On page 6 of the March 2005 issue of MR, Editor Terry Thompson advocates painting roadbed speckled faux stone. The technique seems to dramatically improve the appearance of the right-of-way until one gets around to ballasting. I have seen speckled faux stone paint only in spray containers. I would appreciate any insight that could be offered on any of the following questions:
Is speckled faux stone available only in a spray?
Do all spray paints harm WS Roadbed and extruded foam, or is it just some spray paints that do this?
Is there a way that I can tell this by just reading the information on the spray cans?
In conducting a test, how much time should I allow to pass before considering the test to be a success (e.g., minutes, hours, days)?
Does anyone have any recommendations concerning a particular make and model of speckled faux stone paint?
No experience with this stuff to answer 1, 2 or 5.
There may be a statement in the fine print on the can about not spraying styrofoam with it, but don’t take the absence of such an entry to say it’s OK.
The normal drying time (should be on the can) is what I’d use for a reference.
I’ve never used faux stone (Fleck Stone is what I think you’re talking about) on any kind of foam. The only time I tried any type of spray covering on foam, it was a disaster. The foam just bubbled away.
I am still laying track, but have sprayed about 30 feet of double line track (rails, ties, WS foam roadbed and pink poly base with brown rustoleum flat primer with no damage to the roadbed or base. I oversprayed here and there with flat black and gray. Also no damage but this may have been because the primer protected it.
This was about four weeks ago. Once the paint dries it appears that the volitile chemicals are gone and have no further effect.
Why not try your brand of paint on scrap pieces and see what the results are?
For any lurking newbies: The paint is to simulate rust on the rail sides and as the first coat of tie weathering. Ballast goes down after the paint is thoroughly dry and the track has settled and been tweaked.
Disclaimers
Note however that I always prepaint my pink foam with a coat or two of latex paint to seal and hide any pink spots. This may give some protection.
Also note that I have seen white ball expanded poly foam melt into a pile from metallic spray paints. Layout foam should be extruded polystrene (as you are using) only. It is somewhat more resistant to solvents.
Very recently, Krylon introduced Latex H20 Spray Paint.
I have not used it yet, nor have I seen it in stores in this area, but the product information states that you can “paint wood, metal, wicker, STYROFOAM brand foam and more”…
I’m really looking forward to trying this stuff. Soap and water clean up too.[:)]
Only comes in solid colors, though - no stone finishes… plus it looks like most of the colors are high gloss - except for white primer - sure hope they come out with some flat finishes!
I used a cheap flat brown camo paint from walmart to paint the track and WS roadbed on my N-trak module. didnt have a problem with it eating the pink foam and/or WS roadbed. I believe it was Krylon paint. Like other said above, try a scrap piece of foam before spraying it on your finished layout. I did not put any sort of primer down.
Note: If the paint will attack the foam, it will do so immediately. As stated above, sealing the foam will prevent this, hoever event the smallest scratch or ding in the primer will allow the chemicals to interact and melt. It is also very dangerous to breathe.
Maybe I should try some of this pink foam. When I tried painting styrofoam, it dissolved into a lump of goo. Since then, I’ve found that if I paint on a coat of shellac, I can spray paint it.
I did not read the article, But I did come up with this theory last fall, in september of 2005.
I bought some of the speckle paint at walmart, $6.70/can Gothic Grey is a good color to use.
I tested it on some WS foam roadbed on a 9" section
the section is still around and looks as good today as it did the day i sprayed it.
After my test, I proceeded to ballast my son’s 4x8 this way. I used 5 cans of paint total, the last can was of a different color.
so the first conclusion is that its expensive…But here’s why…
I used more than what is needed to just cover the roadbed.
This paint is not like normal paint. It has body to it…the more you spray in one area, the thicker it gets. it does not run like watery paint. I sprayed it on real thick and then before the paint was dry I would place the track into it. the paint did 2 things for me at once. 1. it ballasted the roadbed 2. it held the track like glue
the paint was so thick that it
gothic grey is the color i used. I also used a beige color, i then put some black ballast on it, heavy here, light there, made it different here and there.
I have more pics, I just need to make some space on my website.
if you want more, let me know and i can email them too.
Okay, I took a trip to Wal-Mart. I see that the brand of the Gotham Gray speckled paint is Fleckstone. I bought a can of it to try for myself. Given it’s cost, I also bought a much cheaper can of primer made by CraftCote. I figured that an initial coat of this will save on the Fleckstone.
Other Fleckstone colors to consider are Manhattan Mist and Soapstone. But, I agree with you, Kevin; Gotham Gray is the best color. Thanks much!
