The double sided tape won't slip off. I've had my old backdrop up using double sided tape, on painted white walls for over 3 years. And it stayed up just fine.
I'm using the same double sided tape for the new heavier backdrop, and its staying up there just fine right now. I cut the tape up about 2" x 3" squares, and placed them sparingly around the edges and middle portions of the backdrop.
Michael
CEO- Mile-HI-RailroadPrototype: D&RGW Moffat Line 1989
dominic c Rich Masonite all the way around! Wow. That sounds like a good idea. Was the board place on unfinished walls? Joe C
Rich
Masonite all the way around! Wow. That sounds like a good idea.
Was the board place on unfinished walls?
Joe C
Joe, the backdrop that I am referring to is a 24" x 78" paper backdrop affixed to a section of 1/8" thick Masonite mounted onto the end of my layout. That end of the layout is free standing, not against the wall.
The layout is in an unfinished basement, and the rest of the layout runs against three basement walls which are poured concrete. The layout is lined against those walls with continuous backdrop panels of 24" x 48" Masonite. Currently, those Masonite panels are painted light blue but are otherwise undecorated - - no backdrops.
Alton Junction
I think anything used to attach a backdrop to a wall will cause some damage to the walls. Like staples tape, hooks etc. That's why they have Spackle and paint brushes LOL
mlehman richhotrain Too bad that Velcro is not removable, although I don't know why I would want to remove the backdrop once I affix it to the Masonite panel. Rich Yeah, what dominic says. That's why I made my earlier comment about stuff sticky enough to last is likely to present a problem if you ever do take it off. The adhesive side of the Velcro is likely to lift paint off the wall it's stuck to if removed.
richhotrain Too bad that Velcro is not removable, although I don't know why I would want to remove the backdrop once I affix it to the Masonite panel. Rich
Too bad that Velcro is not removable, although I don't know why I would want to remove the backdrop once I affix it to the Masonite panel.
Yeah, what dominic says. That's why I made my earlier comment about stuff sticky enough to last is likely to present a problem if you ever do take it off. The adhesive side of the Velcro is likely to lift paint off the wall it's stuck to if removed.
Fortunately, it will not be affixed to a painted wall, just a panel of unpainted Masonite.
dominic c Rich I might of not been clear, but you would be able to remove the drop from the Masonite board or any spot for that matter. What is difficult to remove is the tape part that you affix to the backside of the drop itself. It's so tacky that once the adhesive side of the Velcro strip is attached to the backside of the backdrop, it seems like it's on for good. Now this is for the paper used by backdrop warehouse.
I might of not been clear, but you would be able to remove the drop from the Masonite board or any spot for that matter. What is difficult to remove is the tape part that you affix to the backside of the drop itself. It's so tacky that once the adhesive side of the Velcro strip is attached to the backside of the backdrop, it seems like it's on for good. Now this is for the paper used by backdrop warehouse.
You were clear. I was referring to the fact that the Velcro is not removable from the back of the paper.
re staples, note that careful placement will confine them to the top 1" of the backdrop. That edge can be cut off if reused later if you need an unblemished edge exposed for a future installation.
Mike Lehman
Urbana, IL
Velcro should work as well as staples. I've had some of the same stuff as illustrated and the adhesive side is super tacky. I think it should be OK for long term use in an application like this, as it reminds me of those glueboards they make to catch mice. The hooks provide a mechanical interface like staples do.
Thanks, Joe, I appreciate the good advice.
Hey Rich
I too have Masonite boarding on my corners to give that round look. The backdrops from backdrop warehouse are also on a thick paper and is also heavy. To be honest with you, All I do is place the Velcro around the top of the backdrop and the bottom corners. Believe me, the drop will be secure. It will lay on the wall beautifully. But how you would want to apply it is totally up to you. But I think that's all you will need. I posted some pictures. The picture currently on page 3 will show the top of the drop on the Masonite board. This is some strong stuff. I have three pieces to my backdrop. Were the pieces join, there can be several ways to piece them together. I used a paste that dried invincible. The Velcro comes in white or black. The one picture is both tapes together. So there won't be any bulges. My drop has been hanging for over a year, and it hasn't moved at all!. My drop from my old layout hung for 3 years without any movement.
