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Add cork pieces until you fill the roadway area, then let the adhesive dry completely before the next step.
track was already laid, I needed to do some masking. I can get sloppy when applying the joint compound. While it’s not a big deal to clean off, a little advance preparation can save you work down the road. I used painter’s tape to cover the track at the grade crossings to avoid getting joint compound on it. I also placed tape against the backdrop to protect it from any mess. I could’ve just sanded and repainted the backdrop if I had to, but why bother?
Subroadbed application 6
With a putty knife, apply joint compound on top of the cork. Try to make the surface as smooth as possible. It will save time later.
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After letting the joint compound dry for at least 24 hours, use a semicoarse sanding sponge to smooth any rough areas.
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Paint the roadway with inexpensive acrylic paints. The author prefers to mix colors to model a weathered surface.
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To secure the cork roadbed, I applied a bead of Gorilla Construction Adhesive 2 . This glue has a sticky, yet slippery consistency when it comes out of the tube, and it doesn’t take long to set up. In most cases, I could continue working after just a few minutes. If I needed to make a change in the future, a little pressure with a putty knife easily pops off whatever I’ve glued down. This has come in handy more than once. I laid down the construction adhesive in the basic shape where I wanted my road to go. Then I used a putty knife to spread the adhesive around until I had good coverage over the roadway area 3 . It doesn’t take a lot of adhesive to make this work. You just need enough to be sure the cork will stick securely. You don’t want thick spots, but
you also don’t want spots that are too thin. If you’ve had success laying your roadbed and track, this process is similar. As you’ll see moving forward, ballast for the track is going to spill out onto the roadway. Having that gap so close to the track would have been problematic. I used the first piece of cork as a jumping off point. To make sure the transition was smooth, I flipped the cork over so the bevel of the roadbed for the track and the bevel of the cork for the roadway lined up 4 . I continued to add more cork strips until I got to the edge of the roadway 5 . After letting the adhesive completely dry, it’s time to apply the joint compound.
Apply joint compound This part of the process, frankly, was not rocket science. To start, I put on gloves and scooped some of the joint compound out of the container. Then, I slathered it on until I had decent coverage. Next, I used a putty knife to smooth out the joint compound as best as I could 6 . This is an important step. The smoother you get it, the less sanding you will need to do later. You’ll want to get the joint compound as close to perfect as possible. It doesn’t have to be exact, but close. Once the joint compound has set up a little, you can moisten it and rub your
