If you poke around the web for Wargame Terrain at all, you've probably come across the idea of a "caulk mat". You probably look at it and think it looks easy, maybe plan to do it, and wonder how it really goes.
How it really goes is exactly like they say. It's simple, it's fun, and it's very effective. If you're on the fence, go on and jump.
Since I had just re-done the table surface on my table for Grass and Water, I decided one of the surfaces I was missing was Desert. This was also pretty evident while I was playing Black Ops, so I decided that I would try the Caulk Mat as a way to provide the surface.
Here's what I used;
- Canvas mat (a 6'x4', plus a few inches, cut from a 12'x25' mat I had leftover from something)
- Brown Caulk x 4
- Play Sand
- Water
- Caulk gun
- Putty Knife
- Latex Gloves (not seen but VERY important)
- Razor Knife
- Paint Brushes
- Pieces of Plexiglas used as palettes
- Disposable container for mixing
- "Sample size" paints from Home Depot (various Glidden colors, all Flat so $3 each)
- Autumn Blush
- Toasted Coconut
- Light Autumn Blush
- Navajo Sand
First I set up the canvas and clamped it down. Some people use clips, some use bolts, I used actual clamps. My "table" here is a temporary thing I use in the garage with a floating surface, so it probably made things harder. But I was able to make it 4'x7', so there's some nice unused space at either end for the clamps.
The wrinkles are kind of annoying, so if you go to make one yourself, try to iron those out if you can. If you can't, it still works fine, it would be less irritating if you did though.
Obviously, I didn't.
You will also note my canvas is brown. I painted it for use in a different project that never happened, and really isn't going to, so your canvas won't likely look like that.
I didn't take pictures of the mixing. But it's just like you think it is. Squirt the caulk into the bowl. Dump in some sand. Splash in some water. Stick your (hopefully gloved) hand in there and mix it up. It's very squishy!
Add more sand if you like, or more water if it's too tough. You're looking for a spreadable paste consistency. Too thick (like icing) will still work, it just takes longer to dry and won't go as far. Too thin (like creamy soup) and you won't get much detail, and you lose much of the benefit of doing this in the first place. It just takes practice, and remember;
It's easy to add more water if you have too little, it's not to get it out if you have too much.
So add it slowly.
This is "in progress", showing how much I covered after the first full Tube/bowl mixture. I used a much too thick mixture here, but it's my first try, so...
You can see the gloves here too.
Spread the caulk on with the putty knife, thin to cover, then go back and rub it in with your fingers to areas that need it. Slapping the caulk gently with your palm makes interesting patterns and adds texture to the areas your putty knife spread kind of flat.
You just keep doing that until you cover the entire area. Then you let it dry. I left it for 24 hours before I moved on to painting. In reality you could probably paint it after an hour or two if you were in a hurry, but I just left it for the evening.
Once it's dry, it's time for painting!
Because we're using the actual brown caulk color as the base, the rest of the colors are just dry-brushed on top of that. The first color is done with a heavy brush, then successively lighter brushing as the colors get lighter.
The final dry-brush with Navajo Sand is a little different. I went with a "heavy dry-brush" action, but used a brush very light on paint. The idea is to use it as an overall dusting, not actually an additional color like with the others. (which makes sense in my head, but not when I read it here, so just a heavy brushing with a very dry brush).
And here it is completed, but prior to trimming the edges.
The first is outside on the deck, mostly in shadow.
The second is on the grass in direct sunlight.
The third is the mat trimmed and sitting on my game table.
And here it is rolled up so I could move it outside for the photos, then rolled up to move it downstairs. No sticking, no loss of sand, and it's not heavy at all.
Overall, I'm very pleased with how the mat turned out. It was easy, it was fun, and the result is really worth it.
They're so easy and effective, actually, that I am planning to do more of them. I want to try the grass method since this obviously didn't have any. I am also thinking about a snow mat, maybe even another desert mat with different (more yellow) colors.
Alien worlds, the moon, mats with roads, there's endless possibilities and it's so easy to do there's little reason not to!
