Čtercové dlaždice (1,0 x 0,77)

An outdoor surface without laying individual stones

Engraving paving by hand means hundreds of strokes and a single lapse of attention that shows for good. A ready-made sheet gets around that work: the grid is regular across the whole surface and all you do is cut out the shape the scene needs. The grooves are just under eight tenths of a millimeter, so once a wash has run in, distinct joints appear even in a photograph taken from a distance.

Where to lay it

The pattern matches the hard surfaces in front of buildings — a farmyard, the open space by a church, the terrace of a villa or a path leading to the main entrance. It combines well with coarser material: paving in the middle, gravel and grass at the edges, and a little fallen leaf litter to hide the transition. Anyone building a scene with a vehicle can engrave wheel tracks and patched spots into the surface.

Joining and reworking

• If you want a larger area, join the pieces so that the grooves line up.
• An uneven edge looks better than a straight one; at its edge paving usually gives way to earth.
• Suggest a missing stone by carefully sanding one field down to depth.
• Stiffen the base with cardboard; a thin sheet will warp on a wooden base in time.

The sheet is sold on its own and the package holds one piece. For large scenes it pays to get several sheets at once, because the joints have to run smoothly across the whole area and buying more later from a different production batch can throw the pattern out. The sheet arrives flat and that is how it should stay, so store it lying down.