Platform Covering

[petejones]

I am looking for a fine texture to cover a station platform so it looks like a concrete surface and wondered if plaster-of-paris would work? Rather than mix it beforehand, I would cover the platform in a thin layer of glue then sieve the plaster over the top.

 

Cheers

Pete

[Nick Holliday]

What about using a masonry paint which has a fine texture.  You used to be able to get small sample pots from the likes of B&Q.

[phil_sutters]

When you scale down the variation in surface level, concrete is a relatively smooth surface. It is more about the colour and how the concrete has been poured - where the joins are etc. A matt emulsion with a suitable weathering powder might work. I often shudder when I see model platforms with 'gravel' surfaces. A 1mm grain of model ballast is 3 inches across! The shingle infill in this photo is probably about 3" across. B&Q stock a 'concrete' paint in a spray can. It is very light cream. Some of the grains of texture may be over-sized in 4mm scale. It sprays, initially at least, at a ferocious rate, so if you use it try trial areas first. It is about a tenner for a large can.

Edited September 7, 2020 by phil_sutters

[TheQ]

12 minutes ago, phil_sutters said:

When you scale down the variation in surface level, concrete is a relatively smooth surface. It is more about the colour and how the concrete has been poured - where the joins are etc. A matt emulsion with a suitable weathering powder might work. I often shudder when I see model platforms with 'gravel' surfaces. A 1mm grain of model ballast is 3 inches across! The shingle infill in this photo is probably about 3" across. B&Q stock a 'concrete' paint in a spray can. It is very light cream. Some of the grains of texture may be over-sized in 4mm scale. It is sprays, initially at least, at a ferocious rate, so if you use it try trial areas first. It is about a tenner for a large can.

 

The Former local Station platforms I'm modelling, away from the buildings, was rolled ballast, so 1mm or less would be about right.

 

I've used pollyfilla with a touch of yellow acrylic paint mixed in to simulate concrete.

For a platform, you'd need to weather it to show the wear in well used places.... The dividing lines between panels of concrete, normally filled with bitumen would need to be marked on the surface.

 

 

[IanLister]

Hi

 

The stations on the branch I'm modelling had concrete slabs 18' square on most of the platform surface, with the occasional yorkstone paved area in the posh bits.

I've modelled this with Advanced Lightweight Polyfilla; the paving is precast in sections about 300mm x 75mm, stuck down, sanded and scribed, whereas the concrete area is laid in place with a pallette knife, sanded smooth, scribed and painted. Various indentations, holes etc were left in place as the concrete is 80 yrs old.......a convenient excuse.

I haven't finished weathering it yet but am posting the pics now in case it may be helpful.

Ian

[petejones]

Very useful, thanks all. I have a small pot of smooth polyfilla and used that last night to fill in some of the gaps and am now thinking that may be a good surface covering as well. I will try it later on today. Scribing the surface to make some irregular breaks is a good idea - for repairs and the like.

[DGO]

You haven't said what scale, however talcum powder can sometimes be used, paint surface then add a thin blown layer of talc 

[petejones]

43 minutes ago, DGO said:

You haven't said what scale

 

Sorry, 4mm...

[DGO]

then Talc or really fine grit sand (or other abrasive) paper, 1000 grit will give a very fine uniform texture, on the other hand if you are after a cast in place look then make a former with thin 1mm plywood (sealed to stop it sticking) and cast in plaster of Paris maybe, this lets you make casting marks in the "Concrete" If you make multi story walls in this method cast the walls on the flat and embed something like car body repair mesh inside the wall as a reinforcement, else a small knock and your carefully cast wall might shatter

 

Edited September 7, 2020 by DGO