# Brick Building Walls



## Kevin K (Nov 3, 2009)

Since I started G scale a few years back I have been creating my own buildings from wood, which is probably my favorite part of the hobby. However, I have always wanted to add large brick factories onto the layout but I have always been turned away by the enormous amount of work dealing with creating the brick walls. The only way I have gone about making brick walls is with a wood burner on plywood, which works but takes forever to do. I know there are precision products brick sheets, but I have never tried them. What methods do you guys use to create brick buildings and which ones work for a wood structure?

This is basically my small factory as of a year and half ago. These pictures are prior to my upgrading of the factory.
http://s1219.photobucket.com/albums/dd424/Sidewinder7/


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

I've been very pleased with the Precision Products brick sheets.

This one was built in 2007 and is about 42" x 24". The building is made from clear acrylic covered with the brick sheets. The pillars were wrapped with the brick sheet and used to hide the seams.











Here, paint differentiates the buildings. The Precision sheets are at best only 15" square. 











This one has brick back and sides with a carved front - I didn't have to worry about any seams.










I built this in January 2011. Wrapping the pillars can be a pain; on this one I just glued the bricks on the front of the pillars and used a Dremel to carve the mortar lines on the sides of the pillars. 1/4" Sintra served as the basis for the building.











This was made from Magic Scuplt - embossing the brick sheets in place


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## dieseldude (Apr 21, 2009)

Kevin- Another possible idea is to sheath your building with insulation foam (either the blue or pink will work). It comes in 4 x 8 sheets in various thicknesses. You can find it at Home Depot or Lowes or elsewhere. It is much easier to "burn" brick or stone patterns into foam than it is to burn into wood (although it is still a bit tedious). I've used a soldering iron to burn stone and brick patterns into foam foundations for my buildings. It does stink a bit. A good coat of exterior latex primer and a finish coat of exterior paint will protect the foam from the sun's UV rays. Don't use oil based primer- it will eat the foam. Hope this helps. -Kevin.


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

This building I made 12 years ago and it is still in good shape. It is the precision products sheets used as forms for casting in concrete. Article was in June 2000 Garden Railway magazine. Same form was used for all 4 sides. In this case, the windows are also concrete. 

Your building looks great. I can't imagine how long it took to burn it in. Definately need a bunch of machinery & people in there.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

At the risk of offending people whose work I admire, here is my two cents worth about brick. I have built chimneys and foundation pillars (but so far, not a whole building) using Precision Products brick sheets, which come in two styles: new brick (like we see here) and used brick, which looks more rustic. Both look good. But, many PP sheets are probably 1:24 scale, which means the bricks start to look puny in 1:20.3--for those of you who are rivet counters like me. Furthermore, it's a bee-itch to get corners to come out right. If ya crease 'em, which is the easy way, you are left with holes that must be filled with Bondo or whatever. I believe Bruce mentioned this in one of his posts. Of course if you subscribe to the 10-foot rule, then it doesn't matter, since nobody will notice. Being anal, I tried to bend the brick, which is doable, but tedious and takes a lot of cursing and sweating over a hair dryer or heat gun. And just when ya get one right, another one pops! Maddening!BTW, what I do when making chimneys is MEK one side of the sheet to the solid styrene block that forms the chimney, then heat and bend the plastic sheet around the edge, proceeding until I have covered all four sides. 

Now then, for Kevin. Being a purist and faithful to 1:20 scale, I would try the technique used by C.C. Crow, whose article, "Modeling a Masonry Structure With Hydrocal: Techniques for casting and hand-scribing the Orbisonia, Pa., firehouse," appeared in the November 2000 issue of Model Railroader. Alas, the hed and subhed says it all. You are looking at some serious work. And hydrocal isn't the most durable material in the world, especially when used in a structure as large as this. Still, if you want to be realistic... 

I have in my files a photo of a brick, single-stall engine house, whose manufacturer I can't track down, no matter how many different ways I Google the subject. I was gonna buy an HO or maybe O-scale kit, just to get the dimensions and stuff. Anyway, what's neat is the building has these buttresses spaced, which give the structure some shape. Because otherwise, you're looking at nothing but a solid wall of boring bricks. 

If I feel ambitious, I'll post a shot of my Precision Plastic chimney and the foundation pillars and maybe an illegal copy of that engine house (I got it off some website, which I can't find, so I don't think I'm violating any copywrite laws).


