What is the best material anyone has used for backdrop creation. I’m in the process of re-doing our layout and I’m rethinking about using masonite (or is that hardboard, the brownstuff) again. Not exactly very flexible especially in very tight corners. Didnt seem to take paint very well either. Very fiberous. Formica counter top material is very expensive and hard to cut. Any thoughts out there?
(ps purchase location?)
New to this forum. Please excuse
For weight and ease of use, 1/4-inch foam board is nice. I just got a couple of pieces at a craft supply place for a couple of dollars. However, it doesn’t bend well either. You might try some heavyweight poster paper, a little thicker than cardstock, just to go around the corners… (A long time ago we used to call it “oaktag,” but I don’t know if that was a real name or something the kids made up.)
If you need something more solid, go to Home Depot and buy a sheet of bathtub enclosure liner. A 4x8 foot sheet will cost under $10. Your choice of decorator colors. (No, Martha Stuart’s choice of decorator colors, actually.) I use the white stuff for making control panels.
Material for backdrops has been the subject of several recent threads in this forum. I’m sure you’ll be getting feedback on your question. What thickness Masonite (hardboard) are you trying to use. The usual thickness for use in backdrops requiring bends is 1/8". I think I remember reading in this forum that you can get it down to approximately a 12" radius without a problem if it’s properly suppported. With regard to it not taking paint very well. I’d not heard this, but perhaps it will need a prime coat before you add the painted scene.
Other materials people have reported using, in addition to the bathtub enclosure liner mentioned by MisterBeasley, are rolled aluminum flashing (18" wide?) and long strips of vinyl plastic sheet. You might want to check Dave Frary’s book entitled, “How to Build Realistic Model Railroad Scenery”, 3rd. Edition, pp. 98-111 for additonal materials, ideas and methods for doing backdrops and background scenery.
I’m going to be starting a new layout soon and have similar questions about what is best to use for backdrop material.
Bob
I’m going to use 20" vinyl flashing for my backdrop. I ordered a 30’ roll of it last week so it should be coming in soon. Its made out of a material like PVC so it should be easy to work with and paint. I choose this because it was a lot less expensive than styrene, masonite or anything else I could find. I ordered it from DIY home center (free shipping and no tax, unlike Home Depot) In a few days I’ll tell you how it goes.
To CSXFan:
I’ll be very interested in how this works for you, especially with regard to it’s ability to take and hold water-based paints and its structural stability, i.e., how it must be supported, etc… Can you give us a website for the supplier. What was the cost of the 30’ x 20" roll? Is it available in widths wider than 20"? I was planning to use 1/8" Masonite cut to 24" width for my backdrop. This would result in seams at least every 8’. 30’ without a seam would be a very attractive feature. Let us know your experience with this material.
Bob
I have used 1/8th inch Tempered Masonite Hardboard. The Tempered stuff has one smooth side and one rough side. The smooth side is the one I use and it takes paint very easily. I did use a white prime coat and then the sky blue scenic coat and it does bend very easily as well. Build a frame work from 1by2’s and screw the hardboard to it with #4 countersunk woodscrews. On 2 adjoining peices leave a 3/16 gap between the 2 pieces and fill with drywall mud and fill the countersunk screws with mud also then sand smooth. This really is a simple way to have a backdrop. Tim
Have you ever had a problem with the joints between adjacent pieces of your Masonite cracking over time when you don’t use tape on the joints?
Bob
I used styrene (.060 I think) around my 19’x20’ train room and got very good results. Easy to go around corners, takes paint exceptionally well. Got it in fairly cheap large sheets (8’x10’)I could roll up and put in the car from the plastics dealer here in town. (Yellow Pages). Can also get on internet (Google) but is higher in price. Good luck. Hal
To Hal:
How much was the 8’ x 10’ sheet? Was the your local plastics dealer an independent store or part of a chain. I’m in the Martinsburg, WV area and have not found a plastics dealer in our area. Perhaps there’s one closer to Baltimore or Washington, DC.
