Concrete texture

[Necroghast]

Hey, I\'m making a base for a diorama:

Obviously it\'s not done yet, but I want to texture it to look like concrete. I thought I could do it by just glueing some sand down, but now I\'m not sure if that will work. Any ideas?

 

[droogie77]

You could try spraying it with GW roughcoat spray or spread some watered down PVA over it and sprinkle a bit of very fine sand lightly over the base.

 

[BPI]

Do you want a \"new\" polished concrete effect or stuff that\'s badly worn?

If you want it worn then have some rusty rebars sticking out of broken away areas.

About the sand idea. My concern is that if you just apply it externally it will look more like coarse render.
Because concrete is poured into a mould, I\'d suggest digging some cavities out of your block & only putting the sand in there, keep the outside smoother.

B.

EDIT: try a Google picture search for \"Concrete Sea Fortifications\". I think the first few pages will at least give clues as to what I\'m thinking about!

 

[Ritual]

Make a paste with watered down milliput and add a bit of very fine sand (not too much). Spread the paste out over the surface and make it a bit uneven. When it\'s about half set, press a piece of coarse sand paper into the surface to make a bit of extra texture.

 

[Einion]

Best and simplest way I know of is to apply a thin layer of putty and then stipple it. You use short stiff brushes for this, and a little bit with a spare toothbrush; you can also try pressing abrasive paper into the surface gently.

You end up with a texture that looks exactly right.

For any broken edges the best way of doing this is actually to break the hard putty, but you have to make sections in advance that you can hold and snap, then fix into position. If you have to do it in place, texture the end with a couple of rough stones/pebbles + a bit of stippling. Then when it\'s set you might try applying a bit of fine sand or grit as needed.

Einion

 

[demonherald]

forthe broken off pieces as einion mentions... mix up putty first fold it and press like making puff pastry to trap a little air in there .. also add a little sand and grit to the putty mix.. roughly shape and once dry you can brek it with pliers knives clippers etc to good effect.

valleotexture pastes are pretty good agin use a stiff brush or something similar to provide the texture .....

 

[demonherald]

Originally posted by droogie77
You could try spraying it with GW roughcoat spray or spread some watered down PVA over it and sprinkle a bit of very fine sand lightly over the base.

GW roughcoat sucks balls......... The sand in it is too coarse and too sparing to work at this scale........... OK for buildings and the like but for bases no way.....

forgot to mentionthe odd bit of paper clip wire in the broken bits to act as reinforcemnt bars goes a long way to sell the concrete idea..

 

[Necroghast]

Sounds like some good methods, will give them a try.

 

[Shadzar]

For this piece of terrain, I cheated.

I used this on it for the concrete color and finish.

http://www.usahardware.com/inet/shop/item/10700/icn/20-630533/plasti_kote/11444.htm

 

[droogie77]

Originally posted by demonherald

Originally posted by droogie77
You could try spraying it with GW roughcoat spray or spread some watered down PVA over it and sprinkle a bit of very fine sand lightly over the base.

GW roughcoat sucks balls......... The sand in it is too coarse and too sparing to work at this scale........... OK for buildings and the like but for bases no way.....

forgot to mentionthe odd bit of paper clip wire in the broken bits to act as reinforcemnt bars goes a long way to sell the concrete idea..

Thanks that bit of info on the roughcoat. I thought it would be alright for bases too but after hearing that I wont even bother with it.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

I\'m actually doing some large cement pieces right now. On a whim I tried pressing 60 grit sand paper all over the piece while it\'s still workable and it looked FANTASTIC......so simple too.
I\'ve also used a sand blaster in the past with good results.
Mixing a very fine sand with some paint and painting that on could do also....maybe.

 

[generulpoleaxe]

milliput slip (slightly thick) and fine sand mix.

if it looks too smooth when cured just lightly sand and the texture will be revealed.

 

[Shawn R. L.]

Originally posted by generulpoleaxe
milliput slip (slightly thick) and fine sand mix.

if it looks too smooth when cured just lightly sand and the texture will be revealed.

Gently using a fine wire brush can help either to stipple and/or brush.....stipple while workable, brush after it\'s cured though.

 

[Necroghast]

I mixed some sand with wood putty and it appears to have worked.

 

[nosirrahkcaz]

this might be to late to help you but in the past I used a small container of stucco repair to get a concrete finish on buildings