This week I've been focusing on the tower and stair structures. The staircase (which was made last week) has now been filled, sanded and painted with a 'stone' paint. The back wall of the stair tower is simply a piece of stiff cardboard wrapped around the back half of the stairs. Before it was attached to the stairs, it was decorated with stone look and suede papers. The stone paper is not as effective as the stencil-and-paste stone effect used on the main building of the castle, but is quicker, easier and cheaper and by the time a few windows and wall hangings have been added you won't see that much of it anyway.
The tower had been assembled in a dry build held together with tape. This week it was dis-assembled so that the walls, floors and ceilings could be decorated before it was permanently glued together. The walls of the upper two floors were covered with the same stone paper as used in the stairwell, while the lower floor was half covered in the same suede paper as the lower part of the stairs. (If you're wondering why it's only half covered, it's because I ran a little short. Hopefully the store still has some more of the same. The two pieces will join as the back of the room, where a fake door will be placed, covering up most of the join). Some brackets made of air drying clay were glued into position around the walls to help support the ceilings/floors of the tower. Then the round floors were glued in place as the walls were wrapped around them. The whole lot was held tightly together with more tape while the glue dried.
The exterior of both structures is still untouched. I think perhaps I might add a layer of paper machie on the outside before adding the final decoration for extra strength. I should finish the outside with the same paste and stencil stonework as I used for the main building, but I don't have anywhere near enough of the paste left and the stencil has been so well used it has buckled, parts of it no longer being flat which makes it hard to use without stone paste bleeding under it.
This week I've been focusing on the tower and stair structures. The staircase (which was made last week) has now been filled, sanded and painted with a 'stone' paint. The back wall of the stair tower is simply a piece of stiff cardboard wrapped around the back half of the stairs. Before it was attached to the stairs, it was decorated with stone look and suede papers. The stone paper is not as effective as the stencil-and-paste stone effect used on the main building of the castle, but is quicker, easier and cheaper and by the time a few windows and wall hangings have been added you won't see that much of it anyway.
The tower had been assembled in a dry build held together with tape. This week it was dis-assembled so that the walls, floors and ceilings could be decorated before it was permanently glued together. The walls of the upper two floors were covered with the same stone paper as used in the stairwell, while the lower floor was half covered in the same suede paper as the lower part of the stairs. (If you're wondering why it's only half covered, it's because I ran a little short. Hopefully the store still has some more of the same. The two pieces will join as the back of the room, where a fake door will be placed, covering up most of the join). Some brackets made of air drying clay were glued into position around the walls to help support the ceilings/floors of the tower. Then the round floors were glued in place as the walls were wrapped around them. The whole lot was held tightly together with more tape while the glue dried.
The exterior of both structures is still untouched. I think perhaps I might add a layer of paper machie on the outside before adding the final decoration for extra strength. I should finish the outside with the same paste and stencil stonework as I used for the main building, but I don't have anywhere near enough of the paste left and the stencil has been so well used it has buckled, parts of it no longer being flat which makes it hard to use without stone paste bleeding under it.
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