I NEED backdrop help!!!

[dekker]

I made the huge mistake of not puting any kind of back drop material around the walls where my layout now buts up to. It is a shelf layout and I am looking for any kind of material that is around 1 to 2 feet tops, in height, and that I can roll out or seam together with as little seams as possible. I used to have an old roll of aluminum flashing material that you could paint and the roll was about 25 feet long and was under 2 feet in height but it is long gone. Any ideas? I have tried different types of paper boards and I am not happy with the results. Thanks!

 

[Larry]

Have you tried BackdropWarehouse on line?
Also, Sometimes you can get picture wallpaper at Home Depot or Lowes that has a real nice cloud design. Might be a bit large for your scale.

 

[GrampysTrains]

Hi dekker: Have you considered linoleum (vinyl) runner, with the back (plain) side out? Some kind of wood frame is needed to attach it. DJ.

 

[kbkchooch]

1/8 inch masonite will work. Have your local home center cut the width, and you will ony have to seam every 8 feet of it. A small piece of 1 by behind it, a few screws, tape and mud, and you are on your way. Sand it with a damp kitchen sponge (the kind with a scotchbright on one side) to minimize the mess. At that point I would paint it a sky blue, get a backdrop program like the one from LARC products with some cardstock and spray glue, and build your own personalized backdrop!
Or even cheaper still. Get a digital camera with a "stitching" program, pick a location and pan across it stopping and taking a pic every so often with a little overlap, then stitch them together in the computer, print and glue!

 

[UP2CSX]

I second the linoleum idea. It's easy to bend, smooth, takes paint well, and accepts almost any kind of glue if you want to put some pictures up. You can sometimes get end rolls cheap at a floor covering store. Paint it a sky blue with an overspray of light gray at the bottom to simulate distance. If you use backdrop pictures, cut out the sky and just paste up the builings or rest of the scenery so your sky will be uniform. I've found spray adhesive works fine for paper backdrops when used on linoleum as long as you do it on a flat surface and have a good roller so the paper makes good contact. The stuff stinks so doing it outside is a good idea. I've used masonite before, as Karl recommends, and that's a good second choice if you can't get linoleum. In either case, you really should build a frame of furring strips and glue, screw, or nail them to the wall so you have something to suppport the backdrop, especially where it bends.