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As the topic says I have come in to a bit of a problem where I need to have a very obvious concrete texture for a bunker network im putting together.
I have heard of using modeling paste as a means to texture but I dont think that is available in my area.....

so good people of Dakka I come before you again to ask you to show me the way, can you tell me your methods for creating concrete texture?

thank you for reading XD

For an obvious texture, try mixing very fine sand in with your paint. You might also be able to purchase textured spray paint.

Mix the finest sand you can find with paint. Or glue sand on and then paint over it. Strictly speaking the texture will be over-scale, representing quite rough concrete rather than smooth concrete, but it's better than nothing.

Another option would be some sort of fine texture spray - GW's RoughCoat is sadly no longer available, but I believe other similar products are available.

There are also crackle mediums available in art stores: You can use them to have a crackle effect on your paintjob. Just apply your basecoat first (something preferably dark), then apply crackle medium. Allow to dry, then apply a lighter color. The lighter color will crack, showing the dark basecoat underneath. Perfect for post-apocalyptic settings or showing that the concrete has cracks.

oh that crackle sounds great.....its too bad art stores here are not as cool as the shops in your countries :S

I am hard pressed even to find textured spray paint :(


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there is some very very very fine sand outside my house I will grab some, wash and bake dry see if that works?

Nah, we have normal art stores here and they have cheap crackle mediums. Try looking for Semco products, they're like $1.5 per bottle of crackle medium. If not, you can try oil-water resist techniques, but take note that this will crack more in time.

I see,

to create a smooth concrete would plaster hardened and then sanded down be a viable option?

I use skimcoat.
With a specially modified spatula for application that gives it that 'layered' look of usual concrete structures.
(I notched the usual filler spatula so that it leaves ridges in the filler as it's levelled out.).

you could proably use plaster, if that's 1 of the only options available to you. But if you sand it down too much, it'll end up exactly like the original surface.

I think the idea of using that sand outside your house would work best. To ensure you don't ruin a good GW paint (darn things are expensive), this is just for a floor, so I would go purchase a cheaper paint (doesn't matter, you'll be painting over it), mix your sand into that, thin as needed, and use that on your surfaces. Then, paint it to your specifications, and it should look quite nice.

If the sand outside your place isn't fine enough, you may find something along those lines at (again, this could be iffy) the art store, or maybe even a pet shop as some pets require a dry, sandy environment (such as lizards, snakes, spiders, etc.)

Best of luck. If it works out well, write up a tutorial for it. This is the kind of stuff that people love to hear about, and would most definitely use.

Personally, I use Rust-Oleum Textured spray paint. The Fine Textured Spray goes on evenly, without the clumping that faux stone finishes usually have, but has enough texture to take to drybrushing quite nicely.

If I didn't have that, I'd use a mixture of sand and craft paint. The sand I have, though, is incredibly fine - I picked it up at a craft store in the flower arranging section and the stuff is more like glittery baking soda (sodium bicarbonate, for non-US folks) than what you'd scoop off a beach. In fact, baking soda might be a suitable alternative, if you can't find sufficiently fine sand. It's certainly cheap, if you're going to have to buy something, anyway.

I used to make concrete buildings with powdered filler, powdered tile cememt and pva glue. then covering corrugated card with it. Dries very, very hard and flexible enough to not crack. Its a bitch to sand tho!

You could also just use very fine wet and dry sand paper painted and weathered