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Sharing a technique


WyckedWood

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I have some updated pictures of my Sea Hag (BH)in the gallery and I thought I would share what I used for the exterior. Its not finished yet,but aside from the base,its pretty close. I had already sided this house,but my kit was old (ebay) and the siding was not very exciting. Anyways,I redid the siding,and hold onto your hat.... ;) ....I did this entire house with one $6 bucket of drywall mud. Thats pretty cheap siding;) Obviously this look isnt for everyone,and it did add about 10 pounds to the house,but that didnt really bother me. I also used the drywall mud,(or wallboard,joint compound),for the trim on the dormers. Just piped it through a cake decorator bag,using the smallest dot,leaf and star shapes. I didnt know if anyone would be interested in this if so, I can tell you more about it,but a few friends thought it was paperclay I had used,so I wanted to clear that up.

The mud,after being piped this thinly is delicate. The first coat of paint has to be applied gently,after the first coat of paint its far less delicate. But I wanted it so that, if someone touched it I wouldnt have to worry about it chipping. So I tested modpodge and it worked really well. Just painted over the top of the design with modpodge on a paint brush, it made it very stable,it would never chip away now,almost feels like plastic. Lions head I made with polymer clay.

The siding was applied with a trowel,one section at a time,then combed over with a homemade comb. The sags are intentional. Let me know if anyone wants more info!

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Heres a shot of the siding,but you can see it closer up in the gallery. Not sure how to explain exactly what drywall mud is. Maybe someone can help me! I'll share a picture of the bucket,that might help.

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Karin, I would be really interested in a tutorial for this. I have been checking out your album and that house is really impressive. Maybe you could do one for the Gazette, I'm sure there would be a lot of interested readers. I still don't understand what drywall mud is - is that a brand name or is a trade name for a product? Is it a powder that you mix or is it already mixed - so many questions sorry.

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Thanks Jo,heres a picture of the bucket,maybe that will help. All I know is that carpenters use it when they are building houses, over the bare wall board...I think...lol...

Its already mixed. This is a 12 pound bucket,so I added 12 pounds to the house.

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I was wondering how you solved the problem of the finished product being so delicate. It's an excellent use of materials, and I second the motion that you should do a tutorial for the Gazette! ;)

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Thanks Brae! If people are interested,I would be happy to show the steps,for the siding or the piping on the trim.

Just to be clear,the siding on the house is absolutely 100% stable and would never chip after its painted. The paint seals it. I would need a power drill to remove even a small section of siding. Just the piped 'frosting" because its so thinly applied needs to be stabilized.

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I am completely mesmerized by your wonderful Sea Hag B & B, and amazed at the look you have achieved. You are an artist extraordinaire! Plus, your wonderful structure is a real inspiration for me as I work on my Middleton Manor haunted house. I agree with everybody else . . . a tutorial for the Gazette would be awesome! Having said that, I want to thank you for already sharing so much of your special technique with us. Since you are making a real heirloom, it is wonderful that it is such a solid, strong piece. I am a big fan of longevity!

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Thanks Jo,heres a picture of the bucket,maybe that will help. All I know is that carpenters use it when they are building houses, over the bare wall board...I think...lol...

Its already mixed. This is a 12 pound bucket,so I added 12 pounds to the house.

Drywall mud is used to close the gaps between pieces of drywall, as well as fill in the nail holes - otherwise there would be visible cracks and dents after the wall is painted ;) That also makes it a very strong material, because it has to be just as strong as the rest of your wall, or you'd have a gap of easily dentable wall space every few feet! After the drywall mud fixes all the cracks between boards, the primer goes right on top of the bare board & mud, and the paint goes right over that.

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I just looked at the gallery pictures you posted - you are amazing! I can't believe how cool it looks. I agree that you should do a tutorial - I know I would learn a lot from it.

Kirsten

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:D Holy Moly Karin - you must have the patience of a saint! (this hobby does require a modicum of patience, but this takes the cake - no pun intended since there's "piping" involved :mellow: ) That is just the most amazing technique yet...it looks awesome! :woohoo: I agree whole-heartedly - a Gazette tut would be fabulous!!! :D Now where can I buy the patience I would need.... ;) :angry:
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I just came from the gallery where I was intently studying your technique and my so glad you started a posting too. I know everyone would love to hear your technique in a tutorial. I am stunned that the siding was done with spackle! It has the look of driftwood and I had been puzzling over it... mystery now solved Really beautiful, grungy ;) work!

