Baseboards - To paint or not to paint?

[Sweetling Park]

I am currently in the process of building my first layout (link to thread) which will be located in a spare bedroom.  The baseboards have been built in modular form and are constructed of 12mm birch plywood with PSE timber frames and supports, with backscenes around most of the layout.  At the moment the baseboards are still bare wood, but I would like to seek advice/suggestions as to whether they should be painted/sealed or not, please.  I understand that some modellers paint them using grey paint prior to track laying/adding scenics, whereas others just lay track and add scenics to the bare baseboards.  Therefore, I would be most grateful for any advice or suggestions, please.

 

I am also considering using Woodland Scenics Earth Undercoat for the scenic areas, but am unsure whether it would adhere to the grey paint or be best applied directly to the baseboards.  Therefore, I would be grateful for any advice on this as well, please.

 

Thank you in advance.

[sjp23480]

I would paint/seal them.  Given they will be hidden you don't need to worry too much with how it looks and I tend to use any old primer/sealant that I have to hand after my latest DIY disaster!

 

If nothing else, it will prevent damage when you start ballasting track or building scenery, which often involves quite a lot of moisture.

 

Steve

Edited December 24, 2022 by sjp23480

[Teabag]

I painted mine in grey primer and then a cheap earth brown water based paint (can't remember where from).  I varnished the undersides and edges.  My boards are 9mm ply on braced softwood frames and sit in a garge that ranges from -5 to +30 C over the year.  So far (> 10 years) no warping. Long after I had started adding track, wiring and point motors I saw a brilliant suggestion on here to paint the underside of the boards white so that you can better see what you are doing - I just wish I had though of that earlier!

 

Teabag.

[Jeff Smith]

I like to use cork underlay for where the tracks will be, stuck straight to the bare baseboard using white pva glue.  You can bevel the edges to help create a ballast shoulder.  Next paint the baseboard and cork with matt dark brown or grey emulsion.  I then stick the track to the painted cork with wet impact adhesive. 

[amdaley]

2 hours ago, Sweetling Park said:

I am currently in the process of building my first layout (link to thread) which will be located in a spare bedroom.  The baseboards have been built in modular form and are constructed of 12mm birch plywood with PSE timber frames and supports, with backscenes around most of the layout.  At the moment the baseboards are still bare wood, but I would like to seek advice/suggestions as to whether they should be painted/sealed or not, please.  I understand that some modellers paint them using grey paint prior to track laying/adding scenics, whereas others just lay track and add scenics to the bare baseboards.  Therefore, I would be most grateful for any advice or suggestions, please.

 

I am also considering using Woodland Scenics Earth Undercoat for the scenic areas, but am unsure whether it would adhere to the grey paint or be best applied directly to the baseboards.  Therefore, I would be grateful for any advice on this as well, please.

 

Thank you in advance.

Since your layout will be in a spare bedroom its unlikely to be faced with a huge range in temperature.

Paint them with any wood primer available.

It will help with adhesive soakage when you get to laying track & doing scenery. 

Nothing fancy needed.

Edited December 24, 2022 by amdaley

[spamcan61]

I would definitely seal them, as it reduces the chances of warping in the event of changes in humidity / temperature.

[Steven B]

I paint the tops a dark grey/brown colour as a basis for scenery. The bottom I paint white - it helps make wires stand out and can be written on with point motor numbers etc.

 

Steven B

[RobinofLoxley]

I think grey is a good colour to be a basis for ballasting. If there are any small gaps, especially near the edge you wont have annoying wood colour showing through. Thats why I used grey for the upper surface. Priming wood is always good as a basis for glueing stuff to it later.

[Sweetling Park]

Thank you everyone for your help and suggestions, as I very much appreciate it.  I hadn't thought about painting the undersides in white, but it will be something for me to consider.  Thanks again.

[longchap]

As has already been said. painting the undersides white has the added benefit of increased visibility when needing to carry out occasional maintenance.

 

[RobinofLoxley]

1 hour ago, longchap said:

As has already been said. painting the undersides white has the added benefit of increased visibility when needing to carry out occasional maintenance.

 

I wish I had remembered to do that when I built my baseboards! Not just maintenance but installing point motors for example, which can be quite fiddly.

