Paint on homosote

Last year I saw several topics in the forum on this and followed their advice. I haven't regretted it. I used a primer to seal it all up and keep the dust down before painting. Dan is right on as well. I went to all the local hardware shops and picked up a gallon or two of paint that had been returned but in the colors I wanted. Terry

With regards to painting, I used a good primer/ sealer first and then three coats of a latex paint.

prior to painting, I filled the joints in with a good quality latex caulk and while the caulk was still wet, I worked in Homosote dust (from cutting the homosote) into the caulk.  I used my finger / putty knife.  After painting, you can hardly see the joints.

What Dan said. I just used an earth tone cheap latex paint and slopped it on.

be prepared to be shocked on how that stuff just sucks up the paint!!!!  A primer/sealer (which I didn't do) might lower the absorption, but since I haven't tried that I don't know for sure.

- walt

Just a couple coats of cheap, flat, latex, earth colored paint from one of your home improvement stores.

Yeah just slop on some cheap latex....

Once my homosote was glued down I trimmed the corners on both levels with jigsaw.  I went to home depot and bought a $1.00 gallon (latex) from thier junk/return paint bin and they tinted a nice bright green for me.  This coat of paint was nice and allowed a clean green running surface during the wiring phase of the layout construction.  It was necessay to do an extreme vacuume once the homosote  was finished, didn't want my engines near that dust.  Once the surface was painted, I nailed on a routered 1x10 fascia round the perimeter which nicely covered the outeredge of homosote and plywood seam (I raised the fascia about an inch as a safety edge).

Eventually the wiring was done and the time for plaster and ballasting arrived, then came the mess, it was sad to see the colorful painted surface go bye bye.

It would do it the same way if I were to ever build another layout.  I'll attach some pictures.

I agree with all above but just make sure it is "flat" latex. I had a problem once when I mistakenly used the gloss.

Homosote is a 'paper' product of sorts.  It even looks like a big sheet of cardboard on steroids! 

So, think paper towels, paper napkins, paper diapers, nose-blow tissue, ...TP ..., and it makes sense to first apply some sort of a sealer to inhibit further absorption.  Or not.  Whatever.

KD