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Hello, iam in the proccess of creating a swamp gameboard for me and my friends and i used the "Glue, Paint, and sand" mix for my texture.. the thing is i used way to much sand in the mix and now it wont dry right,
The paint and all is almost completely dry, been a couple hours, but its crackling in some places and if i run my finger on the board it drags along a top layer of semi wet sand and paint particles,
Is there someone familiar with this problem and how do i fix it without having to redo the whole thing? I was thinking about spray glue, the thing you use for capeting stuff etc.. will this seal the sandpaint mix on the board or will it fall flat?

Is it just me being to hasty? like will the paint mix act this way untill the PVA has enough time to set? Its sitting in an colder then room temperature but still warm garage, But i know how paint and glue dries and theres something amiss about this one...

Any help gratefully accepted!

How long have you given for the PVA tp dry, and how much did you use? It's important to make sure the PVA has had enough time to set and dry properly, and also be sure to add the glue in layers rather than one massive blob.
I've found PVA tends to dry like an open wound - if theres too much there it just develops a film on the top and dries, leaving a gooey bit in the middle that takes a week or more to dry properly.

You may have things that dont mix well. I dont know your method but personally i like to build my terrain then add paint and effects, as it seems like trying to do it all in a oner might be problematic. Id say give it another day and if your still having problems then scrap it and try another method

If it still isn't dry in a week try this order of operations:

1. Paint slightly watered down glue on sections of the board at a time and sprinkle your sand on top of the wet glue. Repeat until the entire area is covered.
2. Once dry, make more of the watered down glue with more water this time, and paint this mix over the sand.
3. Once dry, paint the sand with inexpensive craft or latex paint. Drybrush to add some depth.

It is definitely more steps, but it works and is nearly bomb proof when finished.

I think it's just a matter of rushing things. Thicker applications of anything that dries by evaporation will take longer to set up than thin ones. The amount of glue in a texturing slurry placed over a non-porous surface (meaning it can only dry from the top, down) may take days to fully cure. Moderate heat will speed up the process, but thinner layers are best, if you don't want to have to leave your pieces for a week every time you add texture.

It might also be because of the paint, especially if you used an oil-based one (like enamel).