Joe, thanks for that reminder about the Velcro. I recall it now, but forgot that you had discussed that option.
My backdrop is on matte finish poster paper from Kinko's. It is fairly heavy, and it does not produce ripples or waviness, so it will look good and stay smooth once I mount it to the Masonite backing.
How thick are the Velcro strips? I just wonder about the space between the paper backdrop and the Masonite panel.
How much spacing do you allow between each 3" wide strip of Velcro?
I posted earlier in this thread that I used industrial strength Velcro. It is made by Velcro and it can be found at Lowes or Home Depot. The width of the tape is about 3". One side on the back of the backdrop, the other on the wall. One thing though, When putting the tape on the backdrop, draw a line with a ruler and pencil to give you a straight and even line. Once the tape is on the backdrop, it's on and hard to get off. But the result is what you want. I have had no movements or mishaps. And you can make corrections if needed.
mlehman Sounds like your fastening plan is good. All it takes is some physical barrier to the tape slipping. It needn't be much, just needs to be.
Sounds like your fastening plan is good. All it takes is some physical barrier to the tape slipping. It needn't be much, just needs to be.
I am in the process of adding a new back drop to one end of my layout, and I am planning to use Scotch brand doubled sided poster tape which is advertised as "removable".
I gather from the remarks being made on this thread that something more is required like staples or molding at the top or both. Staples trouble me because they will damage the paper back drop. Molding bothers me because it will interfere with the smooth look of the paper back drop.
I could glue the back drop on, but that is really permanent.
Is there any way out of this dilemma?
HObbyguyThis thread and the other one that was running in the layout forum a few weeks ago have been well-timed. I didn't even know custom-order backdrops existed until a couple of months ago. Glad I got the backdrops now, instead of waiting any longer.
Walt,
Yeah, once you start building stuff in front of where they go, things only get more difficult.
Walt, I'm happy that your happy with your new backdrops. Always glad to share my experience with things like this, if it helps others here too.
I just ordered another new backdrop from backdrop warehouse. For the left wall/window section of my layout. Right now I have a downtown scene backdrop, it doesn't fit with the mountains of the new backdrop, which is right next to it. So I ordered another mountain scene, this one is 24" x 6'.
I'll post up pics here when I get it.
Hey its all good!
Just glad that you got this thread going, like I said it was well-timed. I placed my order only a couple days before your first post and spent at least 10 minutes going over each of your pictures when I first saw them. And I never would have thought of pinning a section up on the wall to see how it looked (well, maybe I would have.)
I was shocked when they were delivered so quickly- well under two weeks from my order date.
- Walt
Huntington Junction - Freelance based on the B&O and C&O in coal country before the merger... doing it my way. Now working on phase 3. - Walt
For photos and more: http://www.wkhobbies.com/model-railroad/
richhotrain Motley Doughless, that looks amazing! Really good looking backdrop you have, and it blends in with your scene perfectly. Love the trestle bridge. Good choice on the backdrop. Yes that paper they are printed on is very thick, and no wrinkles. Michael, don't you mean HObbyguy? Rich
Motley Doughless, that looks amazing! Really good looking backdrop you have, and it blends in with your scene perfectly. Love the trestle bridge. Good choice on the backdrop. Yes that paper they are printed on is very thick, and no wrinkles.
Doughless, that looks amazing! Really good looking backdrop you have, and it blends in with your scene perfectly. Love the trestle bridge. Good choice on the backdrop.
Yes that paper they are printed on is very thick, and no wrinkles.
Michael, don't you mean HObbyguy?
