Painting wargaming terrain

[Quantum]

After a false start followed by years of hiatus, I've decided to try my hand again with making my own wargaming terrain.

 

Right now I am still in the planning stage (I'm envisioning a bombed-out trench network), but I already see some challenges I may encounter when I get to the painting stage.

 

For the terrain itself I'm planning to use balsawood (mostly as a sturdy base plate, but perhaps for some wooden details too), soft polystyrene (from which I will cut out the trenches and bomb craters), card or cardboard (for other details) and filler/kit to smooth out edges.

 

That is a lot of different materials and I have no idea if the citadel paints that I have can actually be used to paint my terrain (it is designed for plastic models, after all); can I simply basecoat the terrain with Chaos Black spray and then use citadel paint, or do I need to somehow treat the various materials before I can start painting?    

[Slave to Darkness]

I personally just undercoat black and off I go, never had an issue with using citadel paints on scenery. 

 

Depending on the materials, you may want to add a layer of watered down pva to seal stuff like plaster so they dont absorb all the paint and leave patchy gaps. 

[Marshal Vespasian]

Be careful not to melt your polystyrene with the chaos black spray, IIRC some spray paints contain additives that can melt soft plastics. I think most DIY videos/giuides I saw recommended cheap primer from the home depot.

Also it might be wise to use cheap craftpaints to paint your whole table, just to save money.

 

Maybe Wylochs Armoury and miscast terrain can help you with your endevour:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jICEPMouKHw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lb1zg-Gkxu4

[Bryan Blaire]

Generally you don't want to spray paint foam - the spray solvent usually melts the foam. I guess it would depend on what you use, but this has been my experience.

 

To prep foam for acrylic paint (I guess it should work for any paint, but I only know of it for painting with acrylics), you could use gesso to prep the surface. You may need to apply several layers, but it might help you level out any dips, etc., in the foam.

 

As far as painting the terrain (once prepped), I have been using craft store acrylics and they've been working great on primed GW terrain. I dry brush the base colors and do any details I want to pick out (usually the thinner metal pieces) normally - base coat and shade has been all I really needed to do.

[Quantum]

Thanks for all the help so far!  

 

Since big ideas without the necessary skill, materials and time killed my project last time, I am aiming for a clear and straightforward painting method so I can start painting asap.

 

So would the following method work?

 

1. Build the scenery from the various materials.

2. Use Primer to cover everything (Do I need a specific type? There seem to be a lot of variations on the market. Is the plaster Slace to Darkness mentioned then still necessary to seal everything? Is there even a difference?)

3. Use PVA glue to apply basing sand and rocks.

4. Basecoat everything (can I use spay paint or will that still melt the polystyrene despite the layer of primer?)

5. Paint scenery with acrylic paints (use cheaper types than citadel paints if possible)

6. use PVA glue and modelling grass/flock where appropriate.

[Quantum]

I am also looking into using MDF as a base, mostly because it seems to be easier to work with than wood so that I can use it for more than just a base (and because the hardware store near me sells it, so I have easy access to it).

 

However, I've heard MDF absorbs liquids very easily, causing it to swell and bulge. Can I still prime it? Do I need a specific type of primer?

[PeteySödes]

For mdf you may need an extra pass on the primer but nothing special. As for XPS (foam) 100% you need to coat it in at least white glue if you plan to spray it. I water it down just a touch and add a drop of dish soap to break the surface tension. After that’s dry you can spray away without issues.

[Quantum]

Perhaps the real question I have is this: what primer/priming material/sealer can I use for every material (polystyrene, wood, cardboard) so that I can paint on it without worrying if my paint flakes off, gets absorbed by the material, or melts it?

[PeteySödes]

For terrain I usually am not too picky about primer, as long as it’s matte I’ve never had a problem. White glue/PVA is similarly universal as a pre-seal on foam or flocking.

[Naryn]

Almost all old DIY terrain tutorials used to advocate for priming with a few coats of PVA mixed with craft store acrylics. I do thing on all my terrain and never had a problem with paint sticking.

[Fajita Fan]

I’m using cheap acrylic paints on terrain, GW stuff is way too expensive. Rustoleoum also makes some good primers for $4 a can including an aluminum colored spray I’m using in place of leadbelcher.

[Quantum]

Does anyone have experience with watered down PVA glue? What would be a good water-to-glue ratio?