# What would you do to this paster cloth covered layout next?



## ErnestHouse (Sep 6, 2015)

My whole layout is winter and its main mountain is plaster cloth over assorted randomly shaped packing foam and then painted with latex. The track is ballasted with Fusion Fiber which does not need sealing.

I am not sure what to do next to the snow scene. The plaster cloth shows itself here and there and some seams are showing. I have some snow covered trees, Modgepodge and a jar of Woodland Scenics snow. Should I seal it with diluted Modgepodge and sprinkle on snow then add trees? Not sure what to do next. Any advice appreciated.


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

1 - finish/smooth out the surface with plaster or drywall mud
2 - paint
3 - ground cover (or snow in this case)
4 - trees and bushes (with snow on them)


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## ErnestHouse (Sep 6, 2015)

cv_acr said:


> 2 - paint
> 3 - ground cover (or snow in this case)


Thanks. @cv_acr Would you use paint to adhere to snow or something else? After snow on whatever, does it need to be sealed?


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

The vertical surfaces could use some rock molds. Or you could paint them after you apply plaster.

When I apply ground cover, I first slather on a thick coat of paint. Then I apply the ground cover when the paint is still wet. I usually seal that with matte medium for extra hold, but that is probably not necessary.

What is Fusion Fiber? Do you sprinkle that on the track like ballast or do you lay the track into it?


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## cv_acr (Oct 28, 2011)

Since it's snow, you can probably paint it white and sprinkle the "snow" into the fresh wet paint. This does work but sometimes I find doesn't necessarily give 100% (more like 80-90%) perfect covereage, but in this case should give you the "sparkle" and any bare spots are just showing white anyway and would hardly be noticeable. 

If you choose to paint the entire area and apply snow later this is also fine. Dilute white glue or mod podge 50% with water and "paint" on with a cheap brush. (White glue works for most scenery, but mod podge might be better for snow with less chance of yellowing with age.)

(To compare - I usually plaster, paint (earth/brown), apply dirt/sand directly to wet paint, then additional layers of ground cover/grass on top of that. This gives a nice layered effect for "regular" non-snow covered ground, and any bare or thin patches in the "grass" show the "dirt" colour underneath.)

Sealing shouldn't be necessary, and there's a chance any sealer might dull the sparkle from the snow material.


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## ErnestHouse (Sep 6, 2015)

Lehigh74 said:


> What is Fusion Fiber? Do you sprinkle that on the track like ballast or do you lay the track into it?


Thanks for the advice. Fusion Fiber is cotton fibers fused with glue. It's sold by Scenery Solutions. You mix it 50/50 with water and you get a cottage cheese material. It has a long (hours) working time. I slather on 1/4" or so thick layer then push track into it. I found a square angled tool pushes it out from the trackside to create a nice random edge (as opposed to ruler straight ballast. FWIW. Here's a thread on it:
 3 h ago


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