The mats are more of a time saver. White glue, brushes and jars of material look the best, even if it's your first time using it.
Eric's trains has a few nice video's of putting down the scenic turf. Woodland scenic has couple of them, also.
Eric's trains - videos -tutorials - building mountains or building tunnels - find the part of the episode where he is applying scenic material.
YouTube has some good videos, too. Scale doesn't matter, it's technique and result.
Paint the table with an earth tone color latex paint that's close to the region your railroad is located. Then glue and sprinkle the material.
The small hand held vacuums are good for cleaning up the extra and keeping it clean to reuse. Just keep a fresh filter for the material.
oh, I forgot to mention Brennan's Better ballasts. Dennis also has scenic material. Eric uses both manufacturers. Different colors and textures. Lowes has Elmer's white glue in gallons.
