Winter Scene Painted DCD Terrain

🎨 Unleash Your Creativity: Customizing Your Dirt Cheap Dungeons!

One of the core philosophies behind Dirt Cheap Dungeons (DCD) is giving you, the dungeon master and hobbyist, the freedom to create. That's why, when developing our product lines, our plastic selection criteria were strict: it had to be high in recycled content, eco-friendly, durable, affordable, and - crucially - easy to customize and clean.

After extensive testing, we found a winning formula that gives you unparalleled creative control over your terrain.

The Secret Sauce: Two Types of Customizable Plastic

We use two types of specialized DCD plastic, each with unique properties for decoration:

1. Pure Plastic Parts: The Permanent Marker Canvas

Permanent Markers coloring DCD Products

For parts that are 100% plastic (like our Jail Cells, Magic Ruins Kit, Treasure Piles, and Metallic Doors), paint doesn't adhere well. But don't worry—this is where Permanent Markers and Colored Drawing Pens shine!

  • How to Decorate: Use your favorite permanent markers to add intricate details, shading, and vibrant colors. Opaque permanent markers or Acrylic Paint Pens work best!
  • The Best Part? The Clean Slate: Since the plastic is immune to Isopropyl Alcohol (IPA) and Acetone, you can easily wipe away any mistake or completely change the customization. A quick rub with either solvent and the part is returned to its original base color and texture, ready for a new design! 

2. Recycled Natural Fiber-Infused Parts: The Painter's Dream

Painting DCD Dungeon Walls

Most of our pieces use this incredible recycled natural fiber-infused plastic.

  • Awesome Aesthetic: The recycled fibers add a visual aesthetic of random light or dark flecking, making the base parts look authentically like stone, wood, or dirt.
  • Perfect for Painting: The natural fibers add a slight roughness, or "tooth," to the plastic. This allows it to adhere paint incredibly well, even without primer!
  • Ultimate Customization: These parts can be decorated with paint, permanent markers, and glues to adhere flocking, moss, or other scenic items.

Enhanced Detailing Made Easy

Dark Background Painted DCD Dungeon Close Up

Our parts are designed with rich textures that practically beg for extra attention:

  • Doors and Details: Features like the metal brackets on our wood doors or the hidden facets of our treasure piles are easily brought to life with simple shading techniques using permanent markers.
  • The Power of Washes: For a professional-looking finish with minimal effort, our parts work perfectly with detail washes like Nuln Oil (from Games Workshop) or washes from Monument and Army Painter. The wash flows into the texture details, adding depth and shading that makes the parts visually 'pop'.
  • Drybrushing: Hobbyists report that dry brushing with paint on the natural fiber-infused plastic adds a stunning final layer of realism.

🔄 Mistakes Are Welcome: Decorate and Redecorate!

This is the feature that truly sets DCD apart. Whether you're using paint, markers, or glue, the natural fiber-infused plastic can be cleaned using Isopropyl Alcohol or Acetone. (99% Isopropyl works better than 70%!)

Cleaning the parts with either solvent will not ruin the original finish or base coloration.

The Takeaway: You have a permanent license to experiment. Made a mistake? Want to change your entire dungeon theme? No problem! Clean your parts back to "au natural" and repaint them a dozen times over. Your creativity is the only limit, not your budget or your plastic parts!

Ready to start customizing your next masterpiece?

Wide Shot of Painted DCD Dungeon Encounter
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