I would give this advice. Use the lighter color as the base and just add a drop or two of the darker color at a time until you get the result you are looking for. It's easy to have the darker shade overwhelm the lighter one.
For weathering, I would use a thin wash of the darker shade.
John-NYBW I would give this advice. Use the lighter color as the base and just add a drop or two of the darker color at a time until you get the result you are looking for. It's easy to have the darker shade overwhelm the lighter one. For weathering, I would use a thin wash of the darker shade.
Don - Specializing in layout DC->DCC conversions
Modeling C&O transition era and steel industries There's Nothing Like Big Steam!
Here is the new custom mix of craft paint on the right.
It's
20 drops cream.
1 drop gray.
1 drop khaki tan.
1 drop earth brown.
1 drop hunter green.
It was applied over zinc oxide primer.
Consistency is still an issue and coverage for mortar lines was not good.
I'm going to post those results tomorrow
If you are striving for and aged concrete look, inconsistency can be a positive. Surfaces general don't age and weather consistently. Minor variations are to be expected.
As for mortar lines, it's been quite a while since I've tried to apply those. As I recall, it was a trial and error process to try to get the right consistency. Too thin and the mortar runs off. Too thick and it adheres to the brick surface. I do remember having to apply to the wall laying flat. Otherwise, the mortar runs off.
Below is a link that not only shows the names of the colors, but includes a color chart.
Microlux Colors
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
Medina1128 Below is a link that not only shows the names of the colors, but includes a color chart. Microlux Colors
That's closer to what I strive for for aged concrete although I would lighten it up a bit and apply some weathering. Seems kind of pricy. I've never paid more the $1 for craft acrylics. I'll bet I could find a similar shade at Hobby Lobby. I continue to say just because somebody calls a paint Aged Concrete doesn't make it a standard we need to strive for. I make my own aged concrete and it's just as valid as those made commercially. There is no one right color or shade for aged concrete. It's whatever looks right for your situation.
John-NYBW As for mortar lines, it's been quite a while since I've tried to apply those. As I recall, it was a trial and error process to try to get the right consistency. Too thin and the mortar runs off. Too thick and it adheres to the brick surface. I do remember having to apply to the wall laying flat. Otherwise, the mortar runs off.
FWIW, if memory serves as it's been awhile since I did it, but I used straight aged white and did a reverse dry brush technique where I applied it to a small section of brick, let it dry slightly and used a paper towel to wipe the excess off the surface while leaving the paint in the grooves. Hard work but the results are very impressive at least to me.
I remember when I first needed to paint something a concrete color .... whatever I mixed, it just didn't look right. I then took what I thought was close and laid it on a few different various concrete surfaces .... I wasn't even close ! Once I made some adjustments to my color to more closely match what I saw outside, things started to look much better on the models.
I've started doing this with a lot of colors. Telephone poles for example, while vary greatly in color, are no where even in the true brown scale.
Take a good hard look at the real word. What you think is correct at the bench, turns out to be entirely different from what you thought.
Mark.
¡ uʍop ǝpısdn sı ǝɹnʇɐuƃıs ʎɯ 'dlǝɥ
Mark R. I remember when I first needed to paint something a concrete color .... whatever I mixed, it just didn't look right. I then took what I thought was close and laid it on a few different various concrete surfaces .... I wasn't even close ! Once I made some adjustments to my color to more closely match what I saw outside, things started to look much better on the models. I've started doing this with a lot of colors. Telephone poles for example, while vary greatly in color, are no where even in the true brown scale. Take a good hard look at the real word. What you think is correct at the bench, turns out to be entirely different from what you thought. Mark.
That's good advice but things don't look the same in sunlight that they do under the artificial light of a train room. I go by the rule "if it looks right to my eye, it's right.".
Years ago I asked about the colors of concrete and the result was that there just isn't a definitive answer. Concrete is just not one color, and what looks right to me may well look wrong to you.
So I bought all the possible concrete colors out there - including the Polly S. None of them satisfied MY perception of aged concrete. So I decided to "make my own" and did some sample mixes.
To the best of my recall, I ended up with a mix of mostly medium grey, with a touch of black, brown, and a tinge of green. I painted the grain silos and foundations with that mix, and then applied a very thin black/brown wash. The end result was just what I wanted.
OK, my point is three fold...... play with various combinations and mix your own, and, don't paint anything until you find the mix that satisfies you, and a dirty wash makes all the difference to bring it to the real world image.
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
mobilman44 Years ago I asked about the colors of concrete and the result was that there just isn't a definitive answer. Concrete is just not one color, and what looks right to me may well look wrong to you. So I bought all the possible concrete colors out there - including the Polly S. None of them satisfied MY perception of aged concrete. So I decided to "make my own" and did some sample mixes. To the best of my recall, I ended up with a mix of mostly medium grey, with a touch of black, brown, and a tinge of green. I painted the grain silos and foundations with that mix, and then applied a very thin black/brown wash. The end result was just what I wanted. OK, my point is three fold...... play with various combinations and mix your own, and, don't paint anything until you find the mix that satisfies you, and a dirty wash makes all the difference to bring it to the real world image.
I agree 100%. That's why I like craft paints. They're cheap and you can buy lots of different colors and shades to experiment with.
One last update before brickwork mortar test:
I added Tamiya XF-55 (Deck tan) to the mix. It's very similar to my custom mix in terms of shade/tone/hue. It was even more "watery" than the Vallejo. So it's not thick at all. It took two coats. Consistency was worse than Vallejo, but it was easier to push, dried very quick, and was flatter in terms of thickness buildup. Might be good for brick or detail work, possibly airbrush. But I would NOT apply it straight to a sidewalk on concrete foundation unless you are willing to do multiple passes.
