After the trauma of running out of rail for my bar counter I was ready to commit murder when this happened....
The front door of this kit is a sliding panel, well it can be glued in place but interior access would be limited. I have spent a lot of time trying to decide how to finish and fix it and finally settled on all brick as a contrast to the render.
Painting the facing edges in sand yellow was the first mistake. It's much too yellow but it can be changed pretty simply.
The front step has to be glued in place in front of the sliding panel but not too close otherwise the panel will stick. As usual the piece has to be sanded down to accomodate the paving but I am used to this now.
The brick paviors go down very nicely, all easy peasy, but as you can see the step is unfinished because I was short by about 20 bricks. Grrrrrrrr!!!!!
So now I have to order another pack and wait for it to arrive which is so annoying but the worst thing is I can't remember what type they are so I have had to order the colour I think is right.......and we all know what is going to happen! Oh well that will teach me not to make a note of these things. If worst comes to worst I will have to exchange them when I go to Kensington in May.
I did, however, have enough bricks to complete the panel and the door is hinged and sort of hanging correctly.
I have still got to decide what to do with the door mouldings. The ones that come with the kit are made in MDF which colours very differently to the balsa I have used everywhere else. At the moment I have painted it a very dark brown as a contrast but I am toying with the idea of making up my own and staining it to match all the rest.
The only thing that puts me off is the circular piece that goes around the fan light which I didn't do very well with inside.
This was my second attempt as the balsa hates being cut against the grain and kept splitting and splintering.
I am putting up with this attempt as it will rarely if ever be seen, don't tell Michelle, she will be horrified by such a shabby approach!!! Ha! Ha!
The door is also a little darker but in my defence it is much more sheltered from the elements inside the porch so it would not weather as badly!!!
Still hoping to have some time this week to play with the leaded windows.
Well I think it looks fabulous and soooo pleased you made your own door, as the one supplied is err...hmm C**P!! lol I have no idea whether I'm keeping it or not, I keep looking for a better Georgian alternative to buy and have yet to find it. lol
ReplyDeleteI'm assuming they are Richard Stacey brick slips you have used on the ground? Are they the multi colour ones?
With regard to the half moon above the door...have you had a good look at my floorboards, some were atrocious?! lol As I told you recently, the most offending ones have now been removed and replaced (well in the process of! lol
Sanding and lots of it, helps to remove all sorts of nasties! lol
Michelle xxx
Agree with you, doors are awful. I made this door by laying the wood on top of the supplied one. It made it thicker but gave it greater stability. Now all I keep thinking is..."If I had a Dremel Trio......"
ReplyDeleteHa! Ha!
Oh, not brickslips as they are slightly thicker and larger. They are called paviors and are in the flooring section. I will sand them a little, for wear, and give them a wash when I do the whole house.
ReplyDeleteI just had a look at their site and I never noticed the paviors before. Yours sort of look like the multi red ones.
ReplyDeleteI keep dreaming about the Trio...it's still on offer and the bench too!!!! :o)))
I'm having grey cobble stones..but that's a way off yet! :o)
Michelle xx
Resist!! I am a fine one to talk!
ReplyDeleteDamn on the bricks Janice LOL. It happens to us all, I hope you get the right ones. Your door looks great in my opinion, I think we are our worst critics. The bricks look wonderful BTW.
ReplyDeleteVictoria ♥
If you create the arch in segments it will be easier to make and look better too. Each segment will have the grain running the right way. Glue the segment together onto a backing of very thin paper to work with it. That will make it into one piece help prevent the splitting problems and make it easy to install. The paper edge will absorb the stain and it won't be noticeable.
ReplyDeleteThanks for joining my blog.
Dremel Trios are interesting but not so much for the problem you described wanting to fix.
If you want the door thinner and you have no tools for that it is still easy to do. Glue a sheet of sandpaper to a piece of plywood, perspex or even a piece of flat glass. Then rub the door over that surface to level and thin out the trim you applied to the door blank. This sanding method is something I use quite frequently.
Karin
Hi Janice
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic job you are doing! 20 bricks short.. awwwww nuts! The amount of work you have put into this is amazing.. My hat off to you!
Thank you for coming over to visit and your kind words.
Blessings,
Penny
Hi Janice, slowly but surely I am playing catch up with all your posts. I must echo Michelle and say how fabulous the door looks. This house is coming along really nicely.
ReplyDeleteI declare the Harry Potter project a success! And those purchases you made are further testaments of your great taste.
Wow, I think the door looks great, but, I'm not a wood worker. :)
ReplyDeleteThat looks like it is coming along great! The brick work is excellent. It looks so realistic.
ReplyDeleteIt's all looking very good and I know what you mean about the balsa. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't.
ReplyDeleteThank ladies, when I look at it now it has come a long way from the original kit! So far,so good!
ReplyDelete