I’m doing my layout in my basement, unfortuneatley the basement is not finished, I would also like to put a backdrop with out spending a lot of $$ on stuff to put on the wall (wood etc). Is there a special type of paint to use?
I purchased 4x8 sheets of masonite hardboard for about $7 each. Cut them into 30" strips and glued them to the concrete with liquid nails. I used left over linoleum strips glued with the underside out to create concave curves for the corners. Tape and mud and paint and I have a decent looking base for the back drop. I plan to use the left over strips of masonite to make the facia boards for the front of the layout.
I guess it depends on what you want to use for a backdrop. If you want to use a photograph that you had blown up, a commecial photo backdrop, or even a huge one from www.backdropwarehouse.com (some very cool backdrops that I have seen on Bruce Elliott’s old layout), all that matters is the surface is smooth so you could use finished drywall to keep your expenses down. If you want to paint your own backdrop, again you could use finished drywall or masonite mentioned above. But to answer to initial question, I have seen some fantastic backdrops done with flat latex paint. I would suggest a test area first to ensure you get the result you are lookikng for. I hope this helps.