mygrommi Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 I asked ladies where I work to save egg cartons and beverage carry-out trays from fast food restaurants for me and I have accumulated quite a few. I am going to put the "stones" on the base of my dollhouse and have painted the base a dark grey. I've looked at all the photos on this forum and read the pros and cons of using grout. Anything I can do to minimize time and extra work is appealing to me, so I was hoping not to have to grout the stone. To make a sample to see how well I could do at it, I quickly tore some pieces (grey and brown) and glued them to a sample board and put on one coat of Modge Pod. This only a few minutes and I was amazed at the results and how real I thought the stones look. I thought this might be hard - but I was surprised at how easy it was. I am happy with the look of the stone without grout. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to do the base of the house yet, due to some family priorities that have put my minis on hold recently. But I hope to soon get back to work. Just wanted to share my sample photo for anyone considering using egg cartons. I like doing the stones because tearing them is preferable to me than cutting bricks which would be more precise work. If I can do this, anyone can. Here is a photo of the stone sample and of the house the stones will be applied to. They will go on the grey base of the house which will hide the wiring. I will also put them on the chimneys which are brick from when I originally did the house many years ago. Renea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mesp2k Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Look'n good Renea ! :thumb: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 They really do look real! Just for the heck of it when I try this I might grate a little chalk pastel in different earthy colors and brush them randomly over the sealed "stones" and then seal them again, just to see how I like the effect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Agreed, this is a surprisingly easy technique! I've used it several times this year and have been so happy with the results. I like to apply brown and gray accents with a dry brush before sealing. I got a bunch of "oops" samples at Home Depot in stone-like colors, for 50 cents a piece. It helps to give the stones a bit more variety so they're not just the straight colors of the egg cartons. (Also since I mostly had one gray color of egg carton, it kept all my stones from looking the same...) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mygrommi Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Someone on this forum, whose name escapes me now, did a beautiful job on her stone work on a Victorian house and did not use grout. She was my inspiration and I don't have time to look up her name right now. She used various colors of paint to enhance the stones after gluing them on and hers looked great. I might end up using some paint also when I put the stones on the house, but thought I would just see how it would look without adding any paint when I did this quick sample and I was surprised and pleased without using any paint. Renea 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mygrommi Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Oh, yes, Emily, it was you who inspired me so much with your stones and your Home Depot "oops" paint. I printed the pictures of your stone work for guidance. There are others on the forum with great egg carton work, but yours just "spoke to me". I like the "no-grout" results and the fact that it is one less step to do. Sorry I couldn't remember your name when I posted a few minutes ago. Funny that you replied instantly. Renea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterine Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Looks great! I'm a firm believer in making samples first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mygrommi Posted October 20, 2012 Author Share Posted October 20, 2012 Brae, you know how much I admire your work which is always so perfect and you are also a tremendous inspiration to me. I love your egg carton bricks, but I went the easy route since tearing the stones is so much easier than cutting bricks - and I have also have always loved stonework on real life houses. Renea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterine Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 Aw, thank you!!! I'm also a firm believer in knowing the limits of your own sanity. :lol: If it would drive you batty to do it, then please don't do it. I have a rare gene of not minding, and even enjoying, tedium for projects like these. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 20, 2012 Share Posted October 20, 2012 ...I have a rare gene of not minding, and even enjoying, tedium for projects like these.I must share that gene; I like shingling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted October 21, 2012 Share Posted October 21, 2012 Haha Renea, yep those were mine! Glad you found them inspiring. I did the stones instead of bricks for the exact same reason you mentioned - I didn't want to cut all those little bricks either. Maybe someday I'll try it, but for now I much prefer the random tearing! (Brae's are gorgeous though, I especially love the Heritage's chimney!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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