Howwwdy..
Well today I decided I wanted to lay some marble tile in the cab...
WOW do you know how hard it is to find 1:14 marble tiles...
Ok it's impossible so I had to make it my self... Man that is a pain in the butt, you got any idea how hard it is to cut marble let alone into that small of pieces..
Well actually I am going to share with you how I did it..
Step one:
Get some Transparency Film. Like the stuff they used for the overhead projectors. Cover one side completely with blue painters tape to protect that side from any paint over spray.
Step two:
Chose a few similar colors in different shades. I used Poly-scale paints. They are water based. I used SCL Hopper Car Beige, and Earth.
Then you need a Stone color, or a darker gray color. I used a special paint for making stone scenery on a RR layout.. (Might as well, I got thousands of $ worth of RR stuff filling 16 good sized boxes in the basement, why not use some of it)
Take the lighter color first, dip a fairly soft brush in the paint and then tap the brush on your other hand about 6-8 inches above the film. This will cause droplets on the film. Then I took my air gun on the compressor and blew the droplets in basically one direction.
Repeat this with the second color. Then when that is all done cover the entire thing with the gray color.
when it's dry turn it over and remove the tape and see you marble.
Step three:
In order for it to look like tile you have to make it tile... 1:14 scale is roughly 13/16 for a scale foot... Get cutting.
Step four:
Take some of this stuff.
Before you pull the backing off of it in the front side draw your grid to help aid in the placement of the tiles..
This stuff is EXTREMELY Sticky. if you put a tile on it you will most likely not get it off.. In fact I tried one and I got the acetate off but the paint stayed on the sticky paper...
Step five:
Spray both the underside of the now completed flooring and the floor you intend to tile, with spray glue. Super 77 is the best.
Allow to set for a minute then put the two together..
Step six:
Trim to fit.
I then added the seats and made the Gear shift floor cover. Next I added the shift boots.. YES BOOTS the "S" belongs there.. This is a real truck after all...
I then made the much beloved (In my book anyway) Peterbilt cup holder stand.
There Ya go.. scale marble flooring... If ya don't have the budget for marble then you can make linoleum. Just first don't blow the colors with the air gun and second don't cut it up. Just glue it to the floor hole..
-Mike