I’m building a childrens HO Thomas the Tank layout to sell for Christmas. 4x6 1" foam over a frame and ply. I have two full bags of Life Like Grass, Dyed something lieing around. Should I use it or will it just flake off forever making a big mess. If I use it, do I paint the foam, then sprinkle the grass, and other covering ? Thanks, Dave
Wow, I didn’t know you could still get that stuff. It’s dyed sawdust if they still make it like they did back in the 60’s. You have to glue it down or it will be a real problem. Sprinkling it over wet green paint will work, too. It will add texture to the lawn areas.
Paint the foam a basw color first. The grass will work but the newer foam based grasss is better looking. All of it can be held down by sparying hair spray or diluted white glue on top/
You probably can’t. My Mother-in-law buoght it in a box lot at an auction. I guess I could sell it on Ebay as Vintage 
What would work better diluted glue or hairspray. When you say newer foam stuff, you don’t mean the new stuff on a Matt from Woodland Scenics. It’s fairly expensive. Thanks again, Dave
Glue or matt medium would be stronger.
Go to http://www.woodlandscenics.com/index.htm, point the mouse at “landscaping” at the left, then at ground cover. Click on any of the options. (Blended turf perhaps?).
They have many choices.
Good luck,
I use the WS stuff in a bottle. There are other companies, but that is what my LHS stocks.
For the old sawdust stuff, mix it with drywall seam cement and use it for ground goop.
The Life-Like grass I used to buy in the 80’s was a plastic type of stuff and looked fairly descent as long as I used it in the background and used the more expensive WS stuff up front.
Wasn’t there a write-up in MR not too long ago about somebody who uses sawdust for texturing? I really like the WS products but if you’re on a tight budget…
Fellers,
Sawdust really does work well, as does fine sifted beach sand, when mixed with laytex or acrylic paint and used as “texture paint” or a ground cover.
Respects,