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Flooring


Mineejv

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I’m using the sheet flooring from HobbyLobby. I’d like to do a light gray type wash on it. I’m just not sure how to do it, or what steps to get that look ?? I’d like to get it right the first time ( not like some of my other floors).

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2 hours ago, Mineejv said:

I’m using the sheet flooring from HobbyLobby. I’d like to do a light gray type wash on it. I’m just not sure how to do it, or what steps to get that look ?? I’d like to get it right the first time ( not like some of my other floors).

First thought, isopropyl (unscented rubbing) alcohol and India ink; gives a lovely livery aged wood look; second thought, small amount of white watercolor or acrylic paint and tint with black and burnt umber just to the shade you want, then add water until it's very runny and paint it with that.  Do all the methods first on scrapwood to get the final look you want.

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I've never used dollhouse sheet flooring, only basswood, but I work a lot with washes. Always do practice runs, because with washes you'll never know how it'll come out till you've actually done it. For a light gray I'd start with a white or off-white paint, and add tiny bits of black with blue or burnt umber. Those 2 colors will give you differing shades of gray. Water down your paint so it's pretty runny. I like to apply the wash with a 1" brush for miniature floors, just sort of swooshing it on, then wiping off the extra watery paint. If I made a mistake, and the color is too intense, I'll take a wet rag and rub some of the wet paint off the floorboards. Sometimes I might decide the wood could use another coat of wash to deepen the color a little, so I'll do it again.

 

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1 hour ago, Sable said:

I think I’ve purchased every grey stain on the market and never found one that stains like I want it too. For some reason grey stains are just like paint, the wood grain never shows through. 

Paint washes, watered down enough, will let the wood grain show quite nicely.

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Is watercolor paint the same as acrylic paints ? I have tubes of acrylics that I’ve just started to use instead of the bottle acrylics,I’m liking the finishes better. I just picked up some watercolors,haven’t try those yet. I’m not good on mixing colors to get the the colors I want,I’m working on that.  I won’t think to put blue in it to make grey. DUH.  I’ve done a little drawing and its always been in black and white.  I’ll be trying few of those ways to see what I like.  Thanks for the input !!

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This house was painted completely with very inexpensive Crayola Watercolor paints. It was probably one of the larger sized pallets with 9 or so colors. The odd thing was that when the grey watercolor was applied to the pine siding  it turn this bluish green color. I was delighted by the affect.

http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/applications/core/interface/file/attachment.php?id=39295

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Adding the slightest trace of blue makes a cooler gray; burnt umber, a very dark brown, makes a warmer gray.  

4 hours ago, Mineejv said:

Is watercolor paint the same as acrylic paints ?...

No.  Acrylic paints are water soluble polymer-based paints and watercolors are primarily ground pure pigments suspended in gum arabic, a naturally occurring resin.  Hit your local thrift store for an old white ceramic dinner plate to use for a practice palette and pick up an inexpensive pad of watercolor paper at Wally World or similar to practice on.  Here's a very basic guide to the color wheel and color theory to help you mix color.  I sometimes hear color, so my combinations might be a bit "off" to other people, but I had to match thread to darn a dressy teeshirt I did not have with me, and when I got the needle threaded the match was perfect, which works for me.

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1 hour ago, Mineejv said:

...If I use the watercolors should I thin it with water?

Yes whether you use watercolors or acrylics or any water soluble paint, you want to dilute it into a wash.  I diluted a bit of interior latex house paint from a sample jar to stain the shingles on this Laurel:

The finished front

I wished I had done it before I'd glued the shingles down; I missed wiping up some of the glue before it cured and stain absolutely will not penetrate glue!

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