upgrading board..and all about pva.

[carvel2]

I have a yen to improve the surface of my wargaming board having seen so many brilliant tables over the past weeks..
Here is what it looks like now, painted green and stippled with different colours


I cant afford the battle mat option of a smooth static grass table so was thinking of a variety of green sawdust type model railway stuff sprinkled on.
Dont (think) I want to add a filla surface with texture as I am a bit irritated (ocd) when figures wobble on a table (I doo like that static grass look!)
For the sake of argument...if I could get cheap matting how would I vary the colour accross the table?

SO.......
a) Best fix for modelling 'sawdust...pva?
b) do you spray varnish after to secure it?
c) Any thoughts on the battle mat type wall paper?
d) Any top tips or novel ideas to improve the surface of the board?

Cheers in anticipation....pictures helpful for my brain

[grant]

Your very best option for a battle mat is the GW one! They are cloth, and brilliant. Weird, I know. I have two and they are great.

Your idea of varied pieces of colorful mats will work too. Railway scenics come in various sizes of pre-flocked mats (paper usually) and you could use a bunch of those, which would look great too!

[Cubster]

I'm a sand fan, so I'd probably brush slightly watered down wood glue over the surface and lob a load of builder's sand over it. Leave for a couple of hours then sweep off the excess and go build a patio.

By the time you've finished your patio you will be able to merrily paint your sand surface with standard household paint. Maybe a mid or dark green base with some bry-brush pale green, sand and brown patches for variety. That'll look ace I reckon. The paint should be pretty hard wearing but you could also seal it with a thin coat of watered down wood glue again for protection and if it does wear away over time, it could even improve the effect as it brings out the natural sand colour underneath!

[carvel2]

Are we steering away from sawdust grass then?

[grant]

Are we steering away from sawdust grass then?

Unless you are wargaming with mice, gerbils, hamsters, and/or guinea pigs, I am not a fan of the sawdust.

[Cubster]

Sorry, got carried away. If sawdust is what you want, it's what you want. You can fix it with wood glue and seal it with a diluted version of the same I reckon. Don't use PVA (unless it's strong PVA) because it is feeble and limp, something for girls to fix their ribbons to ponies or something, not the sort of thing a manly man can rely on. But the sawdust will probably still crumble away over time and leave little bald patches, so minimal maintenance is to be expected. If you're expecting to transport the table then it's probably going to be a little lighter than the sand.

[mrtn]

You can fix it with wood glue and seal it with a diluted version of the same I reckon. Don't use PVA (unless it's strong PVA) because it is feeble and limp
...

In my part of the world wood glue is PVA.

[grant]

In Canada, most wood glues are yellowy and take a longish time to dry. PVA is like a school glue, very weak. Weld-Bond is a white glue that is thick, dries fast, and is probably like what PVA is "over there". It's my "hobby glue". Very expensive though, but the stuff is amazing.

[Ala Noricorum]

Yes, you are right, Grant.
over here, well in central European countries PVA-wood glue is white, thick , dries fast and is quite unexpensive-like yours wel bond over there .
Its easily found in Obi, Baumax, Bauhaus, I have used it in all my building projects lately in roman principia, gluing paper, paperboard, wood, sand and and could only recommend it.

[Cubster]

You can fix it with wood glue and seal it with a diluted version of the same I reckon. Don't use PVA (unless it's strong PVA) because it is feeble and limp
...

In my part of the world wood glue is PVA.

Well here there are lots of different types, of varying strengths (hence the strong PVA bit). I use decorator's PVA, for instance, a lot in DIY stuff, because it's a good sealant and can be mixed with paint for improved elasticity and waterproofing. I also add it to Milliput for a homemade version of the 'Liquid Greenstuff'. But it gives a very weak bond and as others have said, as far as gluing goes it's really only good for fun craft projects, sticking paper and such.