Modeling Stucco

[Dave Schneider]

My current structure project is a large factory in N scale with a rough stucco finish. I did a bit of research to look at how people have approached this modeling challenge and thought I would share my experience.

The materials I used are all readily available from craft and hardware stores. The key material to this project is an acrylic artist medium available from art or craft stores (such as Micheals).

 


Here is the stuff I used. Liquitex ceramic stucco and a stiff stenciling brush.





Here is a close up of the ceramic texture, which has a consistency similar that of abrasive hand cleaners.





The first step was to lightly sand the wall side to give it some tooth. This was followed by stippling the stucco one the side.  I didn't do anything fancy, just tried to get a somewhat even coat. Here is what it looked like before drying.





I let it dry overnight and then sprayed it with Rust-Oleum texture paint. The can on the left is the top coat (Putty) and the texture paint is Sandstone.





This step produces a finer-grained texture on top of the course acrylic texture.




I waited overnight for it to dry and then lightly sanded the surface to produce the characteristic flat spots the are seen on stucco surfaces. Don't worry if you remove all the acrylic in spots. The next step will fix that. At this time I also clean up the window openings with small file. The texture comes off easily from the opening. Here is the result after sanding and cleaning the openings.





After sanding, I sprayed another light coat of the Rust-oleum texture paint, followed immediately by a light spray of my final wall color coat. It seems to enhance the subtle shadows by spraying a lighter colored final coat over the the texture paint. Here is the final result. Ironically, this wall didn't turn out as well as some of the others. I think I  didn't wait long enough for the paint to dry before sanding, and the texture kind of balled up a bit. The resulting wall is surprisingly flexible and I have had any issues with it cracking or peeling off.



This is a rather easy method and I am happy with the way it turned out. I also tried Golden (brand) Light Modeling Paste, but the small amounts of grit in the ceramic stucco texture worked better for the building I am creating.

Best wishes, Dave

[DKS]

What a brilliant blog post.. Thanks for giving out this blog post!

But seriously, this is most excellent. Thank you for sharing.

[wazzou]

Nice work Dave.  I'd like to try that while also masking some brickwork with liquid mask to show peeling or flaking Stucco.

[Dave Schneider]

Thanks David. It took me a few minutes to figure out that first sentence.  
I also enjoy your blog and may I say your writings on theater and writing much missed!

Best wishes, Dave

[Blazeman]

Very well done, both the work and the reporting of it.

And I noticed on the ad at the bottom of the page there was a link for bidding on stucco work.

[pnolan48]

Very nice, Dave. After trying for 20 years myself because I lived in Albuquerque, your method looks much better. The scale of the texture is probably still too big, but it's 10X finer than I ever achieved, and I think going smaller might start looking too smooth.

Now I'm near Cincinnati, I think I'll try modeling mold. Or just let it grow naturally.

[pnolan48]

Dave,

My comment about the scale of stucco was not criticism in any way. What I was trying to say was that some effects are just too small to model in the smaller scales. The US Navy has standards for museum models for what can and can't be modeled in each scale. I meant that modeling even a rough textured stucco in N scale might be too fine and look too smooth. We talk about selective compression when designing scenes; perhaps we should also talk about selective expansion when talking about textures such as stucco.

[Dave Schneider]

Hi Pete,

Thanks for the clarification but no worries. I think that your observations are entirely correct and I welcome criticism of my modeling efforts. Sometimes it points out things that aren't obvious. I have enjoyed experimenting with various artist mediums, and have come away thinking that even though the scale may not be entirely accurate, the sense of texture is critical. This has been illustrated by the many nice freight car weathering techniques that been developed, so my observation is just an agreement with what others have shown.

All that said, the building I am trying to replicate has a very rough texture!



Best wishes, Dave

[pnolan48]

Dave,

It seems we agree completely, especially about texture. I think we need to go overscale sometimes to achieve artistic effects. I hope I'm not being too artsy-fartsy.

I must say that your picture shows the roughest texture I have ever seen, unless deliberately applied for an art effect. Here in Cincinnati, it seems blatantly oozing mortar was quite the style 25 years ago. Now, I've also seen stucco and mortar joints as smooth as a baby's behind. But that building is industrial-grade rough.

Looks like something I might have applied 20 years ago when I was learning about stucco. Biggest lessons: it's brutally hard work and takes some artisan skill if you want more stucco on the walls than on your shoes!

[sirenwerks]

There's a significant difference between the type of stucco David's modeling (which seems to be the spray-on variety, like DuraBond, akin to large projectile regurgitated paper product - spitball) and that which I remember used on structures in New Mexico, when I lived there, which is dense mud or rammed earth. The latter is finer and would probably be best modeled using a material like hydrocal or a process like what Jamie's doing with unsanded grout over on his Franksville thread. Of course, getting either of those in a vertical situation's more of a challenge, and onto a whole structure without seams.

[pnolan48]

For a few years, I built architect's models for a high-end Santa Fe subdivision in 1:48, or 1:64, or 1:92 scale. Dave's method would have been perfect for them. My stucco was always too rough or too fine. I applaud his efforts! Because I know, from 35 years of trying, how hard stucco is to model. I can only congratulate Dave on achieving something that a generation or more of modelers have been trying to do.

[glakedylan]

fantastic work! thank you so much for sharing your technique.
you nailed it!
much appreciation
Gary

[Mike Madonna]

Thanks all for your replies, much appreciated!

Did a little looking and Plastruct makes a "stucco" sheet styrene. Not only that, they also have an "N scale" sized "Spanish tile" roof sheet as well. All this info/techniques will go a long way in making the construction a bit easier. Again, thanks! 

[Upstate Gator]

Has anyone tried using Durham Water Putty for stucco or concrete? That would have a rough texture, although thickness could be an issue.
Ben

[jimmo]

Thanks all for your replies, much appreciated!

Did a little looking and Plastruct makes a "stucco" sheet styrene. Not only that, they also have an "N scale" sized "Spanish tile" roof sheet as well. All this info/techniques will go a long way in making the construction a bit easier. Again, thanks! 

Mike, bear in mind that even the finest Plastruct vacuum-formed stucco sheet is a pattern much larger than N-scale. One method that I discovered (quite by accident) was discussed a few years ago on the Atlas forum http://forum.atlasrr.com/forum/topic.asp?ARCHIVE=true&TOPIC_ID=54586 describes building the structure out of smooth, white styrene and then spraying the finish with the airbrush adjusted to the driest setting. Peteski suggested using solvent-based Floquil in the discussion (which is what I was using when I made my accidental discovery) sprayed from enough of a distance from the surface to allow the paint to dry some before hitting the model. In my discovery (unfortunately) I wasn't doing a stucco structure, but it sure looked like a diesel that had been stucco-ed.