Model Railway Forum

I always paint mine with either dark green or grey/black emulsion. More from the point of when adding scenery, grass etc, you don't get any nasty cream/wood colours showing through!

I'm just starting to build my first proper layout and it hadn't occurred to me to paint the baseboards. It's in my loft so hopefully no damp issues.

I can see the benefit of white underneath to make the wiring more visible. Is there any practical benefit to painting the top, or is it mainly visual / aesthetic?

Even in a loft damp could be an issue. Painting the top will assist when it comes to gluing things down and ballasting. If it's not sealed / painted the wood could just act like a sponge. Others might disagree.

You should paint both sides and the edges. If you paint one side it will warp.
Sealing it will prevent glue etc.being absorbed when you start landscaping.

Interesting, thanks. Got some cutting to do (to fit the baseboards around the loft struts) then will see what paint we've got sitting around.

I used a small roller with thinned paint on the top, with the thought that heavier coats would be applied later depending on scenic expectations, ie brown fields. Blue black track etc. Green grass etc

Underneath I used a slightly less thicken coat, mainly cos I’m mean and wanted the paint to go further

Rgds

Does emulsion work on wood? I assumed you need to use matt or satin interior wood paint like you use on door frames and skirting boards but, my local DIY shop only has white and I want khaki to blend with the general landscape.

Any paint you have will do. Emulsion is perfect because it dries very quickly, isn’t sticky and can easily be mixed to make a colour of your choice.