Adhering Terrain Groundwork to Wooden Base

[Whiterook]

Question on groundwork: Many modelers apply drywall plaster or similar to a wooden base (like an award plaque or wooden base from a craft store). I’ve looked online to find out how to attach something like drywall spackle, plaster, celluclay, permastone, and other such type compound onto a wooden base, and I can’t find squat.

How do you do this? For instance, do you just scoop it down on the wood base and hope it adheres and stays put? …or do you spread some white glue (or similar) to help it grab and stay? …do you screw it down? What’s your method?

[tcoat]

Rough up the wood surface with some grooves for the compound to stick too. Then seal it well with any form of flat enamel paint. Then just slap the compound on in a thin layer.. If you want several levels use Styrofoam to make the levels. Always keep the layers of compound under about 14 inch thick so you don't get cracking.  I usually will push sawdust or kitty litter into the surface to give the texture I want. Let it dry thoroughly and then seal and paint.

With fine kitty litter.



Sawdust


Heavy kitty litter

[creading]

If I'm putting cell-u-clay or something like it directly on the a trophy plaque or wood base I will either drill 1/2"+ holes or put small screws in to anchor the material when it dries. If you are using foam board (to build levels) on a flat wood base, I'd use hot glue to hold it to the base and build the spackle/plaster on that.

Cheers,
C.

[mustang1989]

Ya see, I really enjoy threads like this because I can learn alot about this kind of stuff which I known next to nothing about. Thank you guys for the info.

[reserve]

I stopped using wood some time ago; I now use foam insulation board as it's easier to carve, shape, and avoids trouble with warpage.

I begin by cutting the base to size, carving out ruts and terrain variations. I'll sand this with 100 grit sandpaper to eliminate sharp edges


Then I roll out strips of air dry clay, spread some white glue where the clay's going, and work the clay into the desired shape, and make any desired impressions such as track and tire marks



Once dry the clay will crack. I fill this in with Vallejo arcylic filler



then fill in the edges of the clay



Once dry I coat the whole thing with diluted white glue and spread fine dirt and blue gerbil dust (finer particles) where I want texture



Then when dry add grass, rocks, etc.



There are commercial acrylic ground texture pastes available from MIG and AK, I've used them also but they are best used in thin layers. Hope this helps

[garydavis]

There is some very good info from you folks. Thank you ALL for sharing.

[Whiterook]

Great tips here… thank you! Hope to see more, as well…there seems to be a different take on the subject by different modelers, yet a lot of commonalities, as well! Roughing up the wood for compound adhesion makes perfect sense. Anchor screwing is a good idea, as well. Using just foam seems to be something I’ve seen more and more of lately. Hot glue is something I thought of on my last dio…I used white glue to glue down foamcore board and then apply drywall spackle to, afterwards…







Painted the edge black; added rocks and moss for terrain; fake snow atop. It was a quick down and dirty base on a moments notice for a donation to a tournament…the winner…

[Medicman71]

Apr 2, 2023 10:13:36 GMT -5 Whiterook said:

Great tips here… thank you! Hope to see more, as well…there seems to be a different take on the subject by different modelers, yet a lot of commonalities, as well! Roughing up the wood for compound adhesion makes perfect sense. Anchor screwing is a good idea, as well. Using just foam seems to be something I’ve seen more and more of lately. Hot glue is something I thought of on my last dio…I used white glue to glue down foamcore board and then apply drywall spackle to, afterwards…







Painted the edge black; added rocks and moss for terrain; fake snow atop. It was a quick down and dirty base on a moments notice for a donation to a tournament…the winner…

This is what I want to do for my AT-ST Walker. I have a base for it just need to learn how to make the ground work. 

[stikpusher]

This base was done with drywall spackle onto a wooden plaque from Hobby Lobby. I smoothed down the road area with a trowel tool, then textured up the roadside for a drainage ditch and raised berm behind. Static grass and spices such as oregano for the ground cover, along with some finely sifted garden dirt held down with thinned white glue, then brush was model railroad type plants. The sign was made using a Tamiya accesories label onto a piece of strip styrene mounted on a length of aluminum tubing. I painted the road surface and markings.

[chromdome35]

Great thread with great info!!!

Thanks for the step by step description!

[Whiterook]

May 16, 2023 21:11:43 GMT -5 Medicman71 said:

Apr 2, 2023 10:13:36 GMT -5 Whiterook said:

Great tips here… thank you! Hope to see more, as well…there seems to be a different take on the subject by different modelers, yet a lot of commonalities, as well! Roughing up the wood for compound adhesion makes perfect sense. Anchor screwing is a good idea, as well. Using just foam seems to be something I’ve seen more and more of lately. Hot glue is something I thought of on my last dio…I used white glue to glue down foamcore board and then apply drywall spackle to, afterwards…







Painted the edge black; added rocks and moss for terrain; fake snow atop. It was a quick down and dirty base on a moments notice for a donation to a tournament…the winner…

This is what I want to do for my AT-ST Walker. I have a base for it just need to learn how to make the ground work. 

Snow scenes are pretty easy, since there’s mostly or al snow, with just a bit of groundwork… the spackle is great because it dries white, so it seals easy with just white acrylic paint, or you could spray some a basecoat first and then white. I simply hand brushed white on this dio base. Added rocks and foliage (simple packaged “foliage” material from the craft or dollar stores); some Citadel “Devlin Mud” wash tp dirty up the snow a bit; and finally, some fake snow from the model railroad store…very fine stuff that i spray a white glue/water mix in a section and then sprinkle the snow on (one warning though…if the white glue is too concentrated in the mix, it’s can yellow a tad, but some wash will knock that down quick).

May 16, 2023 22:39:54 GMT -5 stikpusher said:

This base was done with drywall spackle onto a wooden plaque from Hobby Lobby. I smoothed down the road area with a trowel tool, then textured up the roadside for a drainage ditch and raised berm behind. Static grass and spices such as oregano for the ground cover, along with some finely sifted garden dirt held down with thinned white glue, then brush was model railroad type plants. The sign was made using a Tamiya accesories label onto a piece of strip styrene mounted on a length of aluminum tubing. I painted the road surface and markings.

Love this base! Static Grass is amazing stuff… I just bought an applicator last year for this very reason, as well as model railroad layouts.