could see that in my layout room!
A question, though. Did you put the carpet in after all the messy work of scenery and such was done, or were you able to keep up with it? Dan
Southgate 2 Well, I wouldn't have commented about my preference of 1/8 masonite, I think it's been pretty well driven home. But when I saw Ed's carpeted fascia, WOW! I could see that in my layout room! A question, though. Did you put the carpet in after all the messy work of scenery and such was done, or were you able to keep up with it? Dan
Wouldn't you need something to attach that carpet to? I'd do the harboard/Masonite thing and then you can always jazz it up later if you need to. Personally, I'd like to get my layout with track and scenery down so carpet, while posh, is behind a whole host of other things; a basic fascia for is needful for sure.
I have a section of hidden track. Since it is in an area that is not in a direct line of sight I was thinking about using some clear material for facsia in that spot, and putting it on a hinge.
Has anyone done something like that and if so what material did you use?
1/8" hardboard masonite. Smooth and continuous. Inside curves and outside curves. No visible joints. No visible fasteners or screwheads (even those in fancy cupped washers). No kerfs cut into the backside.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
Dang!!!
You are an incredible Craftsman Robert and that's all I can say about that. It's all just so neat
Hats off to you!
All of these pictures show great work on the layouts.
One thing I've done that I learned from Lion in ND. He showed me how to make all electrical connections behind the fascia. That way my bad old body doesn't have to work under the layout.
That means I have visible screws in the Masonite because I still remove certain panels when I'm working on electrical projects in the layout.
This is under a removed fascia section: I can sit in my chair and work on wiring. Once I'm through, I can put the fascia back on with a couple of screws.
York1 John
Southgate 2A question, though. Did you put the carpet in after all the messy work of scenery and such was done, or were you able to keep up with it?
I had about half the scenery done when I was inspired to apply the carpet material. It was no trouble to align the straight-cut bottom edge and leave a few inches at the scenery contour and trim it after the cement cured with a utility knife.
Here is one of the larger areas I had to cover:
IMG_8425_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_8441_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
And here I really left a lot of material to be trimmed but the utility knife slices this stuff beautifully. The material is much thinner than actual carpet, but that's the name they give it.
IMG_8436_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
Toward the left in the above photo you can see the original fascia that I was covering. It was trimmed with vinyl J channel such as they sell for Melamine panels. That dark green wall pater was tough as nails, too. It had a nice texture to it as well, but I like the fabric so much better.
Some of my controls are mounted in Lexan blank wall covers.
car_stop by Edmund, on Flickr
There's lots of options out there, of course. The fabric works well for me.
Digi_pocket by Edmund, on Flickr
Cheers, Ed
Thanks for the follow up Ed. Im past the stage that determines the final shape of the edge of the fascia.
Everyone who showed their fascias have great ideas, and fantastic layouts.
Since my layout is framed with 6 inch plywood, I already have what's needed to attach carpet to. Dan
ROBERT PETRICK1/8" hardboard masonite. Smooth and continuous. Inside curves and outside curves. No visible joints. No visible fasteners or screwheads (even those in fancy cupped washers). No kerfs cut into the backside.
Robert, I have never before seen overall pictures of a layout room where EVERYTHING is so amazingly neat, tidy, and beautifully constructed.
ROBERT PETRICK 1/8" hardboard masonite. Smooth and continuous. Inside curves and outside curves. No visible joints. No visible fasteners or screwheads (even those in fancy cupped washers).
1/8" hardboard masonite. Smooth and continuous. Inside curves and outside curves. No visible joints. No visible fasteners or screwheads (even those in fancy cupped washers).
Is your profession drywall work? It sure looks like a pro did that!
What is the trick to getting the seams so good? I beleive drywall actually has a slight bevel to the edges to give some room for tape and mud, but obviously hardboard does not.
York1 One thing I've done that I learned from Lion in ND. He showed me how to make all electrical connections behind the fascia. That way my bad old body doesn't have to work under the layout.
When you do that the distance from the track to the bus is longer, so do you need to step up the size of the feeder wire?