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Umm, hello friends. I viewed all of youse guys buildings again and have to say they all look great. I also checked out Kevin's brick factory--a great design, btw--and it looks pretty good. I'd use that technique again, K. 
I seem to recall that you can use Sintra for this--carving bricks in it, I mean.


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

Not to be too argumentative,







but I'm not sure how accurate those sheets really are. According to wikipedia, modern bricks are usually about 8 × 2 1⁄4 inches. (I'll ignore the depth for now.







)

I measured the new brick sheets from Precision, and I come up with 7" x 2" in 1:20. I haven't found any source for the size of old bricks, but this seems rather close.


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## Jerry Barnes (Jan 2, 2008)

Heck, that size would even work for a 2' rule, not a 10' one!


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

I just knew things were gonna get testy but I smarted off anyway. Now you see how some of these threads turn into civil wars. 

Bruce, you are right, Precision Plastic bricks are 7 x 2 (boy, ya gotta have good eyes to read those hash marks on a 1:20.3 scale ruler). As for real bricks--at great sacrifice for my fellow modelers, I threw on some clothes (like Hugh Hefner, I hang around the house in a silk bathrobe, puffing on a pipe), went outdoors and measured bricks at two different neighbors' homes. My results: both "new" and "used" bricks are approximately 8-1/4 x 2-1/4 inches, which is close enough for government work. BTW, the real bricks are 3-3/4 inches wide, but that's not an issue, since we'll never see that end of 'em unless they are on a corner. 

Jerry is right, though. Even at 2 feet few people can tell and all of you guys' models look great. 

Now, how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

Not testy at all! It's a good discussion; otherwise how are folks going to know? I just wish that they sold sheets larger than 15" square.


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

I thought you might like to see some closer details of this concrete structure. The corbels, the Corian window sills, and copper gutters & downspouts. 12 years of outdoor exposure in rain, snow, and sun..... and still ticking.



















It may last forever....


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## GnTRailroad (Apr 3, 2009)

http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/...C02807.jpg



I used the real clay bricks found at this site http://www.dollhouseminiatures.com/Outdoor/bricks.htm.
I have also found them a Hobby Lobby in the doll house area.
I then use gray grout that is sealed for the mortor.


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## GnTRailroad (Apr 3, 2009)

Posted By GnTRailroad on 23 Feb 2011 08:12 PM 
http://i709.photobucket.com/albums/...C02807.jpg



I used the real clay bricks found at this site http://www.dollhouseminiatures.com/Outdoor/bricks.htm.
I have also found them at Hobby Lobby in the doll house area.
I then use gray grout that is sealed for the mortor.


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

I got a lot out of this article. I have used Precision Products brick and Plastruct brick for the underpinning of houses. I found that if you draw a line on the back of the brick where a corner will be and cut a 45 degree angle in the mortar joint ridge on each side, it works out. 
Ron


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Bruce, correcto-mundo again. The 15-inch issue makes it tough to build walls that are longer than that. I have a general store, which I made long enough to accommodate a freight car and wound up with a seam between the front part and the rear. I thought about running a drain pipe down the side to cover the seam, but lately have been thinking about peeling off the Precision Plastic siding, which I glued onto foamcore, and sticking it onto new walls made of styrene, in which case I would shorten the building to the length of one sheet. The only reason I haven't done so--apart from laziness--is that the orginal building has a pretty complete store interior with shelves and all, and I don't know if I want to duplicate the whole thing again. But ya never know. 

Actually, and since my mind wanders, I was looking through our local AAA magazine and saw a picture of a barn that would be so easy to make, using Precision Plastic board and batten siding. Shoot, I'll bet I could knock that puppy out in a long evening.  

Richard, your cast building looks pretty good, even at close range.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Hey Richard, I was just looking at your brick walls and noticed that the corners came out pretty good. The bricks actually go around the corner, if ya know what I mean. That's interesting, because as I said earlier, I had a devil of a time making mine bend, which yours appear to do. And yes, I know you used the plastic sheet as a mold to cast your walls. Still...


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Bruce, in your C.M. Oates thread (page 4) you posted a shot of your bank, which you said was carved from Sintra. Why can't Kevin scribe those bricks out of Sintra? Lots of work, but he's got nothing better to do  

BTW, that bank looks great! 

