# Realistic concrete color?



## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Howdy,
OK, here's my question of the day.....what do you experienced guys suggest for creating REALISTIC looking concrete roads in HO scale.
After lots of research, there seems to be only two paints that are typically used for the purpose. 1) Woodland Scenics Concrete Topper, or 2) Polly Scale "Aged Concrete" water base paint.
I've already painted about 12' of roads with a flat light gray latex. Looks nice, but not "real".
I now want to cover the gray with something that will add more realism and all your suggestions will be sincerely appreciated.
Many thanks,
Bob


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## tjcruiser (Jan 10, 2010)

Bob,

I think the key to realism is _several_ shades of color, all dabbled and stippled onto the roadbed. If you look at any real concrete road, it's not homogeneous in color. There's shading, aging, oil stains, tire marks, dirt near edges, etc.

Get a few concrete-like tones from a craft store, pour out a few puddles, and then get a bristle brush and stipple on the various shades. You can work the paint wet.

For a nice look, get a fineline brush, thin out some paint with water, and then "line in" misc random cracks. You can use a straight edge to "score" in concrete panel expansion cuts/joints, too.

TJ


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

TJ,
That makes a lot of sense. Any other suggestions fellas?
Bob


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

raleets said:


> TJ,
> That makes a lot of sense. Any other suggestions fellas?
> Bob



Use real concrete?

A thin layer.


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

I use Testor's flat Wood Tan weathered with chalks, then sealed with clear flat....


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## OverTheHill (Mar 27, 2011)

Bob,

You might want to look at this:

http://www.lancemindheim.com/roads.htm


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

OverTheHill said:


> Bob,
> 
> You might want to look at this:
> 
> http://www.lancemindheim.com/roads.htm


Why go to all that trouble when you can just print out an actual picture of a real road?

Go here and go to the roads section -

http://www.cgtextures.com/

Once downloaded you can scale it and do whatever you need to d to make it fit your needs.

Example -


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## sstlaure (Oct 12, 2010)

I did this with grey primer and several passes with various weathering powders


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Guys,
Many thanks for all your input. I guess I'll just tinker with a combination of ideas until it looks right.
Bob


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

I wonder if anyone ever tried real concrete, a thin layer?

Has anyone tried this?


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

You're introducing a lot of caustic salts and minerals near your track with real concrete. It also draws water all its life, making it a constant source of corrosion for any nearby metals. I well remember the quick rise and death of the use of Rit dyes in the late 60s/early 70s...they're salt based and folks with handlaid track were finding out how quickly those little spikes rusted out, even with no water, the humidity alone was enough to activate the salts.


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

shaygetz said:


> You're introducing a lot of caustic salts and minerals near your track with real concrete. It also draws water all its life, making it a constant source of corrosion for any nearby metals. I well remember the quick rise and death of the use of Rit dyes in the late 60s/early 70s...they're salt based and folks with handlaid track were finding out how quickly those little spikes rusted out, even with no water, the humidity alone was enough to activate the salts.



That is true, 
I remember what happened to my hands the first time I worked with concrete on the parch coating of my foundation blocks without gloves.:laugh:


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## shaygetz (Sep 23, 2007)

Owwwwwwwww........but...that's about how I learnt it too...


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## Big Ed (Jun 16, 2009)

shaygetz said:


> Owwwwwwwww........but...that's about how I learnt it too...



Yup they sort of blew up in size and got all red.
That is when I read the label about the caustic properties of cement.

DUH me......should have read them from the start.

I used to haul a lot of Acids, I know what kind of damage they can do!

I know now.


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## Steve S (Jan 7, 2012)

xrunner said:


> Why go to all that trouble when you can just print out an actual picture of a real road?


Because you end up with a repeating pattern that doesn't look very good. 

I always cringe when I see modeled concrete that's battleship gray. Concrete is as much tan as it is gray. And it gets more tan as it ages. Even when it's fresh it tends to be nearly white, rather than gray. Years ago I did a diorama where I painted styrene sheet a grayish/tan color. Then I set it on the ground and held a spray can of brown paint about four feet above it. A couple of short bursts, and the paint particles rained down on the styrene giving it a speckled color. I used a couple of shades of brown. It looked pretty good.

Another thing I've wanted to try is to take different shades of fine brown ballast, mix it with plaster, and pour it into shallow square molds. Not exactly sure how it will look. Someday I'll have to buy some ballast and try it. 

Steve S


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## raleets (Jan 2, 2011)

Steve,
Thanks for your comments on concrete coloring.
That's EXACTLY where I'm at.......all gray, and not looking at all like "real" concrete.
I never realized how tan aged concrete really is because I'm about 70% color blind and, unless it's a true color, shades don't register too much with me. I bought some Polly Scale "aged concrete", but it sure looks REALLY tan on the small sample I painted over the gray latex. I was thinking I would dilute it to about 50/50 and give it another test to see if more gray came through.
I've never used chalks or washes so I'm really not too confident about using them for weathering effects just yet.
I have LOTS of spare foamboard, so I'm going to paint a big hunk with the gray latex and start experimenting until I hit the right combination before I "do the deed" on my layout.
Lots of fun ahead,
Bob


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## xrunner (Jul 29, 2011)

Steve S said:


> Because you end up with a repeating pattern that doesn't look very good.


Not if you do it right. You can add layers to the image that make different spots and cracks.


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