Before I begin basic scenery, I ttink I should cover the seams of the 1" pink foam I used as the top of my layout. What is generaly used for this purpose? If I use something that cures too hard, I will take the foam down when I sand it smooth. Being a straight line, it will surely look unnatural.
I’ve heard of several methods to hide the seems and a little depends on what the rest of the scenery in the area will be.
A strip of plaster cloth can be used to cover the seam and other ground cover, dirt or ground foam will cover that.
Sculptamold can be used and leaving it a little thicker here and there will give your ground some gentle rise and fall.
If you need a very smooth joint for a yard or similar area, joint compound can be used.
I’ll be running into that question once I get to building the currently “in planning” layout. I do plan to leave the sections so that they can easily be seperated if a move is necessary, so not planning (at the moment) deep scenery at the joints. If I end up having a mountain or such, it will be hollow, made with foam, easily cut along a similar line to the surface joints. All should be fairly easy to repair with plaster cloth or Sculptamold if putting the layout back together.
Good luck,
Richard
I have never had any luck hiding the seams before adding scenery. I calk the seams with tan latex caulk after all the shaping has been done. They still show, but at least they don’t fill up with ballast and other materials. I work scenery from fine to coarse. When I get to the coarse material, the seams start to go away. Bushes work best. Roads also work good.
You will be shaping the foam to some sort of base for scenery, when that time comes, plastercloth or fiberglass mesh tape will do the job. Even if you are using Sculptamold, plaster, groundgoop or a plastercloth, any form of mesh over the seams will do. Some have used cheesecloth if not doing plastercloth. For a temparary fix, mash tape and Durabond will do.
I just use dap or caulk so the ground cover doesn’t fall through. I don’t sand either down as it gets covered with dirt or whatever eventually and if there is a slight bump, it just looks like part of the terrain.
I cover all foam with plaster cloth, what seams!!!
dry wall puddy, paper mache, plaster cloth etc etc
Woodland Scenics makes a product called Foam Putty. It is perfect for seams, divots or what have you. It’s perfect for foam board
Joe C
The problem w/ just caulking, spackling or puttying a long continuous seam is the eventual possibility of separation or cracking. The joint should have some sort of reinforcment bridging the seam.
This may not be an issue if the foam is carved and heavier scenery materials placed (clump folliage, bushes trees, castings or many buildind footprints), however if it is to be a large “flat” area of finished scenery that only has fine grasses, gravel or sand, any future movement of the underlying benchwork can crack the seam. Any sort of mesh, generally plastercloth over seams is good insurance.
Adhesive caulking and scenery.