BTW, did you know Sintra is a place? And a car built by Opel? And a famous, late American singer/actor. Oh wait, that was Sinatra.


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

Joe; Ron Hill explains the corners very well above. The windows and corners return 3/8 inch, the thickness of the cast slab. YES, the downspout hides the joints. The downspout, copper refrigeration tubing, is tied on with a copper wire through the joint to a block behind. Everything was reinforced with 1/2 inch hardware cloth and glued together with Liquid Nails.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Richard, Ron, I am looking at the backside of a piece of brick sheet and wondering how do you cut a 45-degree angle? I mean, if you cut it, one pass and you're through. Please 'splain.


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By joe rusz on 24 Feb 2011 04:36 PM 
Bruce, in your C.M. Oates thread (page 4) you posted a shot of your bank, which you said was carved from Sintra. Why can't Kevin scribe those bricks out of Sintra? Lots of work, but he's got nothing better to do  

BTW, that bank looks great! 

BTW, did you know Sintra is a place? And a car built by Opel? And a famous, late American singer/actor. Oh wait, that was Sinatra. 
You certainly could carve bricks into the Sintra, but it would be rather tedious, so say the least. 

Sintra goes by many names: Komatex Sintra PVC Foam Sheet - sometimes all at once!


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## Torby (Jan 2, 2008)

Richard, that's been out 12 years? Wow, it's completely beautiful.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

I wonder if these are what I saw at the SWGRRS last November in the Ozark booth 

How do you use these sheets?

Do you glue them to the side of your building the cut the windows and doors out?

JJ


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

JJ - it depends.









When I built Matheson Textiles, I started with acrylic walls and base.









I cut openings for the windows in the sheets and then glued the sheets in place. The windows (hardware cloth) were glued in place at the same time.









With Buchanan Tool & Die, I wanted the windows set back in the wall. I used Sintra for the walls and cut the openings first.









I had LOTS of scraps left over from previous buildings so rather than cut openings in the sheet, I ended up using the scraps to build up around the openings, gluing small pieces in place.










Ozark does sell the sheets. They are about 15" square.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Bruce, Buchanan T&D looks great, especially the pillasters or whatever. Looks like the bricks go around those corners perfectly. Or did you fill in the gaps afterwards? I sitll don't understand Ron's?? earlier explanation of cutting the PP sheet at a 45-degree angle, so that it will wrap around corners. 

I'm guessing the windows of Buchanan are wire mesh or whatever it's called. They look good too.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Concerning those Precision Plastic sheets--for those of you in the LA area or specifically, Orange County, Morgan's Big Trains in Huntington Beach used to have a good supply of most of PP's sheets--at about $10 each, as I recall. I haven't been there in at least a year and wondered if the place was still open, given the state of brick & mortar stores. But I drove past the store, which is in a warehouse, last week and there was a hand-lettered sign on the door, saying something about hours, I believe. So I guess Vincent is still in business. BTW, he has an incredible inventory, but since he gave up his real store and moved into the warehouse, almost everything is stashed away in the back, where mere mortals are not allowed to roam. So you have to tell him what you want and he will fetch it for you. Still, if you live nearby and are like me, someone who wants to see what they are buying, than it's worth the hassle. I'd call first, because he was open only a couple-three days a week (you could call make an appointment if you needed to go there at a different time).


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## denray (Jan 5, 2008)

Check out Rainbow Ridge Products 
http://www.rainbowridgekits.com/RRSpecialProjects.htm 
http://www.rainbowridgekits.com/FC2LargeBrick.htm 
It is a very easy product to work with and will last outside as long as you will have a need for it. 
Dennis


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Here's a shot of my brick pillar construction, which shows the wrapping of the Precision Plastic brick sheet around the Plastruct square tubing. Not shown is the heating of the sheet to make it bend. Since this photo was taken (two years ago?) I painted the pillars so they look old, like me. I'll send a photo. Or is this thread dead?


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## Mike O (Jan 2, 2008)

Joe, 

I would like to see your finished product. Thanks. 

Mike


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

Posted By joe rusz on 27 Feb 2011 05:47 PM 
Bruce, Buchanan T&D looks great, especially the pillasters or whatever. Looks like the bricks go around those corners perfectly. Or did you fill in the gaps afterwards? I sitll don't understand Ron's?? earlier explanation of cutting the PP sheet at a 45-degree angle, so that it will wrap around corners. 

