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Hey all, so iv started to gather a collection of buildings, bunkers, bastions and ruins but where I'm having trubble is finding something to mount or stick them down to firstly to declare where the terain starts, but also to make them stronger and more stable. Does anyone have a thin ish and cheep basing board that I can get and cut apart into building shapes?

Sheets of MDF are pretty cheap? Can only speak in UK but can buy a 2x4 foot MDF board for around £6, its not too heavy, not too thick and very durable, also 2x4 goes a long way.

If you really don't want to spend much I've mounted items on corrugated cardboard before (With cheap filler around the edge) or the type of card you get from cereal box's is suppose to be good also, but both of these would be less stable than the MDF, perhaps not appropriate for larger ruins/building etc

If you can find them, thick sheet styrene is nice. though actually that can get pricy.

my only problem with MDF, is that it is susceptible to moister. a good sealing with varnish should help it but it is something to note.

Mdf looks a little thick and it seems to not be stiff enough. I looking for something only a few mm in thickness, so as to not give more hight to the buildings.

Go to the local Home Despot. Lowes, or wherever and get some plastic "For Sale" signs. They are only a few dollars, come in different sizes and thickness, and are easily cut with a good set of scissors or razor knife.

Cut out the size/shape you want. Rough it up with sandpaper (so paint/glue will stick). Attach terrain piece with plastic model glue, gorilla glue, liquid nails construction adhesive, or whatever would work on the materials your using.
Primer coat (black usually works best). Sand/flock/detail as desired.

How thick are you willing to go? 1/8" MDF isn't hard to find (Lowes/Home Depot sell it) and translates to a low curb in heroic 28mm scale - really not much in the way of additional height. Best way to get reasonable strength and resilience while going any thinner than that is to use styrene, but it will be just as flexible as MDF of equivalent thickness (1/8" is reasonably stiff in shorter sections, as much as a full sheet will bend, whether you're talking about MDF or plasticard). For sale signs and the like are cheaper sources of sheet styrene than modeling suppliers, but the plastic is of lower quality and tends to flex far more easily than the HIPS you get from Evergreen or Plastruct (at least, I think it's High Impact - if not, then the signs are just generally crappier).

All kind of wood and papper based basing tends to warp alot.
Styrafoam is great as it dosent warp the same way

saaywhu wrote:
All kind of wood and papper based basing tends to warp alot.
Styrafoam is great as it dosent warp the same way

Beg to differ on that assumption. You just have to know how to use the material you have and make it that it does not warp in the manner you are saying. I mean 50% of all of my terrain is made out of cardboard and I have learned what it takes to decrease the problem with warping.

I mean even GW worked with that kind of building materials and made a book on it in the 90's.

Styrofoam? Depends on how much money you want to spend. Styrofoam main advantage is that it is quicker to work with than cardboard.

And if you are lucky you could get that free as well

Use 1/8" mdf, paint it on both sides to prevent warping.

the dust is not that great to inhale, so make sure you sand or cut it in a ventilated area.

If you want something more thin, go with sheet steel, zinc plated to prevent rust. It has sharp edges, so be careful. Scratch it up a bit so it holds glue better.

Best of luck.

Old Video Games cases, or DVDs, it thin, can bend, just sand one side and paint. I bought a DVD book (DVD holder) and had plenty of them. Can get crappy DVD from the dollar store also. but not very big in size.

the MDF is always my go to, its what most FLGS use,

I found some at my Home Depot that was a 4x8 sheet thats the same Thickness of a clipboard (i think its supposed to be used for cupboard backings). Its fairly inexpensive for the amount you get. Just check out a hardware store for what suits you. Remeber to seal the wood with either one for wood, or cheap acrylic paint.

When your gluing it down with Wood Glue use Clamps or to have it stick together.

Just wanna be clear.I said: It has a tendency to warp. Not that it always Will and it depends what you Will do with it. Basiclly if you use water bases products on it it Will warp.
I dont know the prices in the us but there is alot of cheep "plastic" alternativs out there.

To deal with the warping (which can happen) - here is how to manage it - I make a LOT of terrain...

Use less paint - or spray paint the piece, this tends to have it absorb less moisture.

Paint the "finished" side - most board type products will have a smooth, finished side, and a rougher side. If you paint the smooth side, it will absorb less moisture, and thus, warp less.

Weight it down - after painting the piece - set it on a firm flat surface and put heavy objects on it while it dries - depending on how much paint you put on it, will affect this.

Use thicker board - I use 1/8" for most projects, but have some of the 3/16 stuff around - it warps less.

Paint both sides - this mostly works, combine this with painting a bit less on the "rough" side (see above) usually results in little warping.

Depending on how heavy your pieces are, foamboard or chipboard works as well. Also, look into plastic sheeting - but it can crack and chip.

best of luck!