For the main tools, I rely on the hot wire, hot knife, and hot table from the Hot Wire Foam Factory. I can't recommend their engraving tool, though. It broke after the first use; my husband repaired it, and it failed again after the second use. My husband, an electrical engineer, took a close look at the design and concluded that the tip lets too much melted material inside, which is what caused the breakage — a design flaw. Instead, he gave me a low-voltage "princess" soldering iron that costs less and holds up to heavier use. It runs a bit hotter than the engraving tool, but at 15 watts I can still engrave carefully, and that's what I use to carve my cobblestone. To smooth cut styrofoam, I use an ordinary stainless steel spoon. I take my project to the kitchen counter and heat the spoon over the stove flame (wearing an oven mitt, of course), then drag it along the edges I want smoothed. It works well and costs nothing. I've also used the spoon to melt out narrow rivers in thin styrofoam, and for that it works better than any other tool I own.

I use the hot wire table when I have to slice things. I use it to make the stairs. The large, rounded stairs that you see on the the left side of the top shelf would have been very difficult without a stationary taut hot wire. Again, this tool has its drawbacks and design flaws. The wire snaps often, even when you're careful not to "pull" things through. The table uses very thin high resistance wire with eyelets on each end that have a crimp connection. If the table had been designed with a screw connection rather than a crimp connection, like another hot wire tool I saw recently, It would be easy to make your own sets of replacement wires by just purchasing spools of high resistance wire. The crimp connection makes this costly since you can't make your own and have to get them from Hot Wire Foam Factory. Also, they overlooked something very needed on this table. A protractor. The arm swings along a curved path, and a painted on protractor would have made my life much easier. 90 and 45 degree marks are sorely lacking. My stairs would be much squarer and my edges would be much tighter if these were painted along that channel.

For flat paint, I use plain old kids latex paint (such as Crayola brand). It's cheap! I mix my own colors so I only need white, black, blue, green, red, and yellow. I've since discovered another relatively inexpensive paint at Michaels that is gritty and multicolored and makes a great base coat before adding landscaping. It comes in several colors. The reddish clay color is great. I also used it to paint my cobblestone steps on the top shelf along with the gray version. A picture of this paint is in the top shelf instruction section. I still have 1/4 of the container left after all the painting I did on that one shelf. It thins nicely with water too.

Another essential is ModPodge, sold at Michaels in the paint and glue aisle. It serves as both a sealer and a glossy top coat. I brush on a layer of ModPodge before painting the colors that will sit under the water. I also use plenty of spray adhesive, matte sealer, and gloss sealer. Be careful with the last two in aerosol form, since they will dissolve any styrofoam they touch. Model railroad supply shops carry a matte finishing spray that you mix with water and apply with a spray bottle — that option is much safer to use.