Making Roads out of FOAM

[@paullewis1814]

I am injoying you videos i am seeing alot that I want to try 😊 thank you

[@longracing25]

great work. Not being negative , inside info. As a truck driver,..the original large area for the warehouse looked great for a turn around area and/or staging for trucks waiting for a open door to back to. Something else, the landing gear on trailers, when down, don't do good on asphalt , they sink right in if loaded if not on truck. Warehouse and docks needs concrete. Yep, part of modeling when shooting from the hip is try this, oops,....then add this, add that,...and at a point its awesome. I would have used a powder also to wipe across . Maybe even powdered grout, quickcrete powder,...or even powdered dirt just to see.

[@patrickkinzig4564]

I am glad to see that someone who knows what they are going mess up a little, I now do not feel so bad about the way my layout is looking. But great job on what you are doing.

[@andrewsegers7942]

Where the tape pulled up looks like a half assed job repaving that lot. I like that.

[@hirsutusi5536]

Your comment on the foam texture being different on your painted sample - could be that the two sides of the sheet have different textures -might be related to the manufacturing process. I was told that there are two types of black, one is a very very dark shade of blue, the other a very very dark shade of brown.

[@FortWorthNScaler]

After a lot of trial I landed on neutral grey grout from concrete and 120 grit black sandpaper for asphalt. Give those a try

[@captainchaos3174]

I like the color of the road. It's "new", but starting to show gentle wear and tear. Fantastic workmanship, as always!

[@Nscalestuff]

I made a retaining wall with 1/4 W/S foam. I used Cool Concrete from the Folk Art Terra Cotta line. It's a super thick grainy paint. Only took two coats to completely rid the foam texture underneath. Im not sure of the other colors, but if you end up doing this over, you could use that, and paint over it the color desired.

[@chrisbarr1359]

You've become one of my favorite channels! Always great content. I would sand the edge that was taped and fill where two pieces come together with calk, then sand. For paint I'd try very dark on gray with a little black. I don't understand why you are using tans and whites. You can dry brush pure black for tire marks.

[@nscaler454]

I think sanding foam would chew it up. I used tans and whites to try and counter the blue I was expecting, but it didn't make a difference.

[@Curious_Skeptic]

This is a great idea! I'd be tempted to do the finish work off layout, then attach it. Some reason, it looks out of scale. I think crossing are like 8 lanes wide, LOL. I use to keep a person and car on hand if not actually going my measurements. I get a kick out of some roads I've seen. In real life, a road would be like 20-24 ft wide, two lane, even some are 18'! N scale cars are pretty darn small. ;)

[@garystrutt2078]

Paint the whole thing grey and start again.

[@dadoutside]

Wow!! That looks so cool!! Very nice!! Thanks, Dwayne

[@georgiasunbelt]

Nice use of materials for that road…painting in was a bear…used SillyWinks foam from Hobby Lobby for some roads and parking…turned out pretty good…also tried smooth-it, foam board, etc.

[@DruSteel69]

Great job. The road looks awesome. Happy modeling. 😎👍🏼

[@derricksmith9524]

What type of foam sheet is that its so many. Rubber insolated perforated foam etc etc etc I'm a novice at this i love the thin sheet of foam you use its perfect for the roads really easy to cut you're the (goat) at this this is why i follow your tutelage

[@derricksmith9524]

i found it 2mm is the same as 1/16th i also found the correct board

[@alanbudwill9828]

Loved this video. Kudos to you for showing us the struggles and solutions. I’m in the process of doing foam roads with 1 and 2 mm sheets of black foam from The Foamery. I will employ the painting techniques you suggested.

[@cbrailroader642]

Looks great, thanks for share. Note black is made with darks ..usually ultramarine blue and dark browns so depending on the black.. it will be bluish or blue gray.

[@nscaler454]

Thanks. I think I need to find some blacks that are made from brown pigments.

[@JackOnTracks]

I like the manhole covers. I've been using charcoal black unwanted grout.

[@sturnie1]

I put down black paint then used some dry plaster dust with a lite brushing came out pretty nice. The green tape pulled the foam apart and changed its texture. Did you use painters tape?

[@nscaler454]

Yes I used painters tape.

