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Varnish


angt29

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When you guys use the term "varnish," to what item are you specifically referring?  When I coat wood I use an oil wipe-on poly.  But what about when you guys refer to varnishing stones prior to grouting?  I'm going to try the egg carton stone thing for the foundation of my house, and it seems that people 'varnish' them when they are on, but I'm not sure what product people are using.  Do you think an acrylic poly would work?  Or do you use a Modge Podge type of thing?  Does that yellow?  Thanks for the help.

 

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I have used Delta Ceramcoat Matte Varnish after painting and before grouting only once.  I've also used Delta Ceramcoat Satin Varnish.  Now, I don't even bother.  I usually paint the egg carton bricks with acrylic paint and let it dry overnight before grouting.  I end up touching up the colors and adding washes anyway, so the sealer seemed an unnecessary step for me.  I don't seal them after, either.  All of my brickwork has lasted well over time both with and without it.

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Are they even making the Ceramcoat products anymore? Our local Michael's has quit carrying them.

Also, once the bricks or stone are painted, how do you paint the mortar without getting that paint all over the stones? Is there a trick to that? I also get paint all over the mortar if I do the mortar first and then paint the brick.

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I feel like the varnish adds something to the stones... it makes them seem more like stones and less like painted egg carton. Maybe it has to do with how I paint them. I do my stones with spatters of paint with a dry brush, so there is still some egg carton material showing. The varnish might not be as important for brick that's been totally painted.

I use Craft Smart matte varnish (available at Michaels). I tried it with satin on a recent project and didn't like the result, but I don't know if it was because of the satin finish or the brand I used (that one was Ceramcoat) or if there was something wrong with that particular bottle. For stones I don't use grout, I paint the surface gray before gluing on the egg cartons and let that serve as the grout.

Angie, I think someone posted here once that they tried ModPodge with the stones and it didn't work well, so you might want to avoid that.

Here are some blog posts I've done about egg carton stone, if you want to see how I do it: http://www.emilymorganti.com/blog/?tag=egg-carton-stone

 

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4 hours ago, rodentraiser said:

Are they even making the Ceramcoat products anymore? Our local Michael's has quit carrying them.

Also, once the bricks or stone are painted, how do you paint the mortar without getting that paint all over the stones? Is there a trick to that? I also get paint all over the mortar if I do the mortar first and then paint the brick.

I would colour the mortar before applying... I'm not sure you could paint it once on without getting it all over the stones... at least not the way I paint.. lol

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What about an acrylic sealer instead of a varnish. No shiny finish and it would offer some protection from scratches, bumps..make it easier to dust..just a thought. That's what some people do for paperclay brick/stone work. 

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I use diluted paint washes to color the grout and darken the bricks.

http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/muddy-mossy-foundation-and-cellar

Also, one time when the bricks got too shiny with the varnishes and paint, I sprayed it with a dulling spray - Testors Frosted Glass.  It came out very matte after that.  So, I guess I do seal them after all.  I'm confusing myself.  :rofl:

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I actually had positive results using a mod podge. Like fov/emily I painted the surface rather then grout. Once you get a few coats of mod...the carton bits look just like stones. This is my first time doing it but I'm pleased. Pretty sure I used mod podge in a satin.

IMG_20170216_161639.jpg

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Thanks for all the input and your experiences using different products.  Emily, I found your egg carton post, which is what inspired me to go ahead with using them for my foundation.  They look wonderful!  Thresa, your work looks amazing as well.  

Because of your post, Emily, I am choosing, at least for now, not to grout.  I have a sanded Liquitex product, and am going to put that on and paint it gray, so it will have a little texture.  Then I'll put the 'stones' on, and I think I will seal them.  It seems like it will help protect them more (though I am glad to hear that they have long life even without sealing!), and I do think that it gives it a cohesive, real-life kind of look.  I'll look in the paint area at Michael's and see what kind of matte acrylic sealers they have there.  I'm going to start with the stairs leading up to the house, so it should be a smaller, more manageable area to learn on. 

Thanks!!

 

 

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On 5/16/2017, 11:08:09, rodentraiser said:

Are they even making the Ceramcoat products anymore? Our local Michael's has quit carrying them.

My Michael's still carries Ceramcoat.  I'm pretty sure Jo-Ann's does too, and probably Hobby Lobby -- at least, they both come up in a quick Google search!  You can get it from Amazon sellers as well.

Jeanne

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Brae, I referred to this post again to look at people's work, and I must have missed your post the first time.  I love what you did!  Everything looks so real.  What a great idea for making leaves, and the moss looks amazing!  I had already bought some of that crumbly grass stuff to add in areas.  I really like how you added it in the grout lines.  Very nice!  Thanks for sharing.

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I'm about 75% done with my exterior stairs that lead up to the front porch and I am THRILLED with the results of this.  First of all, it's so much easier than making stones out of clay like I was doing, although I will say that I'm spending quite a bit of time fitting the pieces together just right.  The results look so real, and I am definitely on the sealing bandwagon.  It looked good before I sealed them, but afterward it really did bring the whole thing together to look more real.  I think a big part of it was that it knocked down any fuzziness that was still on the egg cartons.  That was the one thing my husband noticed that he thought didn't look very real, and the varnish just smoothed it all out so nicely.  I ended up getting the Liquitex matte varnish at Michael's, with a coupon as it wasn't the cheapest.  It does go on very nicely though, and the results are great.  

At any rate, thanks for all the tips, has had fantastic results!  Thanks for all the inspiration. :)

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