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Ideas for Making Roads
O scaler Daniel asks blog readers:
” I need some suggestions as to the best material to use for roads please. Thanks.”
SUBMIT YOUR QUESTION
There are many ways to make roads. I tend to use a lightweight Spackling compound, generally available at most home improvement stores. Woodland Scenics has a product called Smooth-It that works pretty well also. I like the Spackling compound because it needs no mixing and, once dried, takes paint well.
I use starter shingle roll, available at home supply stores or roofing supplier. Back side is good for asphalt road look, face for a tarred stone road look.
On my HO layout i used MDF board 3 mm thick and cut to shape from a sheet and then paint it with Woodland Scenic’s asphalt coloured paint and then weather it by adding pot holes painted with a darker paint to make it look like its been filled then add strips of white paper cut to shape for the road markings and glue this in place with PVA glue it takes awhile but does look great. I get off cuts from a local builder who sometimes has complete sheets that have been used as cover sheets for shipping other size boards for free.
I use thin sheets of Styrofoam cut to shape. covered with thin coat of plaster. colored with WoodlandScenics Asphalt or concrete. For curbs, I use a second sheet of Styrofoam
Sheets of 2 or 3mm hard card or “board” cut to shape, glue a spine of the same material about 1/3 of the width of the road. Glue the road down and weigh the edges or use staples. This gives the road the necessary camber. Use Polyfilla or similar DIY filler to blend the road edge to the rest of the scenery and at junction. In urban areas built kerbing from the card, and rural areas use scatter and static grasses etc. Paint as appropriate, urban weathered asphalt and fine gravel in the country.
I use roofing paper for asphalt roads. The trick is getting a small quantity since it comes in big rolls. We use it at the club. It can be glued onto styrene or wood and looks like a freshly paved road. It weathers easily and is moisture proof. If you know someone getting a roof done ask the roofers for scraps. It also makes great parking lots.
Woodland Scenic makes foam sheets as well as the foam roadbed. Cut to shape,paint, stripe with pin stripong from a car lot use ballast for the sides to cover the height of the flexible foam