I’m building a train set for my son’s Christmas present, and am ready to paint the plywood table top. I don’t plan on landscaping with grass, tress, etc just yet, so I’d like to paint. What would be the best color?
Corral Dust Brown. That’s what I used and I am not sorry I did. If you don’t find that color try TAN as almost everyone uses that color. When you scenic the layout paint the top any color of green you want. When you scratch the surface the brown will show through instead of the plywood. I’m hoping your son will be happy with his present and will become a model railroader forever like the rest of us. Merry Christmas! Remember to let him have fun and grow into the hobby.
Heres a fun idea:
Let him play with the trains for a while and then maybe you and him can start landscaping it together. Always great to see young modelers
Earth tone color.
I prefer tan or brown for earth color…Now in my yard and engine service area I use black…Why? Look closely at some of the older yards and you can still see cinders.The engine service area there would be spilled diesel fuel,oil,grease,sand and so on.My industrial switching layout I painted tan…The reason being look at most older industrial parks…There is very little grass but lots of weeds and concrete or gravel parking lots,truck parking areas and debris like stacks of old pallets,trash Dumpsters and so forth.
Now,I fully agree run your trains first and scenic later.[;)][:D]
The tan will work the best. If you want to improve the look just a little for next to no $$$, get a small amount of green ground foam and sprinkle it onto the wet paint. The paint will hold it in place and you will have the great effect of some grass on the ground. Just be sure to sprinkle it on quickly while the paint is wet. Pain on plywood dries fast, and if the paint is partially dry the foam will not stick.
Ron
Hi,
I would suggest that you glue a sheet of Homosote on top of the plywood. I found it at a local Home Depot…it comes in 4’ by 8’ sheets, is made of recycled newspaper and sand all glued together. The main reason for using the Homosote is that it makes it easy to tack down the track because it accepts track nails a lot easier than plywood. In fact, I wouldn’t want to try to nail down track directly to plywood. Another benefit is that it reduces the noise to an appropriate level when the trains are running around the track. For an extra $15.00, it’s well worth the investment. To glue it down you can use Elmer’s glue spread on the plywood. Just be sure to place some weight on top while the glue is drying so the Homosote lies flat or better yet, screw it down all over with short 3/4" screws which can easily be removed later, when the glue has dried. Just fill in the holes with some joint compound later.
Once the Homosote is secured, paint it with whatever color you choose to seal it.
I know this step I’ve suggested may sound like a lot of work but trust me…my dad spent a lot of time trying to nail down track to my first layout back in 1953 and I can tell you that the layout I’ve built with Homosote on top was a lot easier for attaching the track AND the sound of the trains running on Homosote is much better.
Hope this helps.
Mondo
Mondo is right on target. I also laid down a veneer of 1/2" Homosote over the 1/2" plywood surface and applied pressure for a good bond [Elmers glue] with hand vices clamped down on 1" X 6" X 8’ boards. Two of the 1" X 6" s I positioned on the outside edge of the 8’ length of the 4’ X 8’ panel, and one down the center of the plywood panel. You will want to run three 2" X 4" X 4’ boards across the 1" X 6" X 8’ stringers at each end and across the center of the plywood panel. Then tighten down the hand vises [six in all], one “jaw” placed on the top of the 2" X 4" s and the other “jaw” under the plywood panel. If you don’t have six clamps or hand vises, do one panel [cut to 4’ X4’] at a time using four clamps. The resulting seam is easily hidden by lanscaping matrerial later on. You may prefer Mondo’s excellent and practical suggestion and use 3/4" wood screws “all over,” then apply “joint compund.” I, no doubt, did “over-kill” when I covered the Homosote with a “pricey” concrete sealer [throw away brush]. Probably the “ground cover” paint would do just as well. Txrktman, just for laughs, try spiking a section of track directly to the plywood, YIKES! Another alternative is to glue strips of cork (roadbed) directly to the panel. Then “spike” the track to the cork. You needn’t buy the expensive cork “roadbed” at a hobby shop. A good harware store carries rolls of cork in various thicknesses. Ace Hardware sold cork before, maybe they still do? This takes some planning, so you will want to scribe your track plan on the plywood first. The biggest problem? How do you keep all of this a secret fom your son?
Thanks to everyone for the excellent suggestions! I’ll be considering the homosote idea before painting, and will probably now paint with a tan color. I’ve found a great tan, sand textured flat paint (with dark speckles!) that sounds very promising. If I don’t use homosote, I’ll be using cork.
My 4 year old son isn’t quite sure what I’m doing - he thinks I’m building a table, or shelves, he doesn’t really care (so he thinks!) Once I start laying track, it will be much more of a challenge to hide my real objective. I’m planning on suspending the tabletop from the ceiling of the garage during the day, and lowering it at night after he is in bed, and when I can work on it . We’ll see if I can get it done before Christmas eve! He’ll get to add buildingsa and do the fun landscaping in the months/years come.
Again, thanks to all for your great sugggestions, and have happy holidays.