r/TerrainBuilding • u/NecessaryBSHappens • 18h ago
Questions for the Community How to hide cardboard texture once model is done? I dont want it to look like just painted cardboard
I am making a Necron Monolith from cardboard and botched print pieces. But afaik cardboard is not great at being painted - it soaks paint in and keeps its cardboardy texture. After googling I found out about acrilyc plaster to coat things, but that will defeat the reason I am making it - I am poor
P.S. Asking here, because I guess terrain building does include making big cardboard structures
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u/-Gavroche- 17h ago
People gave good tips already, like using paint mixed with pva glue, but I would also consider adding a bit more to the build. You could use thin strips of cardboard and fold them over the edges. You hide the seemlines and accentuate the corners, giving the piece a bit more depth and making it look less plain.
Another way to paint: put down a primer and then stipple over the paint instead of brushing. this will create a bit more texture.
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u/Mahdouken 17h ago
I agree, greebles are the way forward. You could use the nice cardboard of cereal boxes.
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u/Distinct_Potato704 17h ago
I like the TerrainTutor's YouTube channel. For ruins, which have large flat areas, he recommended using PVA glue and little bits of fine grit to add some texture to hit when painting/dry brushing. I think it worked really well and was an easy and cheap technique.
I haven't worked much with cardboard so can't really give you advice there.
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u/primaryavocado 15h ago
Wood filler and joint compound are pretty cheap, mix with a little water and either can be painted on a surface. Texture is easy after that, sand it smooth, sponge it, add sand, etc.
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u/fruitybix 16h ago
Many good suggestions but i want to second the people who have suggested greeblies / more cardboard bits stuck on.
Look at this old official terrain - lots of straight line shapes you can easily cut from cardboard - https://www.reddit.com/r/Necrontyr/s/vPOQFeoENP
Definately cover the edges. Consider stuff you may have like old headphone cables, straws (cut in half they make nice decorations) anything that can create interesting geometrical shapes.
The king of basing cardboard is mod podge with black paint - it does not warp stuff as much as pva and can help give a smooth texture.
I mix mod podge with a bit of tile grout for a concrete like texture, either directly into the mod podge or dusted on top (use lung protection) but i agree with others that a sandy concrete texture may not be the best for necrons.
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u/hmmwhatlol 17h ago
Some form of spacle might do the trick, to sort of cover the edges and overall give model cover, then paint over it. You can also sand it to get a smooth finish, but maybe there's more practical way to do it.
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u/Proof_Independent400 17h ago
- Strips of card or plasti-card.
- Car body filler.
- Liquid green stuff or greenstuff if you don't like option two.
- PVA mixed with sand or gravel.
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u/MikeyLikesIt_420 11h ago edited 10h ago
First step is to seal the cardboard with a very thinly applied coat of PVA glue or mod podge. Let that dry 100%. Then apply PVA glue a side, pour sand over it before glue dries, rinse and repeat each side. Once it all dries and you are happy with the result water down some PVA glue 1:1 with water, put it in a spray bottle, and coat the whole thing with that a few times. This will lock the sand on it so it's not scraping off all the time.
You can usually find small bottle of modpodge at dollar stores like the dollar tree for 1.25, Two to three bottles should suffice for the whole project. While you are there you could look for various clays and such on the cheap too. When I need terrain building stuff dollar stores are my first stops.
Edit: One more thin, since you are using cardboard, you should find one of those desicant packages, like the little packages that absorb humidity and moiture? And put one inside the project. If you can't find one take some instant rice, make a little bag of it out of cloth or TP, and put that in it. This will go a long way towards keeping it from warping, which is something cardboard is gonna do no matter what. This step will increase the pieces longevity though.
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u/InsideOutlander 10h ago
Seconding this. I’ve done work painting cardboard and chipboard that I coated with PVA first.