So from left to right we have:
Vallejo Stone Grey #104
Polyscale aged concrete.
Testors aged concrete.
Cheap hobby lobby grey.
Cheap hobby lobby custom mix on top of zinc oxide primer.
And finally Tamiya XF-55 Deck Tan.
I haven't seen it mentioned yet but sometimes what I'll use for "non-critical" broad coverage is the Rustoleum Camoflage line of paint in a color called Khaki. I used it on this concrete highway bridge:
Concrete-Ramp by Edmund, on Flickr
Rustoleum spray "can" get a little heavy. Practice will help keep the coating thin. I like to use a blow-dryer to assist in curing the paint. Maybe it helps, maybe it doesn't, but it works for me.
dknelsonI have used Tamiya rattle can paints where I spray two colors at the same time, creating a varied and blended look that I think is convincing.
I have used this technique, too. Not quite the same time but before the Khaki color dries I'll give it a very light dusting of a lighter gray shade of primer (Tamiya, usually). It is what I did on the bridge above keeping the roadway the Khaki color and lightly dusting the railings and curbs with some gray.
Then I'll add some tone using either an airbrush and a Valejo color (Iraqi Sand is good) OR I'll dust the surfaces with Pan Pastel powdered pigments.
I see Rustoleum has added a color called "Sand" which I'll have to explore.
Good Luck, Ed
John-NYBW I still don't understand the need to match to Polly Scale Aged Concrete. It is just one shade that some think looks like aged concrete. I see nothing exceptional about it. I think I still have a half bottle of it although I bet it has dried out. I'd have to add water back to it but I've found many different shades over the years that look better to me than that.
I still don't understand the need to match to Polly Scale Aged Concrete. It is just one shade that some think looks like aged concrete. I see nothing exceptional about it. I think I still have a half bottle of it although I bet it has dried out. I'd have to add water back to it but I've found many different shades over the years that look better to me than that.
Rick
hbgatsf John-NYBW I still don't understand the need to match to Polly Scale Aged Concrete. It is just one shade that some think looks like aged concrete. I see nothing exceptional about it. I think I still have a half bottle of it although I bet it has dried out. I'd have to add water back to it but I've found many different shades over the years that look better to me than that. One reason would be to match something you painted many years ago. I had painted bridge abutments and wings when I first built the layout with floquil aged concrete. (Not Polly Scale but the same situation.) The bridge abutments where put in place but the wings were left until scenery work was started. By then Floquil was gone as was my supply of aged concrete. I needed something to paint the seam and touch up. Luckily for me I used construction adhesive to attach the wings and when the adhesive dried it looked just fine and I didn't need the paint. I now use rattle can Rustoleum Camoflauge Khaki for aged concrete on new projects. Rick
I've use severak or the Rustoleum Camouflage colors including Khaki for various projects. Excellent paint although Rustoleum rattle cans seem especially prone to clogging. I just bought 20 replacement caps that are supposed to fit the Rustoleum cans but I haven't tried them yet. My go-to choice for sidewalks is Krylon Chalky Finish Putty although Krylon no longer has it listed on their website so I don't know if that is still available. It might have been renamed Misty Gray. It's hard to tell on a website if it is actually the same shade but I bet it is close.
UPDATE: I have determined that Krylon's Chalky Finish Putty has apparently been discontinued and NOT renamed as Misty Gray. I've found three different websites that still show it, including Walmart, but all indicate it is out of stock. That's disappointing because to my eye it was the perfect shade for slightly aged sidewalks, not too gray, not too tan. I think I ran out last year sometime but didn't need it right away so I put off getting a replacement can. Obviously that was a mistake. Now I need to find something close. I might have to double spray two different colors as suggested above.
Thanks for this long thread, it's been very helpful. ultimately For me I decided to go with a cheap grey paint I liked from Michaels and got it mixed larger at Lowe's for much cheaper
The great thing about those cheap craft paints is you can buy lots of varying shades and mix them to create an even greater variety. Just be careful when adding white or black paint to lighten or darken a shade. A few drops goes a long way. It's always much easier to add a few more drops.
With concrete, it helps to use lots of different shades. There is no one right color and there is going to be a wide range of aged colors. When first cured, concrete is almost an off white. As it ages, it darkens and eventually begins to yellow. Asphalt is just the opposite. It lightens as it ages, starting out pitch black and eventually aging to a light gray after just a few years.
richhotrain posted a formula a while back. I made some slight modifications and came up with a recipe of:
Inspired by Addiction
See more on my YouTube Channel
PennCentral99 richhotrain posted a formula a while back. I made some slight modifications and came up with a recipe of: FolkArt Wicker White – 10 parts Anita’s Shamrock Green – 2 parts FolkArt Dove Gray – 2 parts Ceramcoat AC Flesh – 2 parts Anita’s Dark Red – 1 part Anita’s Earth Brown – 1 part Which looks like:
Here is a link to the older thread, detailing my proportions:
https://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/p/260441/3313498.aspx#3313498
Here is my formula, using white as the base:
White - 10 parts
Green - 2, 3, or 4 parts (to suit your preference)
Gray - 2 or 3 parts (to suit your preference)
D&RGW Building Cream - 2 parts
Red - 1 part
Brown - 1 part
By the way, any cream color will do.
Rich
Alton Junction