Has anyone used acrylic floor wax for water features? I’ve read several blogs on this & found that it is supost to be the same stuff sold for water at a much greater price. I plan on testing this but would like to know if anyone has used it & have some tips.
If it’s anything like the woodlands scenics stuff I would stay away. I have been messing with several different techniques and by far the WS pourable water is the most disliked. It takes a long time to set, attracts dust very easily, and the final finish to me is less than desirable. Right now I much prefer envirotex (2 part epoxy) over the WS.
I’ve heard guys use everything from varnish to liquid silicone, clear enamel and other assorted methods none of them very appealing to me. Some times you just have to bite the bullet and go with a tried and true product like Envirotex Lite. It’s not the cheapest stuff around but how much water are you planning on adding and ocean or a creek or a river? By the time you get done adding the river bottom and the gravel etc. you really don’t use a heck of a lot of water. A friend couldn’t figure out why all the boats another friend had built for his railroad had flat bottoms. His harbor scene which was fairly large only had a depth of maybe 2" of water.
Based on everyones’ comments regarding water in last week’s post, I went with Envirotex for water and Liquidtex gel medium for ripples/waves. I have yet to use these products however listening to replys here and looking at pics of layouts using these products, I do have to say I am impressed.
If you decide to go with Envirotex, it is expensive, though comparable in price with urethanes from Home Depot…etc, and I believe Envirotex won’t yellow… If you purchase it at “Michaels” craft store, you can usually find a 50% coupon online (as someone mentioned in my earlier post). I used a coupon and boy did it sure bring the cost down!
Good Luck,
Also from what I’ve heard with Envirotex, you need to be sure to do the pour on a nice day when you can have all the windows open, as it is supposed to have a pretty strong odor. [xx(]
I find you can do nice water effects just doing layers of gloss medium, and since it’s a water based acrylic the aroma factor isn’t a problem.
If you use envirotex buy it at Michaels or AC Moore. They sell envirotex-Lite which does the same job but absolutely no odor at all.
Matt
Although I agree with WJstix that acrylic gloss medium looks just as good, and is cheaper to boot.