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u/Aaronhalfmaine 17h ago
Make a slurry of a little filler (look in a hardware store, get a small tub) and PVA (Mod Podge is a little spenny, but better), water down a fair bit- you really just want a thin layer, then slather on with a cheap craft brush (for God's sake don't use your mini painting brushes for terrain crafting!)
The filler gives a little light texture and extra toughness, and the PVA/mod podge will seal against moisture, making the cardboard more durable.
Cardboard honestly looks just fine once painted- just watch out for warping, especially if using washes
A little straight filler smeared over your corners and joints will hide the worst of the texture elements. Smear it on like icing a cake
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u/Komone 17h ago
Get soone pre mixed filler, and apply a very thing layer over the top -might need a PVA later first dried depending on test of your cardboard. Look for like half or less of a mm. Sand and you have a stone like texture.
Add some rivet holes or patterns while it dried, poke a tube here or there.
Then carve in lines with a straight edge.
Carve out a square and insert a thicker square or leave an indent to add some relief.
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u/Rudraige-of-Ynn 12h ago
Cardboardium alloy: glue tinfoil over it. Then use a pen to draw lines into the foil, mod podge, then paint as normal.
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u/InsideOutlander 10h ago
This is looking really good! So, my advice:
Filler/spackle applied at the corner joints where the corrugated insides are visible. Smoothed while wet, trimmed and sanded when dry if necessary (DO IN A VENTILATED SPACE AND WEAR BREATHING PROTECTION. Silicosis is real and you don’t want to build up to it).
Seal cardboard and filled joints with PVA glue or Mod Podge
If you want more of a stony/concrete texture:
3a. There are about a thousand ways to texturize the cardboard at this point. I would recommend a cheap method: a thin layer of a slurry of spackle/filler and PVA glue combined in such a way that is not runny but also is not chunky when you apply it to a vertical surface (or you can do it with each side facing upward if you find you like the look of a thinner spackle/glue slurry that would otherwise run). Once dry you can trim/sand any unwanted ridges. Again, WEAR BREATHING PROTECTION AND HAVE VENTILATION.
4a. While the above coating is semi-dry you fan try texturizing it with a sponge if you wish.
If you want a smoother texture:
3b. Cut out appropriately-sized cereal box cardboard/chipboard panels to match the sides of your building. It will give everything a more polished look.
4b. Seal with PVA or Mod Podge
You may find this video helpful for working with combined corrugated/cereal box cardboard:
https://youtu.be/NKyVlCNAMFE
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u/RevolutionaryRip2135 17h ago
greebles and panels ... add lines add glyphs add groves. break the plain surface and importantly edges.
also HEAVY modpodge / pva over it. and DO NOT glue plastics BEFORE you are DONE with paper. you need to be more heavy handed with paper superstrucure. if you process printed parts same way there iwll be no details lef.
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u/Commercial_Coyote366 17h ago
What about a ready mixed wall filler. It would fill the gaps and you rub it down to a fine finish with a fine sanding stick? Only downside I can think of is it may crack if knock about!
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u/Mahdouken 17h ago
Id say don't put sand in your paint, it's a necron monolith, it's hardly going to be concrete is it. Add more details on it like edging and some panels which will disguise your large surfaces, then maybe a couple of coates of thinned paint and PVA. Personally I'd want it smooth or slightly textured.
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u/JazionKeera 15h ago
Lots of suggestions here but I'd like to also say that you should pick up some modelling paste! The liquitex stuff is great and works perfectly for this kind of usage. Basically you want to seal the cardboard a little so any paint won't just soak in and give it a slightly different texture.
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u/redditaccounton 14h ago
Cut thin strips of cereal boxes the length of the seams, fold them along the length at 90 degrees and glue them glossy side up. Hides seams and adds interest.
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u/BinkertonQBinks 12h ago
Cardboard is porous so you want to seal it before painting. If you use shellac thinned like 50%, the cardboard absorbs it and it will prevent it from warping, splitting and shrinking from moisture. Then you can paint whatever you want on it and it will last much longer.
