There is a concrete block plant around the corner from my machine shop in Grand Junction, CO. They still make the decorative blocks. I haven't seen any recent residential use, but many newer commercial and industrial buildings use them.
Here are two pictures of the really neat 109 Carnegie St. untouched in HO scale.
It is not really a "decorative" cinder block but maybe could be more of a "beveled edge" cinder block but then again not really ''beveled edge'' either.
Here below is ''Decorative'' cinder block painted white and unpainted (raw).
and painted upclose.
Here below is a picture of Beveled edge cinder block. 15-1/2'' long X 7-1/2'' tall.
BigDaddy I never worked in a steel mill, but my memory doesn't include any light colored buildings.
I never worked in a steel mill, but my memory doesn't include any light colored buildings.
As I mentioned previously I use Google Earth to look at various steel mills and the variety of buildings is vast.
These two pictures are from the USS Fairfield Works. This facility has plenty of land so it is spread out. The first is zoomed out while the second is focused on three buildings close to each other. One is obviously brick. The white one and the blue one appear to be either brick or block that has been painted.
Here is another picture that I think is just strange. Many USS mills use the blue color scheme. This is the Gary Indiana plant. Note the three buildings that are painted red. I can't be sure but they also appear to be brick or block. My guess is block because I can't imagine why they would paint brick red.
Bottom line is that I can probably do Carnegie Street in any color I want.
Rick
York1There are still examples of concrete blocks with one side decorative. They are not real common anymore.
8 X 8 X 16 concrete blocks with one rough side are common down here. They even make corner pieces with two rough sides.
I have never seen these unpainted. The brown and gold/beige in this picture are textured/rough concrete blocks.
-Photograph by Kevin Parson
-Kevin
Living the dream.
Just send your usage payments to City Classics.
I'll add one more thing and then shut up. Like I said, I think a lot of cinder block buildings in heavy industrial usage weren't painted, but I also think you'll go crazy trying to find a color that represents that. New blocks look clean and gray while old ones look brownish and dirty like old concrete. I'm sure there is a color out there that MIGHT work for unpainted block, but I think you'll waste a a lot of time experimenting and maybe never be satisfied.
Jim
Maybe Jim won't mind if I post a pic of his building?
it's an interesting building. I never worked in a steel mill, but my memory doesn't include any light colored buildings. I would go with brick then heavily weathered or brown, no mortar.
I once passed a house in Pennsylvania. I should have taken a picture, because this modest sized house must have been built with stone, left over from a PRR bridge or retaining wall. Each block was 2' wide and almost as high.
Henry
COB Potomac & Northern
Shenandoah Valley
There are still examples of concrete blocks with one side decorative.
They are not real common anymore other than for retaining walls, but there are specialty structural blocks available for restoring old homes' basement walls and foundations.
York1 John
Thanks for all the suggestions.
I intend to use this building in a steel mill as a shop building so I don't want a "clean" look, but I also don't want a plain, unpainted block building.
I have used Google Earth to look at many mills to see what kind of buildings they have. I am amazed at how many different kinds of structures are on each site including metal, brick, block, and even prefab. That does make sense given how many years they have been in service. I would say that the most common color for the block buildings is white although it seams anything goes.
I am not sure what I want to do yet but I think I will forgo doing it in a brick color. It could be that the most prototypicical approach would be to just use whatever paint that I have laying around.
I would take a different approach. The building has relatively small windows, which is fitting, but it also has a large garage door / loading dock that could be opened up and a small shadow box scene created inside with some illumination to highlight it. This would focus the user's attention on the door and away from the walls.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
Those are decrative cinder blocks, one face had a stone like finish (don't know if they still exist). Generally these were painted.
I had a chance to dig out a few old photos. Other folks here may know more than me, but these are my observations.
It seems like cinder block buildings that were built for some kind of industrial use, like in a steel mill or rail yard weren't always painted. But the ones used by small businesses seemed to get more care and attention. Especially if they had a small office where the staff worked.
From some old photos I saved, it looks like most were originally painted in lighter colors, like white, beige, very light gray or light blue. I think darker colors came a little later where buildings were painted green, dark red, brown, etc. But I don't think any of them were to pretend that the structures were made from red brick.
One interesting thing on older buildings is how the walls settled and cracked along the mortar lines. So a white building would have areas of dark zig-zag cracks here and there. Or maybe dark lines where somehow water seeped through some of the mortar.
You could also do a neat painted sign along the top of one wall. I'm not great at posting photos, but I'll see if I can do one later.
How about this, since the blocks look like Decorative cinder block/Rock faced block and not flat cinder block try the following...
How about painting from the ground up about a scale 4' in a red color with no morter joints showing of course, this will make the dirt/mud/rain splatter less visible (splash border), that would show a cleaner building to the customers. Then paint the rest of the wall from the red up to the top an aged white. Trim the doors and windows in the same red used for the ''splash border''.
You could "dust" up the block with dark pigment, that way the pigment would collect on the underneath indents of the block creating a shadow effect. Rain washes down and not much dirt collect on the upper indents of the blocks. Seems to me dirt clings to the under sides of indents and crevices.
Just a thought. I can't find a picture at this time in my stash to show you.
I was hoping you would chime in, Jim.
I am sure you have seen many finished renditions of this kit. Would you say most have been done with the block painted a single color with nothing done on the mortar lines? I am assuming a flat or satin sheen would be best?
There were a least four steps involved in getting the mold made after I scribed the blocks, and most have some shrinkage along the way, so that could partially be the reason for the blocks looking a bit "off."
Jim S
You can paint it brick color but I wouldn't do much with the mortar lines. Having bricks the size of cinder blocks will look odd. Having a solid brick color won't emphasize the brick size.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
rrebell Which model?
Which model?
Topic title - 109 Carnegie St.
I have put together this City Classics model and I am ready to paint it. This is supposed to be a cinder block building but the "blocks" seem to be a little less square than the real thing to me.
Most real buildings like this are painted, especially if used as a business, although a few are left plain. The spot that mine will occupy would look better with a brick building. It will be about three feet from the edge of the layout so the size and shape of the block won't be real noticable. I think I can get away with finishing my building in a red or orange brick color.
Has anyone else done this kit? If so what look did you go for?