I'm guessing the windows of Buchanan are wire mesh or whatever it's called. They look good too. 
Joe,
If you look very closely you can still see some gaps on the corners where the brick sheet has been cut. Paint fills some of the holes but not all. The mortar lines on the pillars were carved with a Dremel tool so I avoided any wrap around. It was a lot easier this way and looks just as good as wrapping.


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## joe rusz (Jan 3, 2008)

Bruce, thanks for the words of wisdom. Mike, ya caught me in a good mood. Because I am celebrating my birthday (Thank you, thank you!) and am half in the bag, I shot these photos of the pillars themselves and in their application, which is my old-time gas station, a work in progress. I need to finish the tin roof, add the front overhang and figure out if I want to build a diorama for it, or just let is sit on the living room floor until such time that I build my outdoor railroad. Anyway, here's the whole ball of wax--or styrene, as the case may be. I apologize for the unpainted edges of the wood and the haphazard positioning of the posts, which I set up just to see how she'll look. The little pices of white styrene, which you may notice toward the rear, will hold the posts to the building's base and won't show after they're MEK-ed in place. BTW, I built this structure in 1:22, because it won't be close to a 1:20 loco or rolling stock. Truth be told, I prefer building in 1:22 because I have a better quality scale ruler that's easier to read than my 1:20.3 ruler, which also measures HO, O, and S scale and has way too many numbers for my old eyes to see. Let's see--paint. I just mix up batches of either model paint or Ceramcoat, thin 'em and slop 'em on until it looks right. I use various shades of red, brown, gray, or whatever looks like old brick. There's no formula, I just do it. I noticed some bubbles on one of the pillars, but what the heck. Ten-foot rule, right? So there. Oh, did I tell you it's my birthday?




















blank line added to make photo display under each other - by Peter Bunce - moderator


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## Bruce Chandler (Jan 2, 2008)

Joe, that looks cool! I like the brick pillars. For a tin roof, think about the Sophisticated Finishes stuff...it holds up very nicely outside.

I used it for the roof on my gas station.


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## Mike O (Jan 2, 2008)

Joe, 

Happy birthday!. Great post. Thanks for the close ups and the the finished application.  The pillars really look good under the building. That is a very common foundation in the east, particularly in the more hilly areas. Nicely done. Thanks 

Mike


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## Kevin K (Nov 3, 2009)

Finally got back to the thread. Wow! That was a lot of recommendations in a short time! Honestly I don't know which one I prefer. Looking at Bruce's factories, especially that awesome Buchanan Tool and Die, the precision products sheets look amazing. Acctually, I should thank you Bruce because your hardware cloth windows are where I got the idea for my factory windows. That concrete building by Richard is amazing, especially for being twelve years old! That durability would be nice compared to constantly refurbishing wooden structures. Have you everhad any problems with the concrete cracking? Sintra boards look like they could be very usefull. I am having a toss up between using Sintra foam boards and those rainbow ridge products. They both look like they work amazingly, but the rainbow ridge boards seem kind of expensive... IDK, I think I will try the rainbow ridge boards. Thanks for all the advice and pictures, you guys over loaded me with recommendations, on my first thread too!


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

The bricks scale out to 8.3" long on my buildings, which is close enough. Just model in 1:24.


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

Richard, if you have not got your question answered I will try. Sorry, I have been out of pocket. On the back of the brick, the motar joint sticks up. 45 degree bevel the motar joint on either side of a line where the corner of the wall will be. You will end up with a series of little holes where the motar joint was. When the brick facia is bent around the wall corner and the holes will close back up. If you cut a little too big of a hole don't worry, when you paint the motar joint it will cover it up. 
Ron


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## bcer960 (Dec 27, 2007)

I have wroked with the presision sheets as well, with good results. But, the original question was what to use to make brick buildings. I was wondering why no one mention Colorado Scale Models?
Ray


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

Ray, I guess because it is obvious that a brick building can be built with CSM sheets, but also because CSM sheets will not fit all designs that a person might want to build. It would be difficult to build the two plants using CSM sheets because of their design. 
Ron


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## Richard Weatherby (Jan 3, 2008)