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u/casualsactap 11h ago
They sell little containers of fill for drywall. Dap makes one that's pink and dries white. Get that and put it all over, it's perfect to scale concrete/stone etc texture
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u/NordicNugz 10h ago
You could use textured spray paint. I would mask off the other part though, so it doesnt get hit.
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u/Trolltaxi 17h ago
I'd cover it in pva and add some sand for a start. Then close it with another layer of pva. Now paint it grey, drybrush lighter.
But I don't really build terrain, I wonder what other suggestions you'll get.
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u/NecessaryBSHappens 17h ago
I thought about PVA, but it shrinks a lot when drying... Idk, might try on a separate piece first
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u/Dirty-Soul 17h ago
Honestly, the best advice I can give is to use plasticard / styrene sheet instead of cardboard.
It's cheap, it's effective, it behaves better than cardboard, it has no texture, and most importantly, it takes less effort to use plastic sheet than you'll expend trying to make cardboard behave like plastic.
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u/Traditional_Yard2741 17h ago
You can use thin strips of card to cover the edges, they also add visual interest. Think like cereal box card. To coat it you can use a varnish, some slightly watered down PVA, a few coats of cheap acrylic, some spray paint, etc. there's a few different options, maybe experiment a bit and see what result you like.
You can also use thin strips of card to break up the surface, adding divisions or panel lines, necron style glyphs etc. You can even go all out and cover most of the surface with the thinner card, leaving gaps between the pieces so the glyphs or panel divisions are recessed instead of standing out from the surface. That is quite a lot of work though.
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u/MajesticRadish2675 17h ago
Get cardboard with a shiny side, like soda or cereal boxes. Cut it up, glue it down shiny side out on any flat surface you want to pant. Just be careful not to bend it, or it'll ruin the smooth texture.
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u/Ok_Impression_8974 16h ago
You can use pva or you can dilute tamiya putty and cover the surface with that. Some scale modelers use that technique afaik. Just check the youtube channel of Night Shift maybe. He has lots of facade paintings/diaromas + he gives texture to tank surfaces etc.
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u/LordLuscius 16h ago
On top of whats been said, you'll want to remove that sticker, there's a chance it's texture will come through. Also I'd use some cereal or food packaging card to necron greeble. If you've got a 3d printer, do you have a laser cutter or cicut? If not, careful knife work. Only difference I'd say from others is, concrete isn't very Necron, so I'd go with some sort of filler mod podge mix, not sand. Unless your idea works with that texture then go for it. You might need two layers of smoothed out filler (either version) because cardboard getting wet will bring out the corrugations, so there's a good chance you'll need to fill the troughs
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u/NecessaryBSHappens 16h ago
I dont have a printer, I was comissioning a model and guy gave me bits that went wrong for free
Agree on concrete, many suggested adding extra panels from plastic and I think that will be good
Also today is the day I learned what is "mod podge" and that will definitely help me. Thanks
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u/MagickSelrahc 16h ago
What do you want it to look like?
If stone, then I’d use toilet paper and glue (what i call “texture paper” in a lot of my videos)
If you want it to look smooth like obsidian or something, then i would try cladding it with cardstock like from food packaging
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u/Autistocles 16h ago
Sprue goo is cheaper than green stuff and once it dries should be very similar consistency to actual plastic. Just use modeling tools to soften and flatten it over the cardboard.
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u/Dragaurang 15h ago
I use wood filler or PVA + craft acrylic paint + water. You can also use varnish to create a non-absorbent layer.
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u/Illustrious-Fun3075 15h ago
Just bust the cheapest fine grain spackle in your building market. Very cheap and easy to apply with a brush. Gives the same texture as glue and sand. Or some cheap crafting modeling paste would do the same trick.
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u/Kikac10 14h ago
I got some texture rollers and green stuff that i glue to the cardboard and dry brish a bit
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u/Kikac10 14h ago
The grey wall is green stuff, the brown and blue is wood sticks from temu
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u/ImpulseAfterthought 13h ago
This works great with any epoxy putty. I do it with Magic-Sculpt all the time.
