Painting Steampunk Copper and Sandstone Acrylics on MDF Terrain

Start with the right paint for MDF

Laser-cut MDF terrain has a porous, absorbent surface that can drink up thin paints and show every cut edge. The Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy "Two Thin Coats" range is designed for hobbyists of any level, and two colours in that range—Steampunk Copper and Sandstone—cover very different jobs on a tabletop building. Steampunk Copper gives you a warm metallic tone for pipes, rivets, and industrial trim, while Sandstone provides a neutral, earthy base for stonework, plaster, and worn masonry. Both come in 15ml bottles, so you can test them on a scrap piece before committing to a whole building.

Before you open either bottle, decide which parts of your MDF kit will be metal and which will be stone. That plan keeps you from painting yourself into a corner later. If you are new to the Two Thin Coats range, the 15ml bottle size is enough for several small projects, but a large building may need more than one bottle of your main colour.

The two paints in this guide

• Steampunk Copper: Steampunk Copper is a 15ml bottle from the Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy "Two Thin Coats" range, created with paint development chemists and designed for any level of hobbyist. This metallic tone suits pipes, rivets, and industrial details on steampunk-themed MDF terrain, and the 15ml size lets you try it without a large outlay.

  

• Sandstone: Sandstone is a 15ml bottle from the same Two Thin Coats range, also designed for beginner and seasoned painters. A neutral earth tone like Sandstone works as a base for stone, plaster, and weathered walls on laser-cut scenery.

  

A simple painting sequence for MDF buildings

The order below assumes you have already assembled your MDF kit and are ready to paint. It uses Sandstone as the main base and Steampunk Copper for accents, but you can swap the roles if your building calls for more metal than stone.

1. Prime the MDF: Apply a primer suitable for MDF before any acrylic paint. The supplied information does not specify a particular primer brand or type, so follow the primer manufacturer's instructions for MDF. A primed surface gives the acrylic something to grip and reduces absorption.
2. Basecoat with Sandstone: Thin Sandstone slightly and apply an even coat over the stone or plaster areas. Let it dry fully before judging coverage. A second thin coat is usually better than one thick coat, especially on porous MDF edges.
3. Block in Steampunk Copper: Paint pipes, rivets, bands, and other metal details with Steampunk Copper. Keep the paint controlled so it does not spill onto the stone areas. If you do slip, Sandstone can touch up the stonework once the copper is dry.
4. Drybrush for depth: Once the base coats are dry, load a drybrush with a small amount of Sandstone or Steampunk Copper, wipe most of it off on a paper towel, and lightly drag it across raised edges and textured surfaces. Drybrushing MDF buildings works best when the brush is almost dry; build up the effect gradually rather than flooding the surface.
5. Seal if you plan to handle the terrain: A protective varnish can help protect acrylic paint on gaming terrain, but the supplied product information does not include a specific varnish recommendation. Choose a varnish compatible with acrylic paint and test it on a scrap piece first.

How the Two Thin Coats bottle offer works

Both Steampunk Copper and Sandstone are individual 15ml paint pots. The store runs a special offer: buy any mix of individual 12 or more bottles of Duncan Rhodes Two Thin Coats Paints and they will post them worldwide free of charge. The offer applies only to orders of individual paint pots; any other items included in the same order will have postage applied to them. If you are planning a larger MDF project and need several colours, grouping your paint pots into one order of 12 or more is the straightforward way to qualify.

Keep in mind that the offer is about individual paint pots, not bundles or other products. If your order includes MDF kits alongside the paints, those other items will still carry postage. Plan your paint order separately if free worldwide shipping is the goal.

Steampunk Copper vs Sandstone: which to use where

Neither paint is a complete solution on its own. The comparison below helps you decide which bottle to reach for first based on the part of the building you are painting.

• Steampunk Copper: Best for metal fittings, pipes, rivets, and industrial accents. It draws the eye, so use it in smaller areas unless you want a heavily metallic building.
• Sandstone: Best for large stone or plaster surfaces, walls, and bases. It is a neutral starting point that you can shade or drybrush with other colours later.
• Both together: Use Sandstone for the bulk of the building and Steampunk Copper for details. This combination gives you a readable tabletop piece without needing a large paint collection.

What the supplied information does not cover

The product records for Steampunk Copper and Sandstone confirm the 15ml volume, the Two Thin Coats range background, and the 12-bottle shipping offer. They do not include drying times, thinning ratios, coverage estimates, or a specific primer recommendation for MDF. Treat any such details as project-specific and test on scrap MDF before applying a new technique to a finished building. If you are unsure how a paint will behave on laser-cut edges, paint a spare piece of the same MDF sheet first.