In answer to the question of the concrete cracking, I learn some tragic lesson in the late 1990's. The "Jigstone" recommendation was to use yellow buckets (Quikrete) Anchoring Cement. This turned out to be a major MISTAKE!! This product was not intended for exterior use unless completely sealed with a product NOT sold by Home Depot. I lost (crumbling deterioration) several projects. I learned that the product contained gypsum which absorbed moisture and split open in a freeze. The better product to use is "Precision Grout" which meets ASTM C1107. This is made by many local companies and is sold in 50 or 60 pound bags. Quikrete, Bonsal, Thoro, etc. It is also reinforced with 1/2 hardware cloth (mesh). Cement is still porous and should be painted to ensure sealing or surfaces. Ironically, the paint was sprayed at an angle to leave the mortar joints as light grey. After 12 years there is some evidence of edge spalling of the bricks.


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

What glue do you use?

Do you cover the whole sheet of acrilic like like paint or do you just do certain places? 

How do you apply the glue?

JJ


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

I use Tite Bond III. I "smear" it thick on the solid surface then lay the panel in place and weigh, or tape, or whatever works best to hold it down to the sheet so that the glue can adhere at the mortar lines. No sense in filling all the bricks and you will make a real mess if you do.

DO NOT USE CRAFTERS/MARINE/PLUMBERS/ETC GOOP ON PRECISION PLASTICS PRODUCTS SHEETS (unless you want to see where your glue was placed). It melts the plastic from the backside ruining the detail.


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

I use Duco Cement from Walmart to hold the strips or sheets on. I has worked well. Todd, have you tried E6000 with any of the styrene sheets? From what I have read, it is good for plastics. 
Ron


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

Posted By Ron Hill on 09 Mar 2011 09:06 PM 
I use Duco Cement from Walmart to hold the strips or sheets on. I has worked well. Todd, have you tried E6000 with any of the styrene sheets? From what I have read, it is good for plastics. 
Ron 

No, haven't tried that.


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Ron,
I've been using E-6000 for these sheets and it works very well. 
Mark

*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com*


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

Mark, from the people I have talked to, they say that E-6000 grip very good and does not let go. I think I will get a tube from Walley World and try it on the house I am building. It will have brick underpending, so it will be a good trial to see how it holds. 
Ron


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## Ron Hill (Sep 25, 2008)

Mark, in looking at your layout, I see you have a couple of hills in it. Oh, it is a nice layout! How did you stabilize the dirt when you first built the hills? I have a spot on my layout on the inside of a curve coming off a bridge where I would like to build a hill. If you can tell me how you kept the dirt from washing until the groundcover had grown I would appreciate it. 
Ron


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## toddalin (Jan 4, 2008)

How does E-6000 work on styrofoam? Does it stick like white/yellow glue or eat it away like a solvent?


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## John J (Dec 29, 2007)

What I gather from this post is that you smear the glue on the surface like ou are spreading cememnt to lay tile. Completely cover the sruvace then attach the brick sheets.

I am about to try my first buildings and I want to be sure I apply the sheets correctly. 

JJ


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## jjwtrainman (Mar 11, 2011)

that is coool, john! I do need to put more buildings on my layout


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

Ron,
Well yes getting the dirt in place so it does not wash away until it's set can be a problem. I put mulch down over it and then start some grown cover plants. In a few years, the grown cover will have taken over to the point you won't need to mulch any more. Sedum is a good cover and is a fast grower. An even better one is Elfin Creeping Thyme. 

Here is a hill that was recently replanted in 2007. The Creeping Thyme covers the area on the left and was put down in 2005. It's now completely covering the area to the left and has been creeping over towards the fern to the right of the hill. I think to date, its maybe a bit beyond the solar light. It grows very slow, but looks nice once it takes over the hill. You can see the mulch to the right to control run off until the Thyme takes over. 











Here is a section of the Angelina Sedum. It's a very fast grower and will completely take over an area if your not careful. On the positive side, besides being a fast grower, it's very easy to control. You can easily grab a fist full and pull it out of the grown, roots and all. 










Thanks for your comments on the RR here. 


Regards,
Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com*


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## mgilger (Feb 22, 2008)

E6000 will not work on Styrofoam. It will melt it and make a gooey mess out of it. I find Gorilla Glue works best for Styrofoam. It really shines for that application. 

Regards,
Mark
*http://mmg-garden-rr.webs.com*


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