Have you ever see Lotje's site? She's a fellow master of the dirty look and you'd probably love her. The link is here.

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I just came from the gallery where I was intently studying your technique and my so glad you started a posting too. I know everyone would love to hear your technique in a tutorial. I am stunned that the siding was done with spackle! It has the look of driftwood and I had been puzzling over it... mystery now solved Really beautiful, grungy ;) work!

Have you ever see Lotje's site? She's a fellow master of the dirty look and you'd probably love her. The link is here.

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Love it! Cheap and looks good... right up my alley! :mellow:

Paperclay has always been a little pricy for this gal's beer budget. Now I just have to decide which house gets the "special" treatment... the Albatross maybe? ;)

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Thanks everyone, I really appreciate it,feedback is nice when you live with non~dollhouse people;) The idea of a tutorial is daunting, because I dont feel like I always explain things very clearly. It would be awhile before I had time to put something like that together. But Im more than happy to share, if anyone has any specific questions Im happy to answer them.

To be honest I have NEVER used a cake decorator bag on food before,so if I can do this anyone can! It was very, very fun to do! And a little messy:)

And the trick to the siding is making yourself a good siding comb. I actually used a free sample tile of vinyl flooring from Home Depot. You know those little 4x4 square samples. I cut it in a zig zag pattern, to represent the grooves in siding. Cut it with heavy duty shears,mine were metal snips,but I dont think its necessary to use metal snips. I had to try twice to get the pattern correct,a little trial and error. My whole comb was just a few inches long.

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WOW, I typed up a whole post on what drywall mud is and completely forgot to mention how awesome I think the house looks! *smacks forehead*

It really looks great, Karin! I would also love to see a tutorial - siding techniques are intriguing me at the moment as I try to figure out how I'm going to side my Fairfield!

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Thanks for that link Daisy,I hadnt seen her work before,she is a kindred spirit for sure!

Im thinking about rubbing linseed oil into the house,not sure what effect that would have yet ;) but I know they do that on old cracking metal furniture to make the colors sort of glow a little. This house is very monotone looking,which is ironic since it has 5 layers of paint on it in different colors, but once I add the moss and finish the window box,landscaping there will be more color to it. But I do like the idea of it sort looking sun bleached and washed out by time.

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Thanks Abbe, there is no prep necessary,just think about how thick you want your siding to be,then spread on the mud with a small trowel as if you were decorating a cake. Let it set up for about 10-30 minutes,Im impatient so I start combing after 10-15...if I wait that long. Then start at the top with your comb and go left to right. Move the comb down slightly to make a sag,if you want one. Make one,even pass with the comb. Then start just below that with your second pass and so on until you get to the bottom of the wall. I did it after the house was assembled and over the top of my old siding, but its probably easier to do it before you would assemble the house. Either way.

When I did the sides, the house was laying on its back and I was worried about the gravity,but the mud didnt slide,which was a relief.

After its combed it takes at least 24 hours for it to completely harden,before you can paint it. If you make a mistake with the combing,just level it out and start over. It might help to practice on a piece of scrap wood first. This is my second house using the comb/mud technique, I also did my Haunted Newberg this way,but this time it turned out better,mostly because my comb was better and the second time around I knew the properties of the mud and what to expect.

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Thank you for posting this! As a newbie, I am so amazed by the stuff people come up with. I spent most of the morning pouring over pictures of your Sea Hag house. It looks wonderful and I can't wait to try that on a house. Suppose I need to get one first though ;) Can't wait and thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

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I'm enthralled with your new technique and Sea Hag house too. I'm joining the fan club. Love the inside, outside, topside and bottom side. I've been watching the evolution of it for quite awhile. These latest developments are "just right" !! Especially love the basement window !! Great idea for realism.

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Lol...youre welcome Lyssa!

Daisy,sounds interesting, what type of wax?

I've seen people use a paste wax for an antique look on real life walls (venetian plaster treatment) although it's originally intended for wood. Some even comes tinted. I've used min-wax which is designed for keeping miniatures from falling over (believe it or not) for some distressing techniques on mini furniture before and it put just a bit of a sheen and smoothness to it. I'm still playing around with it. I wonder if it would work over the modge-podge finish on your house?

Here's another link for you: Casey Mini did some beautiful work too with piping plaster that you might enjoy. Another kindred spirit for you! ;)

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