After all of the cardboard, taping and paint, it is time to apply the thin coat of plaster. I estimated I had about 30 square feet of area to cover and was not looking forward to slowly applying the thin coat of plaster by hand. I decided to try using a wall texture spray gun. It worked great!

I applied three layers of my plaster mix allowing each layer to set up before adding the next layer. The plaster was still wet, but solid to the touch. 

Here are my pros and cons to the technique.

Cons:

1. Using the gun created some over spray. I used plastic painters drop cloths around the layout to protect the walls and floor, while blocking the tunnels with cardboard. 

2. Leaves a orange peel texture. This is easily changed by using a soft spatula to smooth the surface.

Pros:

1. Very easy to apply, especially on vertical walls (I had a lot of these).

2. Quick to cover large area

I have a lot of rock carving to now do that I am sure will take a fair amount of time. I plan on using some old rock molds (probably about 30 years old) and hand carving the remaining areas. For me, this is one of the fun parts of landscaping a layout.

As a side note, I am rethinking changing my layout time frame to somewhere in the mid 1950's. I want to be able to run some of the gorgeous diesels from that era!