I have finally put a blue painted masonite backdrop up but I have several seams and nail holes that need to be patched. I decided to use stainless steel coated small nails vs using drywalls screws to minimize patching. I still need to sink each nail a little with a nail punch but that shouldn't be too difficult. Each seam has a small gap for expansion and contraction. I have heard you can use either Spackle or Drywall compound to smooth out the backdrop, but I know that sanding drywall mud creates a ton of dust. I have heard you can sand with a wet sponge and was wondering if that reduced the amount of dust in the room. Anyone else who has done Masonite backdrops have any other tips? Trying to relearn my old DSLR again so forgive the bad photo...I have 4100k lights with a beige wall paint combined with pink foam and now blue skies..and my older DSLR can't find a reasonable white balance. I had to use GIMP to change the white balance just to make it look reasonable. On the bright side it, the coved cornered backdrop makes me feel like the room has expanded out.
Yes you can use a sponge to smooth the compound if you are careful to spread it as smooth possible. Apply in thin coats and litely moisten the surface before applying. If there are some ridges sponges with a course covering can be had in the cleaning supplies at grocery and hardware stores. Just make sure the sponges are only damp not wet. I don't have experience with masonite but have used the technique on drywall.
I haven't used Masonite in a long time and then only used it once. For sanding drywall compound I an orbital sander that's connected to the suction hose of my Shop-Vac. Very little if any dust,
I use Masonite in a couple of spots where my subways run below and I need a thin "roof" section which also forms the layout surface base at that point. I usually put Gypsolite on my "earth" surface. In one large spot, the Gypsolite is cracking and lifting. The Masonite itself is sagging a bit there, causing a change in curvature. The adhesion between the Gypsolite and the Masonite seems very poor, so I would be concerned about drywall or spackling compound. For a small hole, you might try using painters' caulk, called that because it's paintable. Or, you could rough up the Masonite surface and hopefully get better adhesion for the compound. Your hardware store will have something called "sanding screen" which is ideal for sanding drywall compound, by the way. It still makes a mess, but it works a lot better than sandpaper. Sanding screen is also really good for sanding Hydrocal castings.
Don't use very much water or moisten the masonite board very much. If you do, you won't like the results. Masonite board does not like moisture and will change it's shape.
hmm thanks for all the tips...11290 might be right about the moisture issue...I am using the acrylic coated masonite but i can imagine if the water got into the edges it would be bad. I might just have to try the shop vac idea or just deal with the dust.
Hmm, I've read wet sanding creates uneven surfaces unless is a very small area, I might try it on a small nail hole but the joints will have to be dry sanded. I have read a sanding sponge helps a lot so gonna use that.
