Best way to make roads.

[Train Fan]

 What is the best product to make your own roads, durham's water putty or spackling compound? Or is there any other inexpensive products.

[Bob grech]

All of the roads on my layout were done using Durhams Water Putty. The putty mix is spread directly onto the layout surface about 1/16 inch thick. Once cured, I paint the roads using Floquils concrete or aged concrete colors. Once dry, I scribe in the expansion joints. To finish, the roads are weathered with charcol powder sealed with a "mist" of Dullcoat.

 Here's a pic showing one of my paved roads using this technique:

[Southwest Chief]

I've used Durhams, AMI instant roadbed, and sheet styrene.  I actually prefer Durhams, but many prefer styrene nowadays.

Durhams is also great for you California residents that have to make Missions in fourth grade.  It looks a lot like adobe when it dries.  You don't even have to paint it.

[pcarrell]

Check this out: http://www.telusplanet.net/public/crowley/ashphalt_roads.htm

 

[jerryl]

  I use joint compound. Cures slow enough to allow you to smooth it.  Cost less than most other products.  I paint it with washes of craft paint, Black/gray for asphalt, gray/brown for concrete. When dry, you can scribe the lane markers & it leaves a perfect narrow white line.  jerry

[mondotrains]

I had read on this forum a few months ago that joint compound makes great roads and I definitely like the result.  I also read that poster paints create nice finishes.  I mix 3 teaspoons of black powdered poster paint with 1 teaspoon brown powdered poster paint in about 1/2 pint of water.  To ensure the paint is opaque, I then add some Delta Ceramcoat "charcoal" acrylic paint, about 1 ounce.  The result is a nice flat, "chalky" finish, rather than a typical acrylic paint finish.  When dry, I noticed that I can rub my finger over the road and create light and darker areas, making the roads and parking lots more realistic.  Again, the flat finish achieved with the poster paints is much better than can achieved with just acrylic paints.

Hope this helps.

Mondo

 

 

[tstage]

Train Fan,

I've just started to delve into and experiment with this myself.  I've found that 1/16" thick cork Contact paper (the same company that makes the shelf liner) works very well for asfault road surface.  You can find it in 18" x 36" rolls in any office supply store.  (I picked mine up at Office Max.)

The cork can be cut to whatever width you want.  It already has the adhesive on the back.  So all you have to do is to peel off the backing and stick it down onto the surface where you want your road to go.

Since the cork is porous, I used (vinyl) spackle to fill in the "voids" before painting it with Pollyscale Grimy Black.  Two light coats seemed to work best, with a light sanding after each coat has dried.  Like I said, all you want to do is to fill in the voids so that the surface looks more smooth.

Hope that helps...

Tom 

[tcf511]

That is a new approach to roads that I hadn't heard before but it sounds interesting. I'm working on a module that has a city scene at the moment and I think I'm going to try it. Thanks.