Friday 25 November 2011

Bricks Galore! Mr Mulpepper's Apothecary......

I decided that this Diagon Alley shop would be half and half. The top half exterior is cladded in Art Mache and waiting to be aged.
The bottom/ground floor is to be all brick. I had used Richard Stacey's brickslips on the exterior of The Leaky Cauldron so decided to stick with these to provide the link between the shops.
I like this product as they are reasonably light, which means the finished shop will not way a ton, plus they are very easy to cut, sand and glue.  
 I started with the side of the shop as I wanted to get into a rhythm before attempting the front which needed a bit of a think. I always apply the brickslips from the bottom up as I use the edge as my guide. A good layering of glue and you can slide the 'slips into place very easily. I pair of tweezers or a long darning needle are useful for this. 
I don't paint the carcass as I always grout after washing with a 50/50 mix of PVA and water. This washing is very important if you intend to grout.  
 I have learnt that a it is also best to use a very thin PVA glue, I use Elmer's Glue All, as the tiles/'slips will slide into place much more easily.
This not a quick job but I think the results are worth it. I even got a bit artistic and added a little pattern! Quite daring for a Boring Betty like me!
 I had to have a think about the front because of the window and door. I decided to add all the 'slips beneath the bottom window ledge first because I thought grouting these might be a bit too fiddly once the whole bay window was glued in place.
I have also decided to add all the wooden mouldings after gluing and grouting as I did not fancy trying to cut really small pieces of brick around the door way columns.
So now lots of grouting to do but nearly half finished, whoo hoo!!
By the by, anyone know of a UK stockist of Elmer's Glue All who do not want to charge 4 times its US price tag? 
Have a great weekend wherever you may be. 

15 comments:

  1. You have done such a great job putting the bricks on. I love the pattern you created. I read about doing a wash of glue over that brick and stone. I wasn't sure why it was necessary though.

    I have been interested in Richard Stacey's buildings materials. I want to get a sample of the flag stones and other stones he offers. it looks really wonderful!!!

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  2. I like the vertical details! :D Looks great so far.

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  3. A change is as good as a rest so they say, so the more daring brick pattern is looking good!! I personally think even brick slips are weighty, but you've done a shop in them before so you are well aware. :o))

    There are 2 things I have seen of late for sale in the UK (online) stucco for crafts and Elmer's Glue, do you think I can find the link? Nope, I've been looking for the stucco for someone else and now the Elmer's Glue hunt! Grrrr! In the interim some of these from Amazon might be okay

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_2_11?url=search-alias%3Dtoys&field-keywords=elmers+glue&sprefix=elmers+glue

    I will let you know if I find the link.
    Michelle xx

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  4. Stunning I love the pattern much more interesting than just plain bricks.

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  5. I'll be glad to send you some from here in the States, if you are interested. Email me at hwendover@verizon.net. I have lots of it because I stock up during the back to school sales!
    Hedily

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  6. Your bricks look Great Janice!

    Hugs,
    Victoria

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  7. The brick work is wonderful.
    Hugs Maria

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  8. Thank you for coming by my blog to tell me about the brick. That was so thoughtful and nice of you! :-) XXX

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  9. The brickwork is really interesting and thanks for the tips re the glue.

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  10. love the bricks. The pattern looks superb. Look forward to seeing it when its grouted.

    Natalie

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  11. Un gran trabajo con los ladrillos, me encanta el modelo que has creado.
    besitos ascension

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  12. The bricks look fantastic! i may have to look into them myself for future projects... amazing how they fit so perfectly under the window and the pattern really works well.
    As always, i look forward to seeing your progress with the project(s) and its nice to see how quickly a simple wooden structure can become some magical and fantastic, you do work so quickly!
    Michael ;)

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  13. Thanks everyone! I must admit I dream of producing a wonderful piece of PaperClay art but bricks like these are much easier just time consuming! Plus PaperClay is soooo expensive in the UK!

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