I want to simulate the type of roof that uses rubber, tar, and then stone. I was thinking of painting the roof with a glossy black and then putting cinder ballast on it to simulate the rocks.
Has anyone done t type of roof? If so how did you do it?
Rick
I used 200 grit sand paper. Little weathering to knock down the new look. And done. Since the stone covers everything no need to do a lot of painting. I do paint black around the edges just in case I scut a slight bit too much. That way no odd color shows up.
shane
A pessimist sees a dark tunnel
An optimist sees the light at the end of the tunnel
A realist sees a frieght train
An engineer sees three idiots standing on the tracks stairing blankly in space
Are you saying that you used the sandpaper raw without painting it?
Yes. the paper has different natural colors.
SHane
I tried doing a ballast roof. It looked ok, but the stones at the finest grit looked kind of unrealistic. The sandpaper solution (unpainted as they come in charcoal gray) looked more realistic.
For EPDM roofs I use electrical tape to simulate rolled on membrane. I then spraypaint it a matte color.
Rick,
I strongly suggest you consider the area of the country you are modeling. Climate may affect the color of the roof you are modeling. Due to the 100+ degree days we have in Texas, light grey, and white are popular. Although other darker colors are found, mostly light browns and tans, very light greys are industrial and residential winners, due to their ability to reflect the sun and lighten the load on air conditioning.
The approach is still the same, its just the color of the stone used that makes the difference. As the roof ages, streaks begin to appear as windborne dust accumulation and loss of stone washed away by heavy rain occurs, revealing weathered tar in streaks, heading for low points and, the nearest down spouts.
Fortunately, in the age of the internet, I can use Google Earth to "visit" various rooftops for inspiration in my Texas modelig. Don't forget the dirt accumulation in the low spots and the fresh(er) tar from repairs. In the hostile conditions down here, it doesn't take long for the elements to knock the shine off a new roof so, I would never use gloss, or black on a roof.
"
One of my favorite techniques is to print roofing "textures" onto matte photo paper and lay this down as rolled roofing. Very convincing, IMHO.
Big-Bucks-Bank-roof by Edmund, on Flickr
TexturesCom_RooftilesBitumen0029_1_M by Edmund, on Flickr
IMG_4630_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
A free signup at Textures.com will allow you do download several texture jpgs a day and you can use your graphics editing software to stitch them into workable sheets.
PO_annex2 by Edmund, on Flickr
Here's some of the samples of "bituminous" roofing: https://www.textures.com/browse/bitumen/74799
Good Luck, Ed
A reason that I hadn't considered sandpaper is that what I have used is a brown color. My perception is that roofs in my area are more gray and black. I need to do some more research. Rick
I build a lot of Cornerstone and DPM structures, plus some City Classics kits and others. I throw away the thin styrene roof pieces in the kits and instead cut a new roof to shape from thin foam board from Michaels or Staples. This gives a thicker and more robust base for the roof.
I often build interior walls from the same stuff, which gives me separate lighting zones inside the buildings and I don't end up with a hollow shell.
I like to use brick textured sheets, cut into thin strips, painted and mortared for the inside walls of the roof parapets. The outside of the structure walls are usually brick, but the insides of the walls around the roof lines are flat, so this is a nice detail.
When the structure is done, I paint the roof, using Rust-Oleum black speckled textured rattle can spray. This gives me a nice textured flat roof. I often add vents and other roof stuff, finished with a bit of rust weathering.
There's another thread where I mentioned that I just buy my trees. It takes me a month to build a four-walls-and-a-roof structure kit. It's how I do my railroad.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
hbgatsf I want to simulate the type of roof that uses rubber, tar, and then stone. I was thinking of painting the roof with a glossy black and then putting cinder ballast on it to simulate the rocks. Has anyone done t type of roof? If so how did you do it? Rick
If ballast comes across as too big, you might also try experimenting with sanded grout. I use it to simulate gravel on my roads and I like the effect it gives.
I like the sandpaper idea and I'm thinking it would likely take spray paint relatively well, or even a brush application - which although more uneven, might look more realistic because of it.
I did some online shopping at the stores that are near me. The only one that had a charcoal or gray sandpaper in a grit around 200 was Lowes and it was 150. When I got to the store that product had more of a brown tint but they did have a color I was willing to use in 100 grit. That was still much better than the ballast idea so I bought it.
I got it cut for the three sections of roof and set it in place. It looks great for the location.
Now I need to figure out what adhesive to use to attach it to the styrene roof. What would you suggest?
hbgatsf Now I need to figure out what adhesive to use to attach it to the styrene roof. What would you suggest? Rick
My go-to adhesive for paper-to-styrene is Aileen's Tacky Glue, a product I get from craft stores like Michaels. I also like it for sticking down figures to street and sidewalks, because in that application it comes off easily, even after being in place for years.
I often print interior walls on my computer, everything from cinder blocks to wallpaper and wainscoting. Aileen's works particularly well because it is thicker than solvent glues and it doesn't penetrate the paper and ruin the design.
It's also cheap and has a long shelf life if you keep the cap on.
I use Aileen's often but wasn't thinking of it for this application because of the thickness. I was afraid of getting a "lumpy" look. When used for paper to styrene does the drying process shrink it down so that it is flat?
Thank @Ed/gmpullman to that 'textures.com' link. Some nice stuff there.
bob/PC101
Hello All,
To adhere the cloth or paper-backed sandpaper to styrene I would suggest either contact cement or 3M™ Super 77™ Multipurpose Spray Adhesive.
When using contact cement remember to read the instructions!
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
jjdamnitWhen using contact cement remember to read the instructions!
That's a very good point. A lot of people who use (or attempt to use) contact cement, don't read the instructions, and then swear that they'll never use it again, and warn others that it's no good.Done properly, it's a very good adhesive for most materials. I've used it for arborite countertops, and for covering kitchen cupboards with 1/8" oak veneer...more than 30 years later, you'd need a crowbar to remove it.I also used it for putting down cork roadbed on the partial upper level of my layout, then adding plastic Central Valley tie strips, followed by soldered-together 15' lengths of nickel-silver rail. All of it is still exactly where it was originally placed.
The one drawback, at least if you have a wife with a very sensitive sense of smell, is the odour...it's never bothered me, but....
Wayne