Basing scenery

[Chrismck]

So I'm looking at basing some woods with a pile of trees that I have sitting and was wondering what all you fine folks use to base your scenery? I have seen folk use cardboard, plastic card and even CDs. It needs to be light but sturdy and easy to texture. Thanks folks

[pikeman]

I never use cardboard, paper, or anything that deteriorates or swells from moisture. Plastic is good. I’ve used basswood after priming it to avoid warping. I’ve had some good results gluing foam onto basswood, and then craving it up to avoid the billiard table smoothness.
Pete

[tomrommel1]

I use PVC foam boards for basing my stuff . You can get offcuts from sign makers etc. Or you can buy it online. I use 2mm thick boards. They ae easy to cut and bevel with a sharp knife.

[zemjw]

I have used a laminate of thin plasticard and cardboard joined with double sided sticky tape. This keeps things thin, while the plasticard mostly eliminates the warping.

However, I'm moving to PVC foam boards now, especially for larger pieces.

[BZ]

+1 to PVC Foamboards: cheap, strong, easy to cut an no warping. But PVA glue doesnt stick to it too well, if the contac surface is small, avoid it (and roughening with sand papaer before glueing).
And its not only for bases, you can cut yourself MDF-like scenery (with avoiding too thin parts)...

[Scrubber]

Cheap place mats. Remove to cork, file down the edges and off you go.

[marianas_gamer]

Cork coasters that are backed in plastic or mdf (depending on manufacturer). You can cut into the cork exposing the backing and glue your trees securely.

[FreakyFenton]

A few people use these plastic breakfast mats at Ikea or Flying Tiger here. They're cheap. Usually available in large quantities and you can cut them relatively easily with scissors or a sharp craft knife or exacto blade. They also don't warp. Alternatively foamboard or insulation board.

[Braz]

3mm hardboard (sometimes sealed with a coat of mod-podge) or foamed PVC boards

[Doug ex-em4]

Is the PVC foam board referred to in several posts above the stuff made from foam sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard?

Doug

[Braz]

Is the PVC foam board referred to in several posts above the stuff made from foam sandwiched between two pieces of cardboard?

Doug

No, that would be foamboard;
Foamed PVC or Expanded foamed PVC is a light rigid plastic throughout. Brand names that I am familiar with are Sintra or Komatex. Easy to cut, shape, sand ( with precautions) and superglue. Usually can get at plastic supply stores or sign makers or online.

[SotF]

I've mainly been using laser cut plywood shapes from the various craft stores for anything of a larger size. For smaller scatter pieces, I've also been using the bases from the WizKids Deep Cuts and Nolzur's line, mainly because I have them available and don't use them for anything...I like a thicker base option for minis, and they come packed in with the minis so they're a resource for things.

[Chrismck]

Thanks for the replies guys! I will look into the pvc foam board stuff. Doing a bit of research has anyone had any success with 2mm mdf. Seen some of this on eBay being marketed for scenery.