Before we threw out an old mat, I had remembered fields and thatch roof being made from it, so I kept a piece.



Trying my hand at a Rohan house, I used the mat to make the thatch roof, pulling part of it off, keeping the backing to hold the "thatch" together until I could glue it on the roof. Be warned it makes a huge mess.





Two lessons learned; should have kept more of the mat, and should have done the roof as one piece vs just over the porch first. But I was too anxious to see how it would work. Will take more pictures of how I did the thatch when I do the rest of the roof.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Still a great result. Glad you could recycle some of your old materials to create a great terrain piece!

Looks very well done

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My trade thread
http://www.one-ring.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=25957&p=325932#p325932

Love this, thanks for the idea!

Just an update, lesson one, should have done the roof as one piece - went back and did that



Ended up, the slope was too steep for my liking so tore it apart again with a better angle and extended the roof line over the side more.

Didn't waste my previous try though, made a gatehouse/entrance to a planned Rohan settlement/outpost.



Currently thatching my new roof, very slow, very messy project. I stained the wood first, and will do so again on the thatch went it is done. Usually glue one row on, tear off the next line in preparation and go do something else while the glue dries. I tear off bits from the main piece of floormatt, and either clip the little bit of rubber after I glue it on the roof or right before I put it on.



When done, will trim and use army painter strong tone again on the thatching. Add the horse heads and paint facings.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Nice job!

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"the same as a duck you must be made of wood"

Finally finished the roof. If you attempt this, stay away from my errors
1. Complete roof (including fit) before thatching. Check out the pitch of the roof, how it fits, how it looks before doing any of the thatching.
2. Start with a clean mat. I used a mat we were throwing away, it still had dirt embedded at the bottom which added to the mess.
3. You will make a mess, be sure to do this project on newspaper or something you can periodically sweep up.
4. Be patient. Let one layer dry before laying on the next. Have another project going on or just let it be while it dries.
5. Use something else besides your fingers to press the thatch down into the glue. I cannot tell you how messy it gets when your finger has glue on it and you are picking up every spare piece of mat.
6. Overlay the rows enough to cover the tops of the previous rows but not so much it becomes bulky.
7. Periodically "comb" the thatch to get rid of extra pieces and to check for gaps. I used the open end of a tweezers.
8. If you go with card vs toothpicks, make sure the card stock is thick enough that it won't warp with the glue, wash being added.

That said, I did enjoy doing it and plan to do several more buildings for my Rohan outpost/settlement.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

I might just use this idea.. the result is convincing and very realistic! Well done

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Check out my WIP: www.one-ring.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=24858

Looks great - a centrepiece to any village. will bookmark this to add to an endless and unmoving list of projects.... after goblin town, and my 40k, and and and.....

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Wonderful terrain piece. The matting works perfectly and some very handy tips.

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Commission Service Available

mallysminiatures.blogspot.co.uk

It does look very good. Quite realistic. I think this is what the forums are all about - inspiration, sharing knowledge and encouraging innovation !

I was planning on getting a few mdf buildings for Rohan, which of course all need the roof finishing.

Looking at the steps, just wondering if I should stick to teddy bear fur.

What about durability of your thatch, for something that will get handled frequently ?

As always its a trade between realism and effort, vs reasonably good and less effort !

I was very generous with glue and the wash also helps hold the thatch down. That said, I still find stray strands when I move it but nothing that leaves gaps. I went this way because I was concerned about getting the right color on the teddy bear fur.

I agree the forum is a great places for inspiration!

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Just wanted to update my process and stress how important it is to use a clean mat. I think I was able to thatch five roofs in the time it took me to do the one before. Partly because I knew what I was doing and I was able to go from one roof to the other without waiting for one strip to dry but mainly because using the clean mat the "thatch" came off the backing so much easier without pulling the backing also. The mat I had bought had a black pattern partly in so I cut the mat in strips in front of the pattern. Working off that strip of mat made working so much easier also.



Still have to comb it, apply the wash and I think I will give all the roofs a spray of watered down white glue to help hold the stray strands on. Will show the completed project on my wip but wanted to stress here in terrain making the importance of using a new/clean mat.

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"Even darkness must pass. A new day will come. And when the sun shines it will shine out the clearer."

Brilliant stuff. I love the technique and the results speak for themselves.

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Dagster