[@aaamodeltrainsandplanes3774]

Use light weight spackle to go Over it instead of plaster

[@joseluispuliafito759]

Well, I loved the video; a real experimentation with failures and overcomes. That was very good, splendid I must say. Layer after layer of paint and powder it finally looked fine; the idea of taping the borders for a rougher surface transition is very good, perhaps it was only too wide, but you managed to blend it to the smoother part. Spreading white chalk powder maybe can bring all to a lighter gray. What I feel was not resolved are the transitions of the cuts. Thinking about that, perhaps if sticking a thin scotch band, preferably prior to a first painting hand, could help to dissimulate the cuts. In any case, great job, and very, very illustrative; I gathered a lot of information. I’ve got here because I think polyethylene foam roadbeds have very nice surface structure and are easy to handle and apply; I using that on my own HO project. But I was doubting about how well paint can deal with such materials. Thanks a lot.

[@FrankKennyCPRXModelRailroad]

I love watching your vids and seeing g your progress. The idea was good, however the tape application distorted it for me. I would have taken it out and started over, don’t use tape and a different color. I understand starting with the black for the cracks, however you could have used panel liner or something for those. Nice touch with the manhole covers.

[@darylhitchcock7680]

As Always... Nice Work...

[@WinsteadSpeedShop]

Did you think of putting a crown in the middle of the road ? If so how would you have done that. A crown makes the road more realistic.

[@nscaler454]

A crown would be more realistic. You would only raise the middle 1 to 1.5 mm to keep it realistic. Not sure it's worth it, but you could put down a strip of balsa wood and then foam road would bend around it.

[@Bliz0516]

In the end great job. It seemed like the material was problematic. Would you use it again? I like using the foam hobby sheets. They are more forgiving with great texture and cheaper. Holds acrylic well. No mess like plaster.

[@nscaler454]

I would definitely be tempted to use foam again. There are a lot of advantages to it, no mess being one of them. If one could get the colors and layering right, I think great results could be achieved.

[@charlesrclevenger8960]

To kill (neutralize) the blue undertone in your black road, use a touch of orange in your paint mix. This could be either in a glaze of paint applied on top of your problem spots, or using chalks. If using chalk, mix black and orange before applying to the road. This ought to help -- blue and orange are going to mix to produce a neutral grey -- the more orange used, the more "dirt" shade you'll get. On a scrap piece, try some of the same color you'd use for "rust" effects, and see what it does to neutralize your blue tint. HINT: look up a color wheel diagram online. Mixing any two tones that are straight across the wheel from one another will produce greys of different characters. Your road will need a warmer grey.

[@hutchewah]

Hello. Ok Im an automotive refinisher and if you add a drop or two of orange to your mix it will help kill the blue. Find yourself a color wheel and learn what colors cancel other colors out.. It will help immensely in your painting procedures. Hope that helps.

[@nscaler454]

Someone else mentioned the same thing after seeing my results. Great advice. Would you add the orange into the black or into the light grey coat?

[@hutchewah]

@@nscaler454 I wouldn’t use black at all I would use various shades of grey( with the orange added as needed) and then use a very thin black wash over everything. Let it almost dry then DAB it off not wipe and the remaining black will be in your cracks and crevices. Then very lightly dry brush with a light grey or off white the bring out the detail. Hope that helps

[@randydobson1863]

Hi Nscaler 454 & it's is Randy and i like yours video is cool & Thanks Nscaler454 & Friends Randy

[@tymatter5070]

I liked you plaster roads much better even though plaster is a pain and messy

[@jasonminier6782]

Try some red or yellow and go back over it. I mix a lot of automotive paint, and a lot of greys and off white will have red and yellow toners in it. That tape line sucks, but that's probably how I would have gone about it.

[@ushistorycoach]

Just put tape down on the other pieces... take it up and then start over with a dark grey...it fixes both problems

[@laddrickstafford2153]

Texture really good foam was really good idea think used wrong paint 🎨 water based paint get hobby lobby or wal mart gray paint used idea road good idea ok

[@CarolHerbert-b5c]

Looks Really Good , But WAY To Many Coloring Steps For My Arthritic Neuropathy Hands !! What if You Had Painted Dark Gray then Used That Powder ??

[@nscaler454]

I think starting with a lighter grey would have been better for the overall color. Would just need to figure out how to highlight all the cracks and potholes with a blackish tone without bleeding into the surround grey coat.

[@flakstruk-8481]

Hit it with a wire brush, break up the flat texture

[@mustachemike802]

Do you ever watch Mike Fifer's channel! If he had a post a couple of days age (probably posted after you had all done this) but it might have changed your mind on that particular scenic foam. He is definitely not a fan of it...

[@jasonedwards2842]

He used the foam as a filler, and then plastered and put scenery on top of it, that was his problem. If you are using it as a roadway like this you will not have that problem.

[@bobkohl6779]

Using sponges is part of your problem it's blotchy