How it really goes is exactly like they say. It's simple, it's fun, and it's very effective. If you're on the fence, go on and jump.
Since I had just re-done the table surface on my table for Grass and Water, I decided one of the surfaces I was missing was Desert. This was also pretty evident while I was playing Black Ops, so I decided that I would try the Caulk Mat as a way to provide the surface.
Here's what I used;
- Canvas mat (a 6'x4', plus a few inches, cut from a 12'x25' mat I had leftover from something)
- Brown Caulk x 4
- Play Sand
- Water
- Caulk gun
- Putty Knife
- Latex Gloves (not seen but VERY important)
- Razor Knife
- Paint Brushes
- Pieces of Plexiglas used as palettes
- Disposable container for mixing
- "Sample size" paints from Home Depot (various Glidden colors, all Flat so $3 each)
- Autumn Blush
- Toasted Coconut
- Light Autumn Blush
- Navajo Sand
First I set up the canvas and clamped it down. Some people use clips, some use bolts, I used actual clamps. My "table" here is a temporary thing I use in the garage with a floating surface, so it probably made things harder. But I was able to make it 4'x7', so there's some nice unused space at either end for the clamps.
Obviously, I didn't.
You will also note my canvas is brown. I painted it for use in a different project that never happened, and really isn't going to, so your canvas won't likely look like that.
I didn't take pictures of the mixing. But it's just like you think it is. Squirt the caulk into the bowl. Dump in some sand. Splash in some water. Stick your (hopefully gloved) hand in there and mix it up. It's very squishy!
Add more sand if you like, or more water if it's too tough. You're looking for a spreadable paste consistency. Too thick (like icing) will still work, it just takes longer to dry and won't go as far. Too thin (like creamy soup) and you won't get much detail, and you lose much of the benefit of doing this in the first place. It just takes practice, and remember;
It's easy to add more water if you have too little, it's not to get it out if you have too much.
So add it slowly.
This is "in progress", showing how much I covered after the first full Tube/bowl mixture. I used a much too thick mixture here, but it's my first try, so...
You can see the gloves here too.
Spread the caulk on with the putty knife, thin to cover, then go back and rub it in with your fingers to areas that need it. Slapping the caulk gently with your palm makes interesting patterns and adds texture to the areas your putty knife spread kind of flat.
 |
| Yes, there's a gap in my "table", so it drooped in that spot. |
You just keep doing that until you cover the entire area. Then you let it dry. I left it for 24 hours before I moved on to painting. In reality you could probably paint it after an hour or two if you were in a hurry, but I just left it for the evening.
Once it's dry, it's time for painting!
Because we're using the actual brown caulk color as the base, the rest of the colors are just dry-brushed on top of that. The first color is done with a heavy brush, then successively lighter brushing as the colors get lighter.
 |
| The First heavy drybrush with Autumn Blush. In progress, obviously. |
 |
| The second, lighter, dry-brush with Toasted Coconut and the third with Light Autumn Blush. The shades are so close that the third color might not even be necessary. |
 |
| The fourth Dry-Brush with Navajo Sand |
And here it is completed, but prior to trimming the edges.
The first is outside on the deck, mostly in shadow.
The second is on the grass in direct sunlight.
The third is the mat trimmed and sitting on my game table.
 |
| In direct sunlight, towards the evening. Look at those natural ridges! |
And here it is rolled up so I could move it outside for the photos, then rolled up to move it downstairs. No sticking, no loss of sand, and it's not heavy at all.
 |
| Rolled and secure. 28mm figure just for scale. |
Overall, I'm very pleased with how the mat turned out. It was easy, it was fun, and the result is really worth it.
They're so easy and effective, actually, that I am planning to do more of them. I want to try the grass method since this obviously didn't have any. I am also thinking about a snow mat, maybe even another desert mat with different (more yellow) colors.
Alien worlds, the moon, mats with roads, there's endless possibilities and it's so easy to do there's little reason not to!
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