Peeling paint?

[Chris333]

How do you do it in N scale?  White paint over a stained wood wall.

Does Tempra paint work?

[Dave V]

Suggest dry-brushing the white on.

[tom mann]

Chris,

Use the masking tape technique.  Put the paint on thick, let it dry for a few minutes, press masking tape on it, and peel it off.  You'll pull off some paint and leave some on.

Depending on what you're going for, you can also use the salt technique.

What Dave says is good if you want something subtle with more emphasis on fading.

I would just use acrylic.

[Chris333]

I tried just tried this. Drybrushing brings out a bunch of detail in the wood, but it look even and almost like a wash. So I tried the masking tape after drybrushing and that pulled some paint off and make it look more separated.

Good?


going for this look (O scale model)

[wazzou]

I've experimented with Papermate correcting tape burnished over stained siding and scratched off lightly with a soft brass brush similar to those I see offered by Micro-Mark.

[jimmo]

I tried just tried this. Drybrushing brings out a bunch of detail in the wood, but it look even and almost like a wash. So I tried the masking tape after drybrushing and that pulled some paint off and make it look more separated.

Good?


going for this look (O scale model)

IMHO it looks as good or better than anything I've seen in N-scale or even some of the larger scale attempts. Go for it!

[Chris333]

IMHO it looks as good or better than anything I've seen in N-scale or even some of the larger scale attempts. Go for it!

That's the look I was going for 

Ended up with this:

[wazzou]

Chris, IMO, I think the peeling affect looks pretty good but it looks like the paint just all peeled at once from freshly sawn lumber.  I'd like to see a little more of the coloration seen in the corner near the door with the darker contrast.

[Chris333]

I'm a little bit scared to add more stain at this point. Every time the walls were wet I had to let them dry under large steel blocks and now the walls as glued together. I'll see what powders do to it.

[wazzou]

Can you try an A&I wash? (Alcohol and Water Soluable India Ink)  Don't flood it on but sort a light wash.

[tom mann]

If you really, really want super peeling paint, you can mist on some water prior to painting. 

[Chris333]

I gave it another ink wash. The chunk of wood up on the dock is what the walls looked like when I opened the box:

[wazzou]

Now that's what I'm talking about.  Looks great.

[DKS]

Now that's what I'm talking about.  Looks great.

+1

[robert3985]

I agree that the peeling paint effect looks very good.  However, looking at prototype buildings that have had years of neglect, there's usually a "line" of darkness a few feet up from the bottom of the building that goes all the way around, except where there's a deck or loading dock.  This is caused by the run-off from the roof and rain drops spattering the dirt that gathers around the base of a building.  This spatters up, and stains the side of the building forming a "line", but with a highly feathered edge.  More rains wash this off, but some dirt/soil stains stay, and over the years, it builds up.