Čtercové dlaždice (1,0 x 0,42)

The finest joint of the whole group

The sheet is made of white polystyrene, measures fifteen by thirty centimeters and carries a regular grid of engraved grooves across its whole surface. Here they are very narrow, four tenths of a millimeter, so the pattern reads more as mosaic than as coarse paving. The material is one millimeter thick, which is enough to keep the sheet from sagging and little enough that it can still be cut with an ordinary modeling knife.

What it fits into

It does its best work where the surface has to be legible without pulling attention to itself. In the small scales of a model railroad it makes station platforms, the floors of station halls or the paved interiors of arcades. Indoors it serves as bathroom tiling, a kitchen counter or the shell of a swimming pool. It has its uses outdoors too, for instance as interlocking paving on the sidewalk in front of a house.

Working the material

• It can be cut by scoring a line and snapping it over the edge of a table.
• Hide the joint between two pieces by leading the cut down the middle of a groove.
• A gray or sand-colored base coat is enough to spray on; a dark wash then pulls the joints out.
• Once dry, the top surface can be lightly sanded so that the texture stands out.

The sheet is sold individually and one sheet makes up the package. If you only need a small cut-out, the rest keeps for next time, because the pattern covers the whole surface with no plain border strip. Several sheets can be combined for one large scene.