What is the "best" way to keep ground cover from sliding around? I have tried any number of methods, none which produce the results that I would like to see.
What do you do?
Has anyone every used the Woodland Scenics spray glue?
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Hi John,
All the posts I have read usually say to Spray that Scenics Glue all over Everything once you have your scenery, rocks, and trees in place.
I have not even gotten that far yet but that is what I know so far.
Your layout is awesome.
I want to go on vacation there.
Ordinary white glue has always worked well enough for me.
Coat the area, apply the ground foam, and vacuum up the excess (I use a small Hoover that I bought years ago, which has a cloth bag so I can even reclaim and re-use whatever has not been held in place by the glue). If you're not satisfied with the initial result, just repeat the process right over the initial layer.
The key is to use a variety of ground cover colors just scattered on randomly so the result doesn't look golf course uniform.
John
My two cents for you.
I have been doing a lot of ground cover lately. I have tried several different percent mixtures with Elmer's glue and water. My problem is I want it to work in a sprayer fine mist. The glue no mater what the mixture I try hardens to fast in the sprayer and stops working fine mist. Yes I tried 5 or 6 different sprayers.
So far the best has been Scenic Cement. It's pricy for a 16 oz jar IMO. I have went through about 15 bottles so far. If you buy it, make sure you turn it up side down and look at the bottom of the container to see if it has hardened up a 1inch or more. If so don't buy it. Most of the time you can shake it and your fine. Recently I have purchased some that is solid two inches thick and will not mix. So for 9 bucks a bottle check it. It really does a good job as well for ballast. OH if you need a lot, do what I should have buy it by the gallon. I seen that on the web to late for me
I like to use undiluted elmers glue for initially placing hedges, tree, and otherstuff onto the landscaping.
I'll second Allan's suggestion - hey it's been used by modelers for over 50 years so why re-invent the wheel. i tried a popular commercial product when it first came on the market, and while it may have been marginally better than the white glue and water method, it failed miserably on a cost per square foot basis. Clearly it was being price-point marketed with HO and N scale railroaders in mind, and not those of us who have substantially more real estate to cover (or are merely frugal).
I might add that i dilute white glue from between 10% to 50% depending on the kind of terrain i'm trying to cover (10% for ballast - 50% for rugged hillsides) with about 25% the norm; all measured by the eyeball method.
jackson
CEO, Not-So-Great-Eastern RR
Sometimes I'll use hair spray (pump bottle) to hold the ground foam in place and the the glue mix. Smells good, too!
Hey John,
I don't see where you say what ground cover you are using and what you intend it to look like when it dries.
Wet glue mix (no matter what product or concoction) over any foam in my opinion always looks like BEEP..... ok, looks like "glue mix" spilled on a sweater. Sorry, but it does.
Wet glue mix should be used on something that is solid like ballast and such. You can always spinkle the DRY FOAM on top of the glue mix but better yet.......
Try a glue/paint mix like I mentioned in one of my videos and then put the DRY GROUND FOAM over that.
I hate stepping into a thread where there are a lot of good suggestions, but I am answering based on my thought you are talking about foams.
John
i am always looking for the cheap atlernative, but in the end i took the plunge and was buying the mat medium by the gallon and applying it (spraying it ) undiluted. I love the stuff and dries undetectable. If you like the product, i would suggest ordering the large size, a significant savings in cost.
I also agree with using paint or raw elmers glue with the scenic material sprinkled on top of it to develop a base from which to work from.
Elmer's white glue in various dilutions depending on the material to be bonded.
IMO there is never a need to spray glue of any kind - always a problem with clogging. The only spraying I do is with hair spray from a can for final flocking of bushes or trees.
In all other cases, I get better results by applying glue with a brush or squirt bottle, not a sprayer.
As Joey said, better to apply ground cover over glue, not glue over the ground cover. 
Jim
Here's a Hoover portable vacuum very similar to the one I use for all my layout-related cleanup. The only differences between this one and mine is that mine is about 35 years old (and still serving well), and mine has a cloth bag that can be emptied, washed, and used over and over again. I believe this newer model requires disposable bags.
if you are looking for a way of doing textured scenery with ground covers that is fairly easy check our thread here and here. We also advertise in OGR mag. Requires no vacuum, requires no glue (adhesive in product), and you will be able to layer the covers with great effect. Direct application of static grass makes static scenes easier then ever. A modular group uses this method and transports their layout across NE. It doesn't crack or chip and weighs about 1 oz /per sq ft when dry.
Recent module
Very "untraditional" . I didn't have your email John so its posted here.
White glue, coating the surface with undiluted glue and then dribbling various diluted wet water mixtures on the material if necessary. Cheap hairspray works effectively to secure or "Fix" materials in place.
The video of doing textured scenery with ground covers was interesting and looks like it is fairly easy to do.
Really liked the video. Thank you for sharing.
I use universal wallpaper and boarder paste from Lowes Home Improvement. It comes in a little tub and can be spread with a foam brush. After covering desired area just sprinkle with ground foam. It works well holding larger scenic material as well. A small tub is about 5 bucks and goes a long way.
I've never heard that one before. I'm going to test. Thank you!
Originally Posted by wallace:
I use universal wallpaper and boarder paste from Lowes Home Improvement. It comes in a little tub and can be spread with a foam brush. After covering desired area just sprinkle with ground foam. It works well holding larger scenic material as well. A small tub is about 5 bucks and goes a long way.
The paste is reasonable enough that you can be generous with the amount you use. If you have something a little larger to stick on the platform you can brush it on the item directly. I use those cheap foam brushes they rinse out easily and can be reused.
Does this stuff dry clear?
The paste I have used is not noticeable after it tries.
Thank you!
Originally Posted by wallace:
The paste I have used is not noticeable after it tries.
For trees and bushes I use Elmer's (no diluting) or Woodland Scenics scenic paste (no diluting) for grass, dirt I use Gravity. It's free and easy to apply.
Like a lot of other people, I use white or yellow glue, pour it on, and vaccum it off to reclaim it. This has worked well for, oh, 30+ years at least.
Thanks again...
riginally Posted by Lee Willis:
Like a lot of other people, I use white or yellow glue, pour it on, and vaccum it off to reclaim it. This has worked well for, oh, 30+ years at least.
I use a paint brush and spread elmers white glue on the surface, then add the foam, first, sand, rocks etc. , then yuse a pray bottle with diluted elmers and spray over the top. Never needed to vacuum, everything looks good.
