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Victorian tin roofs


wormwoodz

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I'm on the process of shingling my dollhouse, slow work but is coming along nicelly. However, as I'm looking at the roof now I'm thinking maybe I would like a diferent look on the roof of the bay windows (the two on the sides of the 1st floor of the Fairfield). The roof in those is kinda small, would maybe fit 2-3 rows of shingles if I use the same as the roof. I was looking at pictures of victorian houses for ideas and I thought maybe I would like to try a tin/metal roof effect for those and see how it looks (I've attached a picture with two examples of this kind of roof).

So my big question is: how can I try to imitate a 'tin' look on a roof? I have metalic reflective papper but as is it looks 'too shiny' for an exterior roof, I'm not sure if these can be painted but if I try the papper what type of paint should I use? And what other alternatives can I try to get a semi-reflective look? I am looking for something that will look convincingly like metal, I have stained my shingles (not painted) to keep that slight 'shininess' of the wood, so I need something that will be shinnier yet not that 'fresh of the factory' look. 

I'm not sure if I'll like the roof after applied to the dollhouse, but it's something that I really want to try even if just to learn a bit more about how to do 'metal' effects. I was thinking about using a wood base and try to paint it with metalic colors, but the wood texture will probably be hard to hide and maybe there's better suited materials I can use for base. I'm not sure how to get started on this little experiment so any advice would be apreciated! 

victorian_baywindowroofs.jpg

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Rustoleum makes aerosol paints in metallic colors, including copper (like the roof in your photo) and a silvery color I use for tin:

KathieB's photos:  Mafggie's front

 For the "ribs" you can cut and glue sections of bamboo skewers and spray the whole roof assembly before installing it.

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It's really funny that you should post that bright copper roof, because it looks a lot like the roof I put on the bay window of my granddaughter's Orchid.

 

medium.5761c0692581e_copperroof.jpg.2abb

I was in a hurry to get it finished for her, so I didn't take as much time with it as I could have. If I'd had more time, I would have spackled and sanded it so it would have been smoother. I also wasn't really sure how the sides of the roof would have looked on a real house, so I just added narrow strips of basswood, then used Pearlex mica pigments and water based varnish to paint it.

There are lots of metallic paints available that probably would have worked as well as the pearlex. It's just what I had on hand.

There are tons of tutorials for patina on the internet that would show you how to make it look aged.

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There are all sorts of normal non-spray paints available in metallic finishes. Here is an example whcih will give a metallic finish with a range of stains and aging mediums: http://www.polymerclay.com.au/swellegantmetalcoatings-c-21_1167_983_1035.html

The website link is Australian but it is available in the US.

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If you don't want wood grain, how about pieces of plastic painted with metal effect paint. You could use flexible plastic like a plastic file folder or similar. I agree with holly that skewers would be good as ribs. Matchsticks also. 

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Thank you all very much for the sugestions, I have been looking into paint options I could find around here.

I found some water based liquid paint at the arts supply store that can be used to create a patina effect, but I guess I would need to use a metalic spray paint as a base. Found a tutorial for metalic roofs that recomended sanding after each coat of spraypaint, and doing around 4-5 coats to get a smooth effect. If I use wood as base for the roof can I use enamel spray paint? I have some enamel paint in metalic colors, the kind used for miniature airplanes, I've never tried to use these on surfaces that aren't plastic or metal. I've tried to look it up online but I'm a bit confused on what primers I should use for that, do I need to use an oil based primer? I was thinking trying to prime + sand the wood smooth, then applying the paint on top. This would probably be a cheaper option for me right now as these come in small cans and I already have some colors at home.

 

13 hours ago, Samusa said:

If you don't want wood grain, how about pieces of plastic painted with metal effect paint. You could use flexible plastic like a plastic file folder or similar. I agree with holly that skewers would be good as ribs. Matchsticks also. 

6 hours ago, Dalesq said:

I've used actual copper, which can be aged with sale and vinegar to get some great patinas. I've also created faux metal roofs using Brae's technique. http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/walnut-bay-light

If you go the faux route, be sure to sand all parts smooth.

The plastic option is also a great sugestion, and would maybe be easier to paint with enamels as I'm a bit more familiar with that kind of material. As for the real metal option, sounds wonderful for a more realistic look but I'm afraid I'll probably ruin a lot of metal sheets trying this xD I'm very clueless on how to age metal, but I'm going to look into those tutorials as the result really looks great! That roof looks amazing, I hope I can make something that will look that good, fantastic work!

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On 10/28/2016, 1:00:23, shannonc60 said:

There are all sorts of normal non-spray paints available in metallic finishes. Here is an example whcih will give a metallic finish with a range of stains and aging mediums: http://www.polymerclay.com.au/swellegantmetalcoatings-c-21_1167_983_1035.html

The website link is Australian but it is available in the US.

I just checked her website, since I am in the US, and it looks like she makes some really interesting products. Thanks for the link!

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I used 1/32 square dowel sticks on my 1/24 scale classic bungalow.  After gluing them, I used "hammered steel" spray paing, then attached to the house.  I have used copper paint on other houses.  Since I totally hate attaching shingles, I keep finding ways to use other products for roofing.

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2 hours ago, L Swearengin said:

I used 1/32 square dowel sticks on my 1/24 scale classic bungalow.  After gluing them, I used "hammered steel" spray paing, then attached to the house.  I have used copper paint on other houses.  Since I totally hate attaching shingles, I keep finding ways to use other products for roofing.

I'm very impressed with the roof work I've seen on dollhouses here, I thought a lot of them were actual metal sheets but it's nice to know there are other ways to create the same effect. Gluing shingles can be a really boring process, I was afraid of messing up on my first attempt so I decided to use tacky glue and it's been going on for weeks now because I have to wait for each row to dry, didn't expect it would take so much time >.< 

On 29/10/2016, 15:22:00, havanaholly said:

I don't know about shipping to Portugal, but Micro Mark carries paints & supplies:  http://www.micromark.com/paint.html

 

51 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

I'm sorely tempted to remove the bay roofs off of my Fairfields and cut new ones and make them copper to match the towers' roofs...

I usally try to find suppliers inside the EU or UK for cheaper shipping, or check the product's composition to find something similar at local shops. I haven't glued the window roofs yet, I'm going to cut templates to experiment with different finishes, all the ideas I got here got me inspired to try different colors :)

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 3 months later...

I don't know if you got to your bays yet, but while I was loitering on ebay looking for something else. I found this copper tape. 

You could have a "real" copper roof! :D

 

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On 01/03/2017, 18:37:33, Samusa said:

I don't know if you got to your bays yet, but while I was loitering on ebay looking for something else. I found this copper tape. 

You could have a "real" copper roof! :D

 

I have done the roofs yes, in fact I recently discussed this recently with another user who wanted to do something similar, in this thread.

I had found metal sheets both in copper and aluminium, but in the end I gave up on using metal and made them out of wood instead. Thanks for the tip thou, maybe someone will be interested in trying that in the future ;)

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On 11/1/2016, 8:30:41, L Swearengin said:

I used 1/32 square dowel sticks on my 1/24 scale classic bungalow.  After gluing them, I used "hammered steel" spray paing, then attached to the house.  I have used copper paint on other houses.  Since I totally hate attaching shingles, I keep finding ways to use other products for roofing.

I wish there was a "shingle spray" where they all just sprayed onto the roof perfectly.

 

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