Hi all. I am wanting to do the facia on my layout and want it to match the contours of the ground. But I don’t know what the best material to use is. What do you use for yor fascia?
Masonite or Hardboard
[Y]
Mike.
Ken Patterson uses 1/8" plywood, oak stained with 3 coats of polyurethane. It looks really nice but if you’ve priced plywood lately, you’ll be using 1/8" tempered hardboard too.
I had originally covered panels of 3/16 lauan plywood with dark green vinyl wall paper.
Later I decided to cover this with a dark green indoor-outdoor ribbed carpet using latex carpet cement.
IMG_7721_fix by Edmund, on Flickr
It holds up extremely well, does not scuff, reduces noise and is easy to keep clean.
The carpet is not at all expensive and is easy to work with. I bought mine at Home Depot and they cut it into 16" strips for me which made installation easy.
Good Luck, Ed
Another [Y]
This is my 1/8" hardboard, easily curved and contoured. Primed and painted w/ 2 coats of semi-gloss.
I visited a layout where the owner had done this same thing - the inexpensive indoor/outdoor carpet covering the fascia – and I have to say it looked extremely handsome and really gave a professional museum like look to the entire layout (as does the skirting below a fascia).
In terms of Masonite/hardboard, I have seen excellent examples of nicely painted Masonite/hardboard, but I have also seen layouts which leave it unpainted and assuming neat workmanship and relatively consistent coloring to the hardboard, it too looked neat and clean and professional. I do note that the Masonite type stuff with a high gloss finish to the smooth side seems prone to having paint scrape off of it. Years ago I bought a sheet of a Masonite/hardboard like product which had a different color, a bit more yellowish to the brown, and the surface was flat but matte to the feel, not hard and shiny. I have been unable to find an exact match ever since. So I am glad I didn’t start in using that stuff and expect to find more.
I have even seen layouts where the fascia uses pegboard and again assuming neat workmanship, it can look nice.
Dave Nelson
Another vote for masonite.
You CAN bend it around cuves. The trick is to wet (not soak) the back. Additionally, you can pin it to the pack part before screwing it in.
After experimentation with the product, I am going to use 5/8" PVC boards as my fascia. I can recess mount the power packs and the control panels.
-Kevin
Wow Kevin. You still have a functioning Troller power pack!!!.
Have used 1/8 hardboard for my facia on both levels of the layout. Found it to be flexible enough to bend around corners when wet and sturdy enough to use screws to attach panels and switches.
Scott Sonntag
I think I have more than a dozen Troller Transpak 2.5 units ready to go.
-Kevin
I concur
Masonite, …As there is no substitute.
We get it fresh up here as it’s manufactured in Bemidji Minnesota. I do hear it called Bemidji board quite frequently up here.
TF
I’m starting a new layout. I used beadboard plywood on the last layout. I like Kevin’s idea, we use lots of that material in the construction work I do.
But not using Masonite, I have never liked working with it.
I was considering some curved edges, but not sure at this point. The PVC will do that as as well as Masonite does.
Sheldon
Hardboard can be curved quite tightly if you kerf the backside. Sharper the bend you need the more kerfs you cut, closer together and then slightly deeper. The glue you use will harden up the curve. After all, hardboard is just a type of resin impregnated fibreboard.
There is a blast from the past! I used to have dual throttle Troller back in the 80’s. I don’t know what happened it in all the many moves I’ve made. But not wanting to be stuck controlling a train from a stationary power pack, I got a Star Tec Hogger with a tethered throttle. It’s the only decent DC power pack I have anymore.
Thanks everyone. I think I’ll go with the hardboard.
At Lowes I’m seeing the 5/8 pvc in 4x8 is $80? 1 Adam 12
When using 1/8 inch hardboard how small can you get a radius before cutting kerfs or wetting it? When you do need to wet it are you talking about soaking it or a spritz?
Rick
1/8" hardboard can be easily curved, without need of kerfing, down to at least an 8" radius, as on this corner of my layout…
This one is somewhat broader…
…but was used because the aisleway here is fairly tight, and the smooth curves eliminate any chance of snagged clothing…
…another narrow aisle, but, as the sole operator, plenty wide enough for me…
I also used 1/8" hardboard to cove all 10 corners of my oddly-shaped layout room, both inside corners…
…and outside corners, too…
The gaps are there to allow installation of a partial second level of the layout, now in place.
Here’s a sketch of the arrangement of materials for the coved corners…
I only have two inside corners on my layout plan, and a 6" piece of PVC notched out at 45 degrees will do fine for me. I have never been happy with my curved fascias. This is not something I am good at.
I use nominal 1 by 4 and 1 by 6 PVC boards for my fascia. The sketch shows a cross section of my planned construction method.
-Kevin