Anyone ever use joint compound for sidewalks?


Secondhandmodeler

Secondhandmodeler

All new now!
I've recently decided to abandon the idea of wooden sidewalks in favor of concrete. Being the cheap person that I am, I decided to try using some drywall mud I had sitting around. The thing that I'm concerned about is the edge of the slab. I am still going to have dirt roads in my town, so I don't think I'll need curb and gutter. Have you guys ever tried using joint compound for sidewalks? Would you still have a curb with dirt streets? All thoughts on the subject would be appreciated. Thanks
 
Yes, I have used drywall compound for streets and sidewalks. My advice is don't. You have to make forms, smooth it out, clean up the mess, and then wait for the inevitable cracks and seal them up. Concrete sidewalks are laid about the same regardless of the street surface. You still need to have the sidewalk, curb, and the bottom of the slab projecting out into the street to stabilize the sidewalk. This is what you are probably thinking of when you say gutter.

Since your streets are going to be dirt, you can ignore the slab since it would be quickly covered by dirt. All you need is .40 sheet styrene. This will be thick enough for a sidewalk. Cut it to width (about an actual five feet is typical in downtown areas, three to four feet in residential) and then use a straight edge and a sharp Exacto blade to carve the curb line and expansion joints. I like Floquil Aged Concrete for sidewalks but there are many other choices including cheap light gray spray paint from Wallyworld. Give the sidewalks a few washes of diluted india ink to show off the expansion joints and curb lines. Glue it down with whatever glue you like - I use latex caulk. You're done. You can get fancy and file the corners into a curve but you can also just butt up the square pieces together. Any way you do it, it's a lot faster, easier, and less messy to use styrene and it comes out looking like a sidewalk as in flat, no wavy and cracked sections like you always get with any other method.
 
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Jim is correct about the Mudd for sidewalks. I do use it for roads though. The cracks sometimes get pretty big, but I seal them up w/cheap latex caulk.
Then the cracks on the edge I seal w/Elmers glue. Just before the Mudd dries I use a damp sponge to smooth it out. Sometimes U need to make a form for roads that are raised up a little. I use wood stir sticks for the forms.
For sidewalks though it's a lot easier to use plastic sheeting.

Larry
 
The guys are right about the compound. It is a mess. And the finished product is even more of a pain. We even used the road kits and wasn't impressed either. One problem is if you put it on foam it dryes it out too quick. And we had it lift and not stick later. We used plaster too but that did the same thing. Cracked up and lifted off the foam. If you want it to look good years later, do what they say and use plastic!
 
Thanks for all of the information guys. One of these days I'm going to ask your opinion before I start a project. I used one of the sidewalks off of a building base for height. As far as cracking, it's holding up so far. I'm just worried about it not lasting very long. Tonight I'm going to try and sand it down to see what happens. I'm guessing that I'll just rip it out. I guess that's what I get for being cheap. Where do you get different thicknesses of styrene. I know that somebody mentioned for sale signs. How thick would a typical sign be?
 
Curb specs are usually 6" up to 8" tall, so an appropriate thickness of styrene works. I myself prefer GAPPLEG's idea, however, I've been looking at other brands, there's about 6 companies making sidewalks.

I DO however, have a mold made from 6x6 styrene, to make joint compound curbs, but not whole sidewalks. I found that it can be tough, but if you use spacers, of fine bits of plastic, or a brass rod, just at the top of curb, and down the sides (Not filling the whole width) you can pre-mold the expansion cracks.
 
The one Gappleg referenced is perfect because they are 10 scale feet wide, which is actually too wide for most sidewalks. Score it down the middle and you have 80 scale feet of sidewalk for $5 with all the expansion joints and curved intersection sections done for you. It would be hard to find a cheaper solution. Phllip's link is nice for making realistic ashphalt roads but I think is sucks for sidewalks. The same plaster cracking that looks good on the road will look terrible on sidewalks. Plus, why mix up plaster for something can be easily and cheaply done with a ready made product like the one above?
 
I'm thinking that if I can get a reasonably decent edge, then I can lightly scribe the lines I need. Then I was going to give it a coat of paint and a dark wash. We'll see! I'm not looking for perfection. I'm more of a general idea type of person.
 
Corey, I sure am glad you started this thread. With all the work I've done on my layout, I am just now getting to a modeled town. I hope you don't mind me asking a question along with yours since it is relative.

Fellows, I assume the sidewalk and the buildings are at the same level.
Do you cover under the buildings with something different than the sidewalks but the same thickness or use the same? (or all of the above:D )
If so, then you have the thickness of your road and then how much higher than that is the sidewalk?

As you can tell, this is totally a new area for me, Ha!
 
Rex, as I said, curbs are technically supposed to be 6X6, but range from 6-8". If I were laying a "foundation" to a building, I'd use some sheet balsa, covered with a card stock printout, or something of the sort, to mimic the flooring.

However, I have no room to speak, my Burger King has been waiting for a floor for over a year.
 
Rex,
There are several ways to do this. One is to place each block of buildings on the same piece of styrene so the sidewalks are at the proper level compared to the building. This is also the most expensive and difficult way to do it. I lay out the sidewalk and street first and then use double sided tape to raise the buildings to sidewalk level. It's fast and cheap and you can move buildings around easily if need be. I use .010 thick styrene for roads and it's so thin that it plays practically no role in how high the sidewalks have to be.
 
Well, I tried to get a clean edge for the sidewalk. It didn't work out. I decided to add a small wood strip to the outside. Tonight I'm going to go back and fill in the gap. I know that I could just buy sidewalks, but I could buy premade buildings, trees, and every other thing that I need. I know with my limited modeling skills, It would probably looks better. Somehow it would be less satisfying. If it really looks crappy, then I'll rip it out. I used this mud for under the buildings as well. Now I have a 6" by 18" slab to set my buildings on. I am starting to think of how easy it would have been to use styrene. I just didn't think it would be thick enough.
 
Corey, I hope you continue to post your progress with this. I am WATCHING YOU:eek: !

Thanks Josh/Jim.

I was out in the depot this morning and getting ready to use driveway patch to level out the floor entrance to a room. Would this stuff be good for doing the building foundations or road/sidewalks? It won't crack, it's hard but has plasticity at the same time. I know you can get it for concrete or asphalt driveways.
 
Rex, you're making me nervous! If you're looking for perfection in sidewalks, I wouldn't suggest plaster of any sorts. It is the look of perfection that scared me away from using plastic though. Nothing else on my layout is perfect. I thought they would scream PLASTIC! For roads or foundations, the drywall mud would work quite well. One thing I'm having to deal with is the difference of what looks good in person, and what looks good in a photo. In a detail photo, the four foot rule doesn't seem to apply. I'll try to post photos if the results are satisfatory.
 
Haha! Yeah, I understand.
You know, I look at some of these fellows' town scenes and I'm always amazed at the perfection. Like you said, my layout isn't perfect, but I try to make things look good.
 
Here is what I've come up with so far. It needs a wash and some weathering. It's not perfect, but I think it will work for now. I also need to cut in some lines for the curbs.



PB020017.png

PB020035.png
 
Corey, that looks like it will work out ok. If you don't mind me mentioning, I believe if you sanded down the sidewalk lines it would look better. They look kind of deep.
 
Maybe I'll try to sand down it down when I get home. I'm afraid that they'll disapear. I'll just have to sand lightly I suppose. Thanks for the input. I'll post updates when I get further along.
 
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