11: Another common
type of roof is the gravel
roof. With this method,
the tar paper has gravel
applied over it. The primary
purpose of the gravel is to
protect the tar paper from
the elements.
I begin with the raw
styrene, adding the
chimneys and roof hatch
first. If you don't use a
black or dark gray styrene,
take time to paint the roof first. You don't want any
unsightly white holidays showing through.
The roofing gravel I use is a mixture of Woodland
Scenics fine cinder ballast and sand. The sand
can come from any source such as highway
sand, a beach, or sandbox sand from the home
improvement store. Whichever you use, sift it and
use only the fine particles.
Using slightly-diluted white glue, I paint it over the
styrene, making sure that the surface is completely
covered. Next I sprinkle a heavy coat of the gravel
mix on top of the glue. The excess is dumped off on
to a paper to reclaimed it for future use. Finally, I add
a few drops of wet water so that the glue will soak
into the gravel, and then I let it dry overnight.
STEP 4: Gravel roofs
Continued ...
11
