Hello,
I see several people making awesome dioramas with sides . What material can I use to make this? Plastic sheet or thin wood like plywood or balsa? Where can I get them cheap in US?
Thanks
Vivek

I use thick cardboard. The kind architecture students uso in their models. You should fid it at an office depot, or somthing like that.

Marcos, Thanks for the information. But won't the cardboard absorb paint , water from ground work plaster
'?

I've used plastic photo display boxes.They come in different sizes and are inexpensive. You can get them at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, or Michaels. Any store with a photo frame department.
They are a shallow open box made of clear plastic and can be used either way. This first one I filled with two-part resin to make the water after making a sandy bottom.



The second I just built up the ground work on top.



You can also build up the sides with sheet plastic if you need more depth, or height.



Hope this helps. Al

I use picture frames I buy at the restore places. Staple or glue a piece of coraplast to the bottom and fill the void with pink or blue foam board insulation. And groundwork of plaster or dap for the finishing steps

Hope this helps...

Dave

Basswood works for me — easy to mitre cut, sand, stain or paint. I actually stumbled on it in my local Ace Hardware store; they had a variety of sizes.

—mike

For the cardboard, once you have built it to shape, you can spray/paint with a flat varnish, then apply plaster/liquids, etc. It shouldn't absorb the liquids.
My two cents.

Thanks a lot guys for the information. I was asking more along the lines of this following example.. You see the wood like sides is what I am trying to figure out.

If the answer is bass wood , do they come this thin?
http://www.militarymodelling.com/sites/1/images/article_images_month/2012-12/lieventerrynardennesdio_header.jpg

If you want something really thin you could look into veneer

You could try veneer siding or strips available from home improvement and renovation stores.

I tend to agree with veneer for that particular look. But to answer your Basswood question: I know that it comes in 1/16" thickness and maybe even thinner — not sure.

You could try hobby stores that cater to larger scale flying aircraft. There is sheet wood for covering wings and fuselages that is almost paper thin. Not sure what kind of wood though. It's cheaper than veneer, but veneers are easier to work with and look better.

Thanks everybody for the information. Appreciate it

I use pre primed mdf skirting boards from a local hardware store which I pay about $5 for a 6m length. Then I just mitre the corners, glue and join to an mdf base cut to size. Then paint.