Baranovich | 17 Aug 2015 6:46 a.m. PST |
When I was planning my terrain boards, I decided that I wanted to keep the actual boards as flexible as possible in terms of possible configurations. I didn't want to sculpt roads into the actual surface of my boards since you can't change them around and you're locked into one configuration. I thought that thin carpet would be a perfect material, since it would cut easily with scissors and could be painted with ordinary craft paints. The other reason I chose thin carpet is that it remains flexible and bendable and when you lay it on your gaming board you can actually go very naturally up and down slopes and contours with them, you're not limited to laying them only on a flat part of the board as you would be forced to if you made them out of mdf board or cardboard, etc. I bought a big chunk of carpet from my local hardware/home store for about $20.00 USD USD It was enough to do 10+feet of roads and rivers sections and I've got enough carpeting left to some ponds or lakes and whatever else I can think of. I painted a base coat of dark brown and then dry-brushed lighter brown over it. I then added some scattered static grass down the middle of each section to make it look like old, country roads. So essentially I was able to make over 20 feet of modular sections for less than $20.00 USD. Feedback appreciated. link link link link |
blacksoilbill | 17 Aug 2015 6:54 a.m. PST |
They look good – surprisingly good! I expected they'd look obviously like carpet, but they don't. Do you have any photos of them in situ in a game? |
Baranovich | 17 Aug 2015 6:59 a.m. PST |
@blacksoilbill, Thanks for the feedback! I was surprised as well that the carpeting worked so well. The trick about them is that you have to use the back side of the carpet and not the front. The back has that rubberized sort of surface that holds the carpet fibers together. Only hassle with carpeting is that you have to really lay the paint on thick because the carpeting soaks it up fiercely. But once you get a couple layers down it works fine. Unfortunately I don't have any in-game photos with them yet. I can take some more pictures of the roads laid out on my Cit. Realm of Battle Board, which will give them some context. |
Lapsed Pacifist | 17 Aug 2015 7:10 a.m. PST |
They do look surprisingly good, any problems with warping/curling? I suppose if you do you could apply gaffa tape (width ways) across the back. |
Baranovich | 17 Aug 2015 7:37 a.m. PST |
@Lapsed Pacifist, No problems at all with warping or curling. To my delight the carpet stayed perfectly flexible and bendable after I painted it. When I lay them down on my gaming board they conform perfectly to either an upward slope or downward slope. |
CeruLucifus | 17 Aug 2015 7:56 a.m. PST |
Yes they look great. I too expected an obvious carpet texture and I don't see it. |
blacksoilbill | 17 Aug 2015 8:40 a.m. PST |
So it's the back! That would explain the appearance. And yes, photos on a board would be great. |
elsyrsyn | 17 Aug 2015 9:09 a.m. PST |
The trick about them is that you have to use the back side of the carpet and not the front. So it's the back! That would explain the appearance. Very nice! I was trying to figure out where the nap of the carpet went! Even using the back, I'm assuming you picked a pretty thin carpet for this, right? And this is vinyl backed carpet, not the stuff that shows a grid-like texture on the back? Doug |
jgibbons | 17 Aug 2015 5:11 p.m. PST |
What type of carpet was it? |
Baranovich | 18 Aug 2015 12:43 p.m. PST |
@elsyrsyn and jgibbons, It is Polypropylene backed carpet, which is somewhat different from vinyl but essentially serves the same purpose, to provide a flexible backing to the weave of the carpet. I bought it at Home Depot, it's just ordinary thin utility carpeting for any room application, you can buy it by the foot and you just get as big of a roll as you want. Here's the link. Actually it was even cheaper than I recall it being, I bought about 25 square feet and it was only $.49 USD per square foot, so the whole piece was about $12.25 USD link |
elsyrsyn | 19 Aug 2015 6:37 p.m. PST |
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jgibbons | 22 Aug 2015 6:33 p.m. PST |
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