# How to surface a plywood covered layout?



## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

I am planning to expand one of my layouts over time. The current layout is the rectangle at the bottom. Most of the layout design was determined by the availability of track and turnouts left over from when I rebuilt my original layout and replaced the brass track and turnouts with stainless steel and nickel plated track and switches so I would be very reluctant to make any changes that would require buying additional turnouts etc.

Currently the layout is plywood covered with green outdoor carpeting. it works for me and has been very trouble and maintenance free.

The layout was begun as a trailer mounted layout but is now and will remain permanent so I am considering alternatives for surfacing the expansion and perhaps ultimately the entire surface. The red boxes are proposed train sheds (construction as yet undetermined) to both store rolling stock and to drive trains into to get them out of occasional showers.

I am retired on a fixed income, I am not a craftsman and I have limited mobility so anything I do will need to be built with cost and labor as major considerations.

The layout is subject to strong winds and rain at times so everything needs to be weather proof. I plan to use chicken grit for roadbed but I want it to be somehow glued down so that it will not blow or wash away. The track will just lay on the chicken grit both so it can float with expansion and contraction but also so that it will retain maximum re-saleability without stuff clinging to it and minimizing contamination from surface materials (function is more important than appearance to me).

Other than the chicken grit roadbed my thoughts are to paint the rest of the plywood green and perhaps to add something to the wet paint to give it a grass appearing type of surface.











I would be interested in comments and suggestions about alternatives and if anyone has built anything similar.

Please do not feel offended if you make any suggestions that I do not follow as I never know what I am going to do until I decide to do it and I often change my mind many times before starting on a project. I never know myself what I am going to eventually do.

Thanks in advance,

Jerry


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## GG (Jan 1, 2009)

Hi Jerry, 

Is your plywood pressure treated? pitched ever so slight to allow for drainage? 

gg


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By GG on 03 Oct 2009 09:50 AM 
Hi Jerry, 

Is your plywood pressure treated? pitched ever so slight to allow for drainage? 

gg


Hi gg,

The plywood is (will be) pressure treated but it is (will be) perfectly flat (so the track is perfectly flat). When I try to get fancy by sloping the plywood or things like that I end up making a simple thing complicated and usually screw something up. It is much easier for me to work two dimensional rather than three dimensional.

I realize the plywood will sag a bit between the 2' x 4' supports but I figure that if I paint it any collected water should evaporate before it damages the treated plywood. In the case of the expansion there will be nothing but dirt and grass below so any leakage will not hurt anything. If any significant water collects on top I could always drill a few drain holes to let the water flow through them.

My first layout was plywood but with the rounded curves I made then the layout turned out to be a total disaster and I eventually ripped it up completely. Now I simply work with 4' x 8' sections; build them one at a time; and expand a layout one 4' x 8' section at a time. The plywood helps me keep the 2" x 4"s underneath square and one rectangle attached to another rectangle helps me keep the sides straight over distance.

Jerry


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## GG (Jan 1, 2009)

The drain holes will go a long way. be sure to pentox the drilled holes. 4'x8' sections is brilliant. You are building modules that could be moved... or exanded. 

Somewhere I read of an individual texturing his paint with "kitty litter". 

gg


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Posted By GG on 03 Oct 2009 12:32 PM 
The drain holes will go a long way. be sure to pentox the drilled holes. 4'x8' sections is brilliant. You are building modules that could be moved... or exanded. 

Somewhere I read of an individual texturing his paint with "kitty litter". 

gg


I am just about an expert on 4' x 8' modular construction. My entire crawl space layout is made of those sections hanging by steel straps 4' from the floor above. There are close to 50 sections and I was able to assemble and build it entirely by myself.





















I like the idea of kitty litter. That is something we buy regularly.

Thanks,

Jerry


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## Pagardener (Jan 10, 2008)

Jerry
We covered our freight yard ( which covers wood decking ) with gritty rolled roofing. Looks very well.








I cut small slits to match the decking slits to drain any water. We blow off leaves and hose down if it gets dirty but it has stayed well (been there 3 years).
Barb


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## Jerry McColgan (Feb 8, 2008)

Hi Barb,

What occurred to me is that 3M has a roofing granule plant in Little Rock. Since I am retired from 3M (different division) they once gave me some black granules to use for coal and I once found some brown granules that had leaked from one of their hoppers. That led to the idea that I might be able to get some green or brown granules and spread on top of wet paint of the same color (brown for dirt or green for grass). I may know where enough brown granules leaked to cover the entire layout.

How have you been? I have not seen you post in awhile or perhaps I have just not been looking at the right topics.

By the way your yard looks great!

Regards,

Jerry


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