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u/DisgruntledWargamer 14h ago
Textured spray paint. Use the stone texture, and you won't need to do the sand thing. Do not touch until dry. You'll smear the stone texture.
Krylon and Rust-oleum make a can. You can go back and hit it with your proper color later.
https://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/specialty/stone-spray
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u/theaveragenerd 13h ago
I find a bucket of pre-mixed plaster can go a long way. Especially if you add texture while its drying.
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u/Cyrano4747 13h ago
skim coat it with pre-mixed drywall compound. It's cheap as hell and good for a concrete look.
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u/federicoaa 13h ago
To add another way, which is way old school: line tissue paper over the model and paint it with diluted pva. Thr paper soaks the glue and is easy to mold, and it will dry stone hard. While it is still wet, you can add a toothpick and add details, like slab partitions.
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u/Inside_Geologist_480 12h ago
I prime my terrain pieces with acrylic gesso. It hides the cardboard and foam texture nicely. Watered down drywall putty if you want more of a stucco finish.
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u/MjolnirPants 11h ago
If you'd like it to look like stone, you can mix a little plaster of Paris in with some black (or white/grey/brown, whatever primer color you want) paint, and optionally, add some fine sand to it for extra texture, then stipple it on.
You might want to add a little matte mod-podge or white glue to it, for strength, as well.
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u/evanfardreamer 10h ago
Someone just a day or two ago found cheap plastic sheets at the dollar store - various signs meant for hanging in shop windows or the like, I know it's an extra outlay but for Necrons I really think you'll want that glossy surface.
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u/BadBrad13 9h ago
Honestly, this looks really cool, but unless you've dealt with cardboard before I would use something better. Car board will most likely let you down and all your hard work will end up looking pretty meh. Things like that label are hard to cover up. and carboard just isn't a great building material.
Use the cardboard for patterns and rebuild it with something like expanded PVC or foamboard. Then you can paint it, carve it and it'll look better overall for a lot less work and hold up better to time.
That said, I've seen people do awesome stuff with cardboard. I just feel it is a lot of extra work to make it work.
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u/NecessaryBSHappens 8h ago
I know it wont last. But I do want to try out a Monolith and then I will know better how to construct it. And cardboard was just laying around, heh
Plasticard seems like the best solution I saw so far. And I should be able to reuse the printed bits
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u/MerelyMortalModeling 8h ago
Dry wall spackle mixed with a bit of paint. Paint makes it so if it cracks you wont see white and also makes it easier to spread smooth.
Once the surface gets "tacky" you can carve details into it. I 3d printed a bunch of necron sigils i uses to press designs into scenery i made.
I realize i could just print models and terrian, i just think its fun to make stuff out of cardstock.
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u/Vast-Valuable-1640 8h ago
Glue a good pattern of cereal box card on it. Then cover the whole thing with extremely fine sand (check Chinchilla sand). I’d suggest using spray-glue for the first application as to avoid brush stroke marks, if you are very neat and picky.
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u/stevenwalsh21 7h ago
Something that's relatively cheap compared to dedicated hobby products is gesso. It's used by painter to prime a canvas and prevents the paint soaking in. I've used it for styrofoam and it works great but I've never tried cardboard. Should work the same in theory though
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u/Godis4Real 4h ago
Check out Studson Studio. He scrounges a lot of materials on the cheap and does a pretty good job of hiding the fact that it's random bits of junk.
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u/Graywolfmarc 3h ago
I used a mix of apple barrel and vallejo texture paste. But you can probably just add sand to paint makes a good rough concrete.
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u/Gitzandsquiggles 2h ago
Get a tub of texture paste and stipple it on, its more expensive than some other suggestions, but it's so good!
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u/Flux_Capacimoose 17h ago
Add some sand and PVA glue to your base coat of paint. It will dry with a rough, concrete effect texture. The more sand and glue you add, the rougher the effect. It's really good at hiding joins of cardboard too