Bob
The 30’ by 20" roll (white) is $29.86. There are many different widths to choose from and they all come in 30’ or 50’ tan or white rolls. The widths vary from 10" to 24” Here is a link to the website I ordered it from. http://www.diyhomecenter.com/products/building_supplies/flashing/duraflash/duraflash.aspx
One of the main reasons I choose roll stock vinyl flashing was because I wouldn’t have to worry about hiding seams. I will let you know how it goes, though it may be a while.
Bob- I don’t think it was a chain, but its name is American Plastics Distributors, Inc … a full service Retail/wholesale distributor for sheets, rods, tubes and accessories. However, there are about five other independants listed in our yellow pages phone book (Columbus OH). The price was $20/sheet (4’x8’, .06"thick). (I used 9 sheets w/some left over for scratch building). “usplastic.com” on the internet had 40"x72" sheets at $14.64/sheet, but the shipping for 11 sheets was $75. These prices are probably 2 years old. They made it clear to me to use Tyebond Interior/ Exterior Construction Adhesive Solvent free and gave me a reference in town to buy the tubes. Some bonding stuff can attack the styrene. The Tyebond had no smell or or harmful vapors. I almost used the back side of linoleum which I think has a great advantage because you can get rolls big enough to not have any or minimal no. of seams. They can cut a 12’ wide roll in half and you get two 6’ strips for whatever length needed. My problem was, not enough available help at the time to help me get it on the wall. Outlet flooring places (rugs & tile & linoleum) are great sources for this, and often they have odd and ends rolls very, very cheap. American Plastics might have a site on the internet which would lead to your nearest distributor. I didn’t check that. Hope this helps. Hal
I use dry-erase board turned around backwards so the unfinished side is showing. I paint this a sky blue shade (usually nimble blue) and mount my printed backdrop scenes straight onto it with a thin layer of white glue, and I do mean thin. This way the paper doesn’t wrinkle. The board can also be bent, if you’re careful. I bent mine to match an 18" radius curve in the corner of my layout, so don’t tell me it can’t be done. I intend to do the same thing on the other side of the layout. The dry-erase board can be purchased from Lowe’s Home Center, Home Depot and many other places.
To RFinch yes over time there will be a very slight separation of the masonite and the drywall mud but a second or third coat of paint usually will cover it. Tim
To all those who replied to my questions, thank you for the information. I’ll be looking into the various options.
Bob
One more cheap option.
Home Depot has a standard El Cheapo wall panel (ugly whitish wood color) that costs about $5.00 a panel. Because it’s cheap, it’s thin and flexible and curves around corners beautifully. You mount it back side forward, of course.
If you’d like to see how it looks, I just put up a new web page showing my progress on my new N scale layout.
http://www.ironpeng.com/nscalelayout/nscalemain.html
Oh, did I mention it was cheap?
Mike Tennent
I’m building my backdrop as we speak, based largely on the article on p. 44 of the 03/2006 MR: .060 styrene strips stapled to the wood frame, then .080 styrene sheet secured to the strips with Weld-On #16 solvent cement (2-3 minute working time; plan carefully!). I’ve done the back (2’x6’) and side (2’x3’) and this weekend will fashion the coved corner to connect the two. This is my first time, so I’ve not used any other material, and I’ve not painted this yet. I bought the .080 locally, 4x8 sheet, for about $40 and the .060 through usplastics.com on the ‘Net. USP has great customer service and decent prices. I used modelers’ tutorials on backdropwarehouse.com as a guide to make my 1x3 frame and support pieces for the coved corner. I’m not particularly handy but I’m very pleased with the results. The cement is very strong, and I’m confident the backdrop will stay up and flat. I’d post a picture but I don’t know how and I couldn’t find how in the FAQ! Rick Krall
I use half-inch extruded foam (the pink stuff). Great for dividers and straight lengths and you can glue it right to the wall or the back of a vertically thick module. But it can’t handle curves lke vinyl, etc.