Whoops nothing gets past Rich. LOL
I edited my post.
mlehmanBe cautious about relying on tape only unless the installation will be accessible easily in the future. Good tape can hold for years, but even it eventually loses its grip. Anything tacky enough to stick permanently will likely mar the wall and then you probably are better off with staples or tacks.
Most of my walls in the basement are old painted paneling. They are straight and flat but I never have found a stud behind the paneling even at the seams and have no idea how it is actually attached. Screws are about useless in the paneling but I've found that my air driven brad gun works well.
So, the tape is meant to hold the backdrop securely in place until the molding is up. I will attach the molding using my brad gun so that the brads go right through the tape and backdrop and into the paneling, hiding the tape and securing the backdrop permanently. I was going to hang masonite first and then glue the backdrop to the masonite. But I don't see much sense in that since the only way to attach the masonite to the walls is by gluing it or using the same brads.
I spent several hours working on lighting today. Everything looks much better lit up properly but the popcorn ceiling is not making the job any fun.
This thread and the other one that was running in the layout forum a few weeks ago have been well-timed. I didn't even know custom-order backdrops existed until a couple of months ago. Glad I got the backdrops now, instead of waiting any longer.
HObbyguyNow I am thinking of just taping it up to the wall and running molding along the edge to cover the tape and dress it up.
Be cautious about relying on tape only unless the installation will be accessible easily in the future. Good tape can hold for years, but even it eventually loses its grip. Anything tacky enough to stick permanently will likely mar the wall and then you probably are better off with staples or tacks.
What I did with some recent backdrops done on aluminum flashing is to either drill holes at the top edge and use small nails or use a staple gun (goes right through flashing.) Then I went over it with trim. Obviously, drilling holes in even thick paper is out, but a staple gun or tacks would work well. You can also apply tape to the back of the backdrop to give that area more strength to hold whatever fasteners you do use.
Despite being in this hobby for 50 years now, I am always still amazed at how much better a layout looks with good back drops. The tree high and distance looks right. The layering of mountains is great. Amazing.
Motley
While this post was running, I was starting to build a hillside separating my outside main and inside. I just wanted to show what I was referring to in terms of a lesser contrast. between background and foreground.
Hobbyguy, that looks amazing! Really good looking backdrop you have, and it blends in with your scene perfectly. Love the trestle bridge. Good choice on the backdrop.
Here's a section of my new backdrop, temporarily pinned up. I built the benchwork for this phase of the layout like a tank so I can move it away from the wall and finish the installation. Right now (since these pics were taken) I am working on new lighting. The Backdrop Warehouse paper is very thick so it does not want to wrinkle and how it is lit up makes a big difference. Now I am thinking of just taping it up to the wall and running molding along the edge to cover the tape and dress it up.
I am also playing around with trees to see what makes the best transition. I tried highlighting a few trees with paint but for me sprinkling a little very fine yellow turfs set with hairspray seems to give better results. Also now that I have the backdrop I can make trees for the transition that more closely match those in the background. One thing good about foam, its easy to plant trees, move them around and experiment.
Doughless, nice tip on the painting trees, I will try that.
Now that my new backdrops have a mountain scene, the downtown scene next to it even looks more out of place. I'm thinking of changing that one to a another mountain scene. Its 24" x 72".
Along the D&RGW Moffat route, there is a 4-5 track rail yard in Minturn, CO. So a rail yard in the mountains is prototypical, and my railyard in this scene will match that.
http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=365940&nseq=7
Thoughts?
Michael,
Nice work on the corners. Something that I have discovered recently is how much store bought trees can gain texture just by painting them. Real branches and leaves are not the exact same color. Over the weekend, I hit some of mine with rattle can spray paint in a variety of greens and browns from about two feet away, and the random affect from the various paint splatters hitting the trees really made them look even better. I find that a final light dusting with the lightest shade makes it look like sunlight shimmering off the branches.
- Douglas
looks fantastic.
brad