[melmerby]

On 24/12/2022 at 14:39, amdaley said:

Since your layout will be in a spare bedroom its unlikely to be faced with a huge range in temperature.

Paint them with any wood primer available.

It will help with adhesive soakage when you get to laying track & doing scenery. 

Nothing fancy needed.

PVA will soak into bare wood easier than something with paint of any sort on it.

That's what it's designed to do.

[Vecchio]

I did not paint/seal the underside of my layout, so far no problem. Baseboards built in 2016, no warping yet. 6mm poplar ply on softwood frame. The top is painted, but just after gluing on the cork underlay. The paint is not for protection but to have a base colour before adding the landscape.

Storage: unheated summerhouse. 

[longchap]

12 minutes ago, RobinofLoxley said:

I wish I had remembered to do that when I built my baseboards! Not just maintenance but installing point motors for example, which can be quite fiddly.

 

I only just remembered in time, as I'd already drilled and soldered most of the droppers in, but a tad of white paint on them doesn't hurt, but marking out positions of Tortoise motors on white emulsion made installation a doddle. I separate my 1200 x 600mm modules from their neighbours and lay them on their sides for installing wiring, their legs left on making them stay vertical. The wiring then can be done with good access and visibility and my back doesn't complain either!

[RobinofLoxley]

1 hour ago, melmerby said:

PVA will soak into bare wood easier than something with paint of any sort on it.

That's what it's designed to do.

However, without something to control how that happens, there will be nothing left at the joint interface. There is also a risk of the polymer and water separating. Thats why priming is often recommended where absorbent substrates are involved.

[DCB]

12 hours ago, longchap said:

As has already been said. painting the undersides white has the added benefit of increased visibility when needing to carry out occasional maintenance.

 

It also makes it harder to screw screws in and glue things to the wooden framing with UHU or PVA. 

The same also applies to a lesser extent to the surface.  It is my experience that railways laid on the kitchen table or purpose built tables don't  look right when the scenery is on the same level, down at track level, or even bottom of the ballast level.

Probably the best solution is to spray  the table matt black.  400mm is £2.50 from Poundland, to represent the lowest level, the cinder path alongside the track, in the area where tracks are laid and leave the rest alone so you can glue scenery to it.  Or spray it gloss silver to represent the water in the ditch as the lowest level,  But there is precious little level running lines track in the UK so making the difference between level sidings and inclined, even slightly inclined 1 in 200, 3mm in 6ft, running lines is well worth doing.   

[longchap]

22 hours ago, longchap said:

As has already been said. painting the undersides white has the added benefit of increased visibility when needing to carry out occasional maintenance.

 

 

9 hours ago, DCB said:

It also makes it harder to screw screws in and glue things to the wooden framing with UHU or PVA. 

 

 

No, not really and if it ever does, then far too much paint has been applied.

 

I carefully brush two thinned coats of white matt emulsion onto the upturned boards, so you can see what you’re doing and get into all the corners and I’ve never expected or experienced any issues fixing screws into the baseboards (or indeed any painted surface anywhere) for point motors, electrical accessories, choc blocks, etc or indeed, sticking self-adhesive cable tie bases for keeping the wiring tidy.

 

I wouldn’t however consider the use of PVA of UHU under the baseboard, as gravity and vibration will eventually assist the inevitable to occur.

[The Stationmaster]

19 hours ago, RobinofLoxley said:

However, without something to control how that happens, there will be nothing left at the joint interface. There is also a risk of the polymer and water separating. Thats why priming is often recommended where absorbent substrates are involved.

Interesting thoughts there.  As matter of possible interest when I lay paving slabs in places where they need to be strongly resistant to movement, e.g. steps I normally apply some pva (of the correct sort) to the cement mix which will hold the slab.   However what I have found in the occasional instances where it has subsequently been necessary to lift or remove a slab is that the pva hasn't always properly mixed with the cement because it has separated.   So I wouldn't be surprised if something similar might happen with woodworking pva.

 

I always use white emulsion under baseboards but the top gets what ever darkish shade paint I happen to have (thinned f necessary) as a primer before any finishing colouring

[Sweetling Park]

Thank you once again for your comments and suggestions, as they have been informative and I appreciate your help.