Just to prove I really have been doing more than shop this summer here is the work so far. Plus what is planned for the Emporium. I cannot believe what trouble I have had matching greys, who would have believed there could be so many different shades of grey......I have finally found the right shade for the top part of the exterior which I am not bothering to show because the light is so bad it still looks white and it most definitely is not!
Attic floor......for shoes and bags......
Middle floor.......for hats and broomsticks.......
Ground floor........for designer gowns..........
The downstairs walls have been wallpapered in Ashlar Stone Block from Richard Stacey which is a close match to the marl stone on the exterior while in the attic I am trying for a more unfinished look.
This is the marl stone I am putting on the ground floor also by Richard Stacey. I do find his materials extremely easy to use but they do make houses a lot heavier. These flagstones are gorgeous but I have decided to use craft sticks to make wooden floors upstairs purely due to budget if I could I would have gone for the marlike tiles from Dolls House Tiles. Maybe next time.
These are the craft sticks I am going to use anyone had any experience with them? I understand I should glue them to card rather than straight to the floors to prevent warping? I will age them and roughen them up before staining and try to get the 'worm holes' and wood marks darkened before adding the stain wash. I wasn't too successful at this on my test sticks but hopefully the proper cut and roughened floor boards will be better.
The walls of the attic have been covered in layers of tissue and PVA courtesy of a tutorial by Nikki which I will eventually paint grey once I am happy with the layering. I am also going to put rafters and struts - Tudor style - in this attic to make it all look a little unfinished. My last touch will be to line parts of the walls with vintage Halloween posters as if the room is constantly under going repairs.
This is the only room where I will accent with the lavender stain - well if I can bear to abandon all the pots of greys that have taken days to mix and get right!
I can see the light at the end of the tunnel now although many of the jobs left are quite time consuming, I have a huge pile of slate tiles to glue for example, then I can get to the really good bit of placing my hoarded stash into the shop.
I am also planning to attempt something very adventurous for the arched windows on the left-hand side of the shop........
Off to the Arsenal tomorrow for our first home game!! I can safely say there will not be a single mini conversation to be had, well excluding Andre Arshavin that is.
Have a great weekend whatever you are planning.
Tell me about photographing grey! lol The camera hates the colour! lol Mixing paint does take practice. I usually prefer a warm grey and normally add a tiny amount of brown and green to warm it up.
ReplyDeleteI've not used wood sticks, but I do own some. I'd glue them a firm/board to prevent them warping and then cut the sheet to size. Use a good wood glue rather than PVA,as it dries quicker and is much stronger overall.
I am unsure about your stains though (are they for outside use?), if they have varnish in them they will be impossible to age. I've had more horrid experiences with real stain (with varnish already mixed in them) than not that I now use acrylics as my stain and I love them and will only use them from now on. :o)
You have been busy and I am looking forward to seeing your walls done!
Have a great day tomorrow at the footie!
Michelle xxx
Thanks Michelle excellent advice as always. Will have a re-think about the woodstain.......
ReplyDeleteJanice in hobbycraft and art stores they sell very thin sheets of balsa wood.
ReplyDeleteIf you go to my gallery blog http://nikkinikkinikki72photogallery.blogspot.com/ and go one page back you will find the witch and wizard shop. It has a wooden floor and i used the balsa sheet for it.
It cuts like butter with a sharp knife and you can even just score wooden floorboards into it rather than cutting each floorboard out.
It will score and mark easily rather than struggling with a the lolly sticks. It costs about £2 for a long sheet. I used just the 1 sheet for my floor.
Scratch a woodstain in by dragging a pair of pointed tweezers along or a strong pointed darning needle, but the tweezers are so much easier. You can also make the notches with the tweezers by taking your time with the pattern on that particular area.
You can stain wood using raw umber acrylic paint with a bit of water in it and then wipe of the excess with a wipe. Will leave the grain nice and dark. You can also go over it with a beeswax to get the exact look i think you are looking for. Its how i make furniture.
The balsa sheet you will think is not strong or tough enough but once on a hard floor surface its just as good but so much easier to work with.
Hope i was of some help. Email me if you need further info.
Nikki xxx
Another night bird today? I am up watching Nadal play, even in pink.
ReplyDeleteI must admit the lolly sicks were not really calling me, they are so hard and I would have has to cut every one.
I like your plan so much better and as usual I am very grateful for such generous advice.
I will definitely get the balsa sheets and hop over to your blog now.
Have a good weekend.
I forgot to say, when i put the floor down in the shop it was years ago and didn't do the wooden scoring thing in those days. If you look at the wood on my sewing table (witch and wizard) then thats the look it will give you.
ReplyDeleteI didnt wax the table though. Waxing it gives it just a little bit of shine if you do.
Nikki xxx
Thanks Nikki I have been trolling through your blog looking at all your wood finishes. I am not great with paint so I think I will make sure I buy extra balsa and have a practice first.
ReplyDeleteI am sure it is nowhere as easy as you make it seem!
This is looking really good and starting to take shape.
ReplyDeleteTe esta quedando fenomenal.
ReplyDeleteOtra alternativa para el suelo, es usar los manteles individuales. Quedan fenomenal y si separas las laminas las puedes colocar como más te guste.
Yo las use para hacer el suelo de mi biblioteca (mira en mi blog)
Una vez pegado con cola de carpintero, lo rellene con pasta de madera, lo lije y lo tinte con anilina.
Si quieres más información escribeme un email y te explico más detalladamente
ctecles@gmail.com
Besitos, May
Te is being phenomenal.
Another alternative to the ground, is to use the place mats. There are phenomenal and if you separate the blades can place the way you like.
I use them to make the floor of my library (look in my blog)
Once stuck with glue, I fill it with pulp wood, sand and stain with aniline.
If you want more information send me an email and I will explain in more detail
ctecles@gmail.com
Kisses, May
Janice,
ReplyDeleteNikki is right. I've used only Balsa for my doors and beams. It is sooo easy to age and distress. I use a tapestry needle and another little tool to add grain lines in my wood. I buy my large sheets of Balsa from HobbyCraft too. I also have beeswax too, but I've not used it on my beams, doors etc.
Practice lots first, this will give you more confidence when it comes to staining and ageing. ;o))
Lots of good luck!
Michelle xxx
Looking great so far Janice, this is going to be such a fun one to fill! Kate xxx
ReplyDelete¡Cuanto has trabajado! Los resultados son fantasticos pero caros, aunque a veces vale la pena.
ReplyDeleteLos consejos de Nikki son muy prácticos y a ella le ha dado muy buen resultado.
Ya veremos cómo sigues con tu casa. Hasta ahora muy bien construida.
Besos Clara
Janice, i also forgot to say i've tried many brands of acrylic paint to do this staining and raw umber by Daler Rowney (system 3) to be the best one.
ReplyDeleteOther brands ive tried dont give quite the right colour. I suppose its to do with the pigments in the paint and quality etc.
I also sometimes do a light wash of grey to wood then let it totally dry before i do the brown much thicker wash.
The grey wash is really watery like using really watered down water colours.
If you dont let it fully dry before you add the raw umber wash it goes wrong.
The raw umber wash i just add a little water to to make the paint go on easier, say like 9 parts paint, one part water.
Hi ladies, I have been scoring and testing colours today. The scoring works really well and I have used the colours suggested by Nikki with black or grey.
ReplyDeleteNow waiting for things to dry but looking good so far.
Thanks for all the help and advice.
May, I am intrigued by the placemat idea so will be popping over to your blog right now.