# Skirting Your Layout



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I'm seriously thinking of skirting my layout this winter.
Any of you with experience or ideas? Would love to see some photos of skirted layouts.
Mine is roughly 10' X 10', about 40' around the whole shebang.
Thanks,
Bob


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

mine is about 15x15, with a third against the walls ...maybe 40 to 45 feet exposed...I bought some kind of black light plastic curtain material .. just over 3 feet high and around 8 feet long, and stapled it up underneath the fascia / baseboard edge ..it' hides most of the clutter, but doesn't hang really well, needs some kind of added weight at the bottom edge


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Maybe you could staple a 'hem' that holds a
light weight chain for weight.

Don


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## wvgca (Jan 21, 2013)

I found what I was using [ didn't finish yet], they are called display table skirts 29" by 7 ft, 2 per pack .. I lose an inch from stapling, and mine are about an inch off the floor ..light chain or beads might work, I think each pack [14 ft] was $2 at the dollar store


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

I went to Joann's fabric and got 20 yards of forest green curtain material. It's a polyester twill. 

My wife sewed velcro strips on one end and a double folded hem at the other. It was easy to hang, easy to remove, and covered well. It hung about 1" off of the floor.

Unfortunately, I don't have pix, and it's currently rolled up in a box while I rebuild. I'll have to get a longer piece one of these days, because they planned new layout is significantly larger.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

In my research I've seen some guys use landscaping cloth held in place by wooden clothes pins glued to the inside of the fascia boards.
Apparently the landscaping cloth is fairly reasonable and available from HD or Lowe's. Also, it's a little heavier and hangs better than lightweight plastic.
Anybody out there have experience with this system?
Bob


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## mjrfd99 (Jan 5, 2016)

Had a bunch of old blue cloth material. Just stapled it around the edge as a curtain and it worked well and looked good.


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

For our modular club, we use Velcro on the modules and the curtains, we just slap it up after the layout is setup. It's a good way to go, you can remove the curtain easily if you need to work on it.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

I've just ordered two 21' sections of pleated black linen skirting from Amazon. This will go completely around the layout with a couple feet to spare. :thumbsup:
It has a Velcro strip sewn in across the top so all I'll need to do is attach the mating Velcro to my fascia board and be good to go.
As grjohn stated, it makes it easy to remove when I need to get under the layout. I'm confident the layout will look a ton better with all the boxes of stuff, vac , etc., etc. underneath hidden from view.
Now I've got another cool project to look forward to.  
Bob


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## Lee Willis (Jan 1, 2014)

You might consider carpet runner, the grey 36" wide industrail carpeting you can buy by the foot at Lowes and Home Depot, etc. 

I have an O-gauge layout and a noisy trainroom, and originally I used the carpet runner because I thought (correctly) it might absorb more sound, etc, But it proved to be good for other reasons to. It was easy to installed (just buy enough feet, trim to height, and staple gun it in place. It hangs straight after a few days and has some weight to it so it looks good, yet you can pull it aside like a heavy curtain to get under the layout. 

Eventually I replaced it all with shelves that run completely around the layout - I needed the storage space. But for ten years it was a great skirt.


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## Shdwdrgn (Dec 23, 2014)

While not specifically railroad related, I have gotten rolls of burlap and sewn velcro along the top to make a backdrop on larger fish tanks. I like how it looks, and it's not affected by water splashing from the tank.


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Many thanks for all your input & comments, guys!
As always, the MTF jumps right up to help the crew.
After careful consideration, I've opted for a black, pleated linen skirt attached to the fascia via Velcro for good looks and easy on and off.
This project has been "in the works" for about 3 years so it should be fun to tackle.
Bob


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## BFI66 (Feb 7, 2013)

Late to the party but here was my solution.

-Pete


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## RonthePirate (Sep 9, 2015)

FleaBay has had some Lionel printed cloth in long runs. Really nice looking, but you might be able to but a Big Boy with what they want for it.

Edit: Pete, I honestly had to look twice. That just caught my eye just right and it looked like an upscale wine display!
It's absolutely great.


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## CHOO-CHOO MIKE (Nov 5, 2015)

Here is our skirt .http://www.modeltrainforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=230969&d=1474858225


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## doneuald (Jan 2, 2016)

I use painters drop cloth, 15 bucks for a 4x15 length held up with thumb tacks


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## L0stS0ul (Feb 6, 2015)

I went the painters drob cloth route as well for mine. I used a staple gun to hold it up. Came out nicely I think.


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