covering a board trench warfare

[manchesterreg]

Hi, I'm in the process of making a board based on the current conflict in the Ukraine, trench warfare based. Now i have a 4 by 2 board to cover in paint, I have seen paint and PVA and sand to make a sludge. would that be okay and then when dry, pva and scatter grass. Basically even after watching some videos i am confused as to how cover it. 

[Burgundavia]

Paint + PVA + Gravel (I'd add in grout too), dries rock hard. It should make a near-impenetrable base layer to add static grass on.

[Charlie_]

Yes. I suggest you use a dark colour for the base layer of 'goop', and then when dry do several stages of lighter colours drybrushed on. Then add grass/flock.

Even if it seems like you're covering up all the nicely drybrushed colours when you add the PVA and grass, bits will always show through, and will be better if painted in several layers rather than just one tone.

Another alternative to get the texture is to use filler, and roughly stipple it on with an old brush in several layers. Then paint. That's what I've been doing lately.

[manchesterreg]

Thanks, just seen a Terrain Tutor vid, would spackle work on XPS foam board?

[anevilgiraffe]

yep... it's premixed filler

I wouldn't rely on that as a sealant though

[Charlie_]

Thanks, just seen a Terrain Tutor vid, would spackle work on XPS foam board?

Yes, that's probably the same video that I got the idea from!

I've been doing some terrain boards over the past few weeks, and have used the filler / spackle on both MDF and foam surfaces.

One strange thing that I found was it took a LONG time to dry on the foam... until I brought it in from the cold garage and put it next to a radiator. Then it dried fine. But for some reason it refused to dry on the XPS foam in the cold, whereas it dried absolutely fine and pretty quickly on the MDF in the same cold garage.

[snitcythedog]

One strange thing that I found was it took a LONG time to dry on the foam... until I brought it in from the cold garage and put it next to a radiator. Then it dried fine. But for some reason it refused to dry on the XPS foam in the cold, whereas it dried absolutely fine and pretty quickly on the MDF in the same cold garage.

MDF is porous where foam is not.  Over foam the liquid in the filler can only exit through the exterior surface.  Without heat, it would have eventually dried.  The heat only encouraged it to set up quicker.