Indoor outdoor carpeting

I used a piece of carpet that I bought at Lowes for $20...it's 5x7", bound at the edges and earth colored.

Have it in brown green and black on my layout!! My buddies laugh and call my layout the carpet central. However now my friend is using Bachman ground cover with border adhesive on it and it looks great!!!! Ed P.

Why is "indoor/outdoor" always mentioned? Unless you are using it outdoors, why use it? Some that I have seen has a "plastic" look, as well as a bright green color.

I use tight-pile muted green indoor carpet, myself. Buy it off a of large roll to avoid the fold marks that the packaged stuff has.

I've always wanted to experiment with a layer of carpet over plywood as the base for a traditionally scenicked layout. The carpet would take the place of the homosote layer to reduce sound.

 

There's no reason why ground cover, vegetation, masonite roads, gravel, etc. couldn't be glued to carpeting. The texture of the carpeting should enhance the scenic effect and maybe even require less scenic material to produce a realistic look.

 

Joe, I think indoor/outdoor is specified because of the short fibers, not because of any weatherproof qualities. Several people have commented that "marine" carpeting is good for layouts.

 

I think a true carpet material is always preferable over those "astroturf" style, bright green, plastic-looking coverings. 

 

Jim

Jim, the green astroturf might look nice if someone is modelling a train going past the house in the Brady Bunch

 

-bruce

I HAVE ALWAYS USED GREEN INDOOR/OUTDOOR CARPET ON MY LAYOUTS. THERE ARE DIFFERENT GRADES WITH THICKER PILE SO PICK THE TYPE YOU LIKE.

 

I ALSO LIKE IT BECAUSE YOU CAN DRILL HOLES THRU IT FOR WIRING TRACK AND ACCESSORIES AND IT HIDES THE HOLES REAL WELL.

 

LIKE A RUG - IT WILL EVENTUALLY SHOW THE DUST BUT YOU CAN VACUUM IT OFF EASILY WITH A SHOP-VAC AND IT WILL LOOK LIKE NEW.

My 5x8 carpet surface started out with just 2 loops of FasTrak on it. Over a 2 year period I added scenic areas (you could call them "scenic modules") that simply sat on top of the carpeting. Some were large, like a city park or playground, and others small, like a base holding a few trees. Of course, buildings, animations, and other objects just sit on the carpeting. The color of the Scenic Express "grass"on the "modules" matches the carpet very closely. Now 95% of the surface of the muted green carpeting is covered, and the "scenic modules" blend right in. When it's time to move, I can pack everything up since nothing is glued to the carpet.

Since using this carpet/module method dictates a fairly flat surface, country/moutain scenes are out. But I get more interest into my 5x8 space with a city/urban scene.

Let's see some pics!

Sounds great, Joe. 

 

There's no reason, though, why everything has to be flat. Styrofoam makes great rocky scenic modules that can add some elevation to your scenes.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jim

Jim I Have had good Luck with using Carpet Padding under the Indoor/Outdoor Carpeting. for sound reduction.

Like this?

Or this

Or

I started out with a carpet central having told myself that after going to O scale I wouldn't be knee deep in plaster like I'd been for the last 40 years.
No matter how hard I try I can't stop scratch building . I guess I didn't realize that I get just as much pleasure from building that I do from running the trains.
I'm still glad I'm not knee deep in plaster anymore.

David

I've used indoor/outdoor carpeting since Day 1 and have always been happy.  First used the bright green patio astroturf then switched over to a different rug with a darker color.  Along with the 2-inch styrofoam on top of the plywood, it helps with the noise (very important in my household).  The carpet backing also helps with some resistance with screws and nails for tracks (and Christmas items too).

 

Regards...

 

Kevin 

David,

 

Very nice scenes.

 

When I first switched over from HO to 3-rail, I intended to keep things simple and plaster-free, too. Somehow that changed over the years and now, about 500 lbs of plaster later, scenery building is probably my favorite activity!

 

That's the great thing about the hobby. There are so many different ways to approach it, and so many new things to try to keep it interesting.

 

Jim

Yea Jim,
The worst thing about this 3 rail stuff is it's big enough that I can do a lot of scratch building. That wasn't possible in N scale. Here I can grab a sheet of 1/4 ply and go to town. I did buy some of the Ameri-Towns and am working on putting an interior in one and calling it "Mary's Confectionery" It's a donut shop my wife wanted. In N scale I wouldn't even have bothered because you wouldn't have been able to see the inside anyway.
I don't think I'll do any mountains though I do have 2 corners that could benefit from a curved berm of dirt, grass and rocks with some pine trees (It's always those corners)
The Dept.56 buildings you see in the bottom pic are nice and I've since added a trolley line in that green strip, but nothing looks as good as a scratch built structure.

And they keep coming out with new tools to entice you to build even more.
I posted on the other thread about the guy trying to mount his Miller Sign.
That side cutting dremel bit is fantastic. I can lay out windows with a pencil in 1/4 inch ply push the bit thru and start cutting . You can do one window in no time flat and you just barley have to hit the corners with a triangle file and your finished.

Dang this O scale stuff

David