# Paint subroad before lay roadbed and track?



## Stejones82 (Dec 22, 2020)

Hey guys - Ordered my turnouts for the yard last night. Question is:

I have 1" extruded foam over plywood for my sub-roadbed. Should I paint the whole foam before starting to lay the roadbed (foam or cork) or wait until after gluing down the roadbed and the track to paint. 

I'm thinking latex caulk to glue down the foam/cork - will caulk adhere fully to paint? 

I'm planning a earthy brown. But I am also thinking that the yard will have ladder lins at 2-1/2 inches or so, so not much space between the lines to anything but ballast and gravel. Still, don't want that godawful pink showing through!

Suggestions?

Steve


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## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

I would paint the foam before putting down roadbed and track. It’s a lot easier to do before the track is there and like you said, you don’t want any pink to show. Latex caulk will stick to the latex paint just fine.


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## DonR (Oct 18, 2012)

Roadbed is generally used on main lines...spurs and yards are usually laid right on
the benchwork deck...with lots of gravel, ashes, weeds, and various discarded rail related obvjects
laying around. Check the spurs and yards in your town...you'll see they don't
get much TLC. It makes your track laying easier and is more real looking. So, if you
follow that suggestion, you would want to paint before laying track.

By the way, I found that the paper covered 1/4" foam board found in Walmart crafts 
section (or Hobby Lobby or Michaels) to be ideal to top the wood deck. It's smooth
and easy to paint. You can easily poke weeds, trees, fence posts and the like into it
without drilling. It comes in various colors...I used some white and some black.
I also has 'some' sound reducing factors too.

Don


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## CTValleyRR (Jul 26, 2014)

Definitely paint first. Use latex interior paint. In fact, go to the paint counter at your local hardware or big box store and see if they have a "mistint" in an earth tone that would work.. You can usually buy these really cheaply.

I actually cover my foam surface (except where the track will be) with a thin (1/8 to 1/4") layer of Sculptamold before painting. It means you can no longer plant trees, etc., simply by poking them into the foam, but it breaks up the artificial, dead-flat surface of the foam and gives a more realistic appearance. Sculptamold can be sanded or carved to further shape the terrain. I paint the Sculptamold in an earth tone. You can even dribble scenic materials into the wet paint and save yourself the trouble of gluing it down.


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## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Not that it matters at all, but I have never seen the need to paint roadbed or sub-roadbed. I cover it all with ballast, so nothing below the tops of the ties is visible. I feel that it imposes unnecessary work and cost, even if one can snag 'oops' paints (of which I have several tins that I had intended to use to tint terrain, but never did.  )


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## 65446 (Sep 22, 2018)

Deciphering what will be easier or harder to do first, or last, is the ticket..It's your layout..
Look at it and ask yourself just what is next.. Think it through. Then just do it..It's all simple logic. The 1:1 scale is all logic..First things first. Dat's all....


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## Stejones82 (Dec 22, 2020)

Quite true, Telltale - and I am enjoying the freedom of doing it my way. Still, I ain't so independent when it comes to the voice of experience. If guys take the time to 'splain, I will read and ponder. 

The ladder system turnouts and track will all be here in a few days. I am rather tired of looking at the pink foam. So I plan to paint the foam earthy brown today. 

I will post my proposed track plan in a few days. The yard ell is done, but I am still playing with the main loop and sidings. 

My plan is to get the turntable mounted first as I suspect that will anchor and 'drive' the yard ladder. Then the roundhouse, as that should be pretty easy to mount, though I don't have the lights rigged yet. 

Making progress!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

Once my table was complete, I painted the whole surface with a dirt brown. It helps seal the Homasote and if anything shows through, it looks like dirt.  After painting, the second layer of the fascia was installed and the benchwork was complete.


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## rye (29 d ago)

This is an old thread so I apologize but I was looking for advice on painting before or after roadbed, came across this thread, and then saw that insane table and just had to say wow!


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## gunrunnerjohn (Nov 10, 2010)

rye said:


> This is an old thread so I apologize but I was looking for advice on painting before or after roadbed, came across this thread, and then saw that insane table and just had to say wow!


Thanks, I think the curved benchwork does add a lot of "POP" to the layout. That wasn't in my original plan, but a friend came up and convinced me I had to have it.


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## Browneye (4 mo ago)

I set roadbed and track, then painted. It was easier for me to do it that way.
HD will custom mix a quart of Glidden Diamond matt latex for about $10, depending on how much area you have to cover. Did the same for blue on the backdrop, and green for the perimeter hardboard finish panel.

I drew right on the foam, glued cork and track down, then painted everything out.






The pink/purple foam color is long gone.


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