1/350 scale Bismarck German battleship

Testors Model Master tan enamel or acrylic paints are a good option.

Hi :

   I don't know about spray ,but I've always used  " Humbrol " brand " Deck Bleached Teak " that was available a long time ago .Now , with the absence of the brand for some time I mix my own based on a color chip I developed and I can take it to LOWES or HOME DEPOT and get a sample in Acrylic ( which I don't like )  Btu that said , it seems to work alright when I thin it two to one .(two parts thinner one part paint ), and I use Distilled water as the thinner .

Planeguy,

Welcome aboard it's nice to have you here.  What make of the Bismarck are you working on?  Also, you will find that this questions has a many answers and everyone usually has their own methods.

You might want to do some research on wooden decks on the internet so see the different colors decks can be.  One thing to remember is that wood on a ship's decks do not stay a "wood" color for long.  The sun and salt water as well as salty air grays them out fairly quickly.  So that a slight greenish gray or other tones of gray, depending on the wood used, is pretty much the color of the decks.  Another factor is how often the crew washes/cleans the decks will give it different tones from a light gray to a dirty gray.  

If you want and even one tone paint job, I would suggest Tamiya Wooden Deck Tan TS-68 which is a spray can.  If you want something a little more realistic, but still one tone, then Tamiya Deck Tan XF-55 or Vallejo Deck Tan 986.  I would airbrush the Tamiya but you could do either with the Vallejo.  Another brand you can airbrush or brush is Model Master Aged Concrete which is an old Floquil color which unfortunately I do not have the number of.

If you are really up for it, then you can mix up 3 batches of say the Vallejo Deck Tan.  One batch is the regular color, one you will want to add some white to lighten it up and the third batch you will want to add some brown, dark gray or just a tad bit of black to darken it up.

First you will want to paint the deck the regular color.  When that dries, then the fun part begins. Take the tape and cut strips of different lengths and cut to the width of the planks on your Bismarck. Randomly place them onto the planks and then spray or brush lightly your darker color.  When that dries, tape those off and then use you lighter color on the remaining  planks.  After that is dry, take the tape off and then if you have an airbrush lightly spray a mist coat of the lighter color to tie everything together.  This method is not for the faint hearted but it is a method that really makes your decks look good.

As I said, there are many ways to paint your deck and you should do whichever matches your skill level.  Hopefully I didn't make too many typos…..  

Good luck,

Steve

Acrylic and enamel are different types of paint.Acrylic is water based,enamel is oil based.Both are common for modeling.

2 quick thoughts-

Wood decks did grey very quickly, but Bismarck didn't last long after getting launched, so the decks likely weren't too faded while she was still above the surface.

While more expensive, you could potentially look into getting a wood deck.  They tend to be really thin and have a backing like a sticker that peels off and you stick it on.  There are several brands out there, so you can find the one you like.  Downsides are that some folks don't like them because they feel the grain is off, and I've heard of instances of the adhesive having some issues.  Plenty of sites you can research them on online.

Groot

Here's a question to get the debate going. Were the Bismark decks teak colored or were they  painted out in some sort of camouflage pattern before she left on her fatal cruise? A freshly cleaned teak deck would have been very easy to spot from the air which is why the US Navy painted theirs as you can see on the Missouri at Tokyo bay.

Bismarck never had painted or stained wodd decks except for the swastikas that were in a white circle surrounded by a red band on the fore and aft part of the decks. These were painted over with gray paint before or after leaving Norway

If we're going to get into paint schemes and such, I came across a helpful website a while ago.  There is still an evidently lively debate over the colors of the turret tops, but I think everything else has been mostly settled.  This site is REALLY informative and covers the different paint schemes she wore. 

Groot

I work in the boat business and can tell you that teak decks are silver gray. No tan whatsoever. There's no way they would've bleached the teak on a warship, and that's the only way you'd get it to turn light brown again from gray. doa  Google search for "bleached teak" and check out the colors.