I have lots of sidewalk to paint and am interested to know what other modelers have used to capture the look of concrete. For the base of buildings and the sidewalks in front of them I'm using 1/16" tempered Masonite. Groups of buildings are clustered on a common base (up to 30" long) for ease of detailing off the layout. Scribed lines simulate sidewalk curbs and sections. The Masonite has been sealed with clear acrylic, especially where the Masonite was rounded to simulate the upper edge of the curbs. The building base/sidewalk modules have been cut, fitted (hidden locating pins on each module) and scribed. It is time to paint the base concrete color, and following that do some weathering. On prior layouts I air brushed Floquil Aged Concrete, but due to availability and price I'd like to try craft store acrylics. What paint and application techniques would you recommend?.
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Large (aged) concrete for the Roundhouse was Krylon Kahki aged concrete tends to yellow, new or heavy limestone concrete tends to be grey. IMO. There are Testors paints both Concrete and Aged concrete, much more expensive.
I normally go to Home Depot and buy one of their small sample jars ( two dollars) of interior latex in the color I want. I bet there are no two sidewalks the same color, from region to region.
I use masonite for all my sidewalks and concrete areas. After I have them cut out I spray them with Rustoleum Camo Khaki paint.
The next step I use a sharp pointed object to scribe joints and stress cracks, then I use thinned out black acrylic paint and brush it on and then wipe it off to weather and bring out the details.Very easy and makes very cool sidewalks, concrete tunnel portals,and any concrete areas.
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Steve Piper posted:I use masonite for all my sidewalks and concrete areas. After I have them cut out I spray them with Rustoleum Camo Khaki paint.
The next step I use a sharp pointed object to scribe joints and stress cracks, then I use thinned out black acrylic paint and brush it on and then wipe it off to weather and bring out the details.Very easy and makes very cool sidewalks, concrete tunnel portals,and any concrete areas.
Steve, what is the texture under your water? Painted aluminum sheet? Thx TW
Steve, Really nice looking layout.
Ed:
I also use Masonite (hardboard)
The recipe I use is:
1 - about 80% coverage flat black, let dry
2 - about 80% coverage red oxide, let dry
3 - almost 100% coverage dark gray, let dry
4 - top coat is either light gray or white depending on how dark you want the concrete to look.
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For concrete, I undercoat with craft-grade acrylic. I use various shades ranging from gray to black, depending on how "old" I want it to look. I top coat with a dusting of Rustoleum Desert Bisque, which has a nice texture. Finally, on roads, I use chalks to add tire tracks, oil stains, etc.
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I am using Krylon Khaki for just about all my concrete and rock painting. For my layered Masonite streets and sidewalks I don't bother with sealing. I carve expansion joints and cracks, then lightly spackle the expansion joints and other gaps. I am mostly using tube acrylics now for the finishing effects. I will use a damp rag and rub different panels and sections with brown or rust hues. I then do a black wash. One trick that works for doing the black wash is to put a thicker wash into the cracks and joints with a thin brush then rub it out with a semi damp to dry rag. This way you're not chasing a big mess all around and having it dry too fast when covering a large area. Of course, your mileage may vary, and the Krylon is pretty forgiving if you are using water based washes. A wet rag can reverse overdone applications too. The last thing to do is a nice drybrushing. It would be ideal to use a lighter shade of khaki but I typically use white to light gray.
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Hey TEDW, I used 1/4" plexiglass for my water. It's the same thing as Aquatex glass. I used plexiglass because it's easy to cut with a jigsaw where glass would have to be cut at a glass shop. I painted the bottom with Rustoleum camo dark green paint.
I used Khaki colored RustOLeum spray paint. Its part of their camouflage line but color wise its a dead on match. I got a gallon of latex color matched to the spray paint and its cheaper than a bunch of spray cans. Use a pencil to draw cracks.
Thanks for the great input guys. The various approaches all look better than my previous attempts to model sidewalks. Today I'll pick up a can of khaki and test it on scrap Masonite. Does anyone know if one of the two khaki's (Rustoleum, Krylon) is lighter than the other? A test I'll run in parallel is to spray a very light pass of Krylon fine texture limestone, sand the surface, and then brush on a craft paint mix (linen and gray). Whatever the base color, getting the weathering (wash, chalk) is something I'll also have to work on.
Norm - your artistic talent continues to amaze. Go PRR!
Matt - missed your post - thanks for answering the question regarding color of the two major brands of khaki. Your brush latex approach has a cost and ease of applying at the site. The spray approach probably works better with scribed cracks and joints. With a neighborhood open house event in a month, this week I need to decide on an approach and get on with it.
Turns out I actually have Rustoleum not Krylon. I pick mine up at Home Depot and can't remember when it changed over but I do remember getting Krylon at some point in the past.
Btw, I switched over to spray bombing vs. latex/acrylic for speed. I found that latex needed an extra day to fully dry in the seams before doing a wash. I would end up with a smeary looking mess if I tried to apply a wash to latex too soon. I control the spray bomb overspray using a shop vac with a rag zip tied over the hose while I'm applying color.
it's way easier to use cardboard instead of Masonite. easier to cut, score and to make sloping elevating roadways.
AlanRail posted:it's way easier to use cardboard instead of Masonite. easier to cut, score and to make sloping elevating roadways.
Yes. Or foam-core (as long as you paint both sides and/or glue it to the base so it doesn't curl).
Norm, I like your idea with the shop vac. Do you have a hose long enough to keep the shop vac outside when your doing this? I would be a little afraid of an explosion from fumes and sparking brushes in the vac.