IndyCindy Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Hi friends! Question for y'all. . .when it comes to doing faux brick work (grouted, etc.) do you prefer paper egg carton material, or styrofoam cup material? I've seen really impressive results with both, and have found great tutorials online and on youTube. . . one big question I have is how acrylic paint can be used on the styrofoam. I was under the impression that paint just dissolved it. . . but I watched a lady on youTube make the most incredible mini bricks out of a fast food cup. Is the styrofoam used in fast food cups different than other styrofoam I'm thinking of that can't handle paint? Please share your wisdom on this topic and weigh the pros and cons in your experience. Many thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Wow, send us a link for the Styrofoam bricks. I always thought it was paper only. The paper egg carton can be made from other similar material like fast food cup holders, packing material etc... Also, cork makes some lovely bricks as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 Water based paints can be used on foam plastics. A primer coat of gesso would make the perfect surface for painting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 One of the reasons I like to use sandpaper for brickwork is that it doesn't need grouting and colors nicely with chalk pastels. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted February 21, 2020 Author Share Posted February 21, 2020 3 hours ago, Mid-life madness said: Wow, send us a link for the Styrofoam bricks. I always thought it was paper only. The paper egg carton can be made from other similar material like fast food cup holders, packing material etc... Also, cork makes some lovely bricks as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YMU9Y4Nqyo All of this woman's videos are WONDERFUL! Love her tutorials! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbytsdy Posted February 21, 2020 Share Posted February 21, 2020 42 minutes ago, IndyCindy said: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YMU9Y4Nqyo All of this woman's videos are WONDERFUL! Love her tutorials! That is impressive! I'm an egg-carton person myself, but this is very nice work. I think she is/was a member here...? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kells Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I could see styrofoam working for brick, although I've never tried it. I definitely prefer egg cartons for stone, however. It's already perfectly textured, IMO, so that saves a lot of work. I wanted a cut-stone-block of mixed colored stones for a foundation on one of my houses. I'm happy with how it turned out. Here's a close-up picture that shows the texture of egg cartons. I painted, obviously, but did not do any extra texturing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted February 22, 2020 Author Share Posted February 22, 2020 Thanks for the info. I think I will experiment with some scrap materials and go from there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted February 22, 2020 Share Posted February 22, 2020 I agree with indycindy...Angie Smith videos are awesome and addicting to watch. She's a genius! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 I use egg carton packaging material. It’s thicker than a regular egg carton, and heavily textured. You can see it on my Chanticleer build where I used it as stone. I like how light it is, and once it’s grouted (I used a tinted gel medium worked into the gaps and wiped off), and then painted, etc the finish is tough but lightweight. Styrofoam would also be extremely lightweight, but I’ve been concerned it would also damage easily. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Medieval Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 Do you think it would still be damaged after sealing with acrylic spray? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted February 23, 2020 Share Posted February 23, 2020 2 hours ago, Medieval said: Do you think it would still be damaged after sealing with acrylic spray? I don’t know. But a lot of artists use it. I’ve thought it might damage easily exactly because of the ease of carving or crushing it. But those are just my thoughts. I would try a test run on some scrap wood. Glue it, paint it, see how it holds up. you might want to check out this artist’s blog. https://davidneat.wordpress.com/styrofoam/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCullen Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Spray paint melts Styrofoam. Wanna know how I know? Yup. I did it, so don't use spray paint on Styrofoam... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 I used styrofoam egg cartons to "stone" a chimney and acrylic paints to color it; no melting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 59 minutes ago, LPCullen said: Spray paint melts Styrofoam. Wanna know how I know? Yup. I did it, so don't use spray paint on Styrofoam... This happened to me, too. I used contractor's foam board as a backing when I sprayed a piece. The over spray around the piece melted the foam board. Water based paints, like the acrylic that Holly used, should be okay. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted April 29, 2020 Author Share Posted April 29, 2020 I ended up going with paper egg cartons for the bricks, wall joint compound for the mortar, a wash of stain (wood stain) to add some age and take the edge off of the bright white mortar, and acrylic craft paint to shade things. I sealed it all with matte Modge Podge. This is my final result - the fireplace for the Aster cottage I’m building. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Beautiful result! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Great job! What did you use to make the hook holding the pot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted April 29, 2020 Author Share Posted April 29, 2020 16 minutes ago, havanaholly said: Great job! What did you use to make the hook holding the pot? https://earthntree.com/miniatures/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=154_650_859&products_id=26495I purchased this and then mounted it to a stained scrap of wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 Earth and Tree is where I found my Staffordshire dogs in the pub! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted April 29, 2020 Author Share Posted April 29, 2020 Just now, havanaholly said: Earth and Tree is where I found my Staffordshire dogs in the pub! I discovered Earth and Tree through this forum! They have been a dream to work with - great customer service and very helpful when I’ve had questions or needed guidance on a project. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Intrinsicat Posted April 29, 2020 Share Posted April 29, 2020 I'm trying something different this time. The Brik Magic set that comes with the brick stencil and brick making material. I have SO many bricks to put on this Creatin' piece I couldn't imagine doing it any other way without it taking forever... I've never tried it before and I couldn't find any youtube videos on it. Just one reference here: A blog I found (scroll down a ways) I'll post some pictures if it turns out - I have to do red and white brick work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 That's a gorgeous fireplace! Great work! I finished my Victorianna's brick chimney foundation while the forum was down. I'm happy with the result but I don't know if I'd do it again -- so many teeny tiny bricks! This is half scale so they're even smaller. I painted, applied brown and gray washes, sealed with matte varnish, applied Andi's Mortar Mix, and then sealed again. I posted about the process on my blog here and here. 21 hours ago, Intrinsicat said: I'm trying something different this time. The Brik Magic set that comes with the brick stencil and brick making material. I have SO many bricks to put on this Creatin' piece I couldn't imagine doing it any other way without it taking forever... I've never tried it before and I couldn't find any youtube videos on it. Just one reference here: I used Magic Brick on a roombox last year and had mixed feelings about it. I think it's great for doing a big area quickly, especially compared to egg carton bricks, but it's very uniform and doesn't have the character of bricks that are laid individually. Make sure you seal them afterward with something like matte varnish or Mod Podge, or the brick material will flake off when you touch it. I have two posts about Magic Brick (and Stone) with pictures on my blog here and here. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 30, 2020 Share Posted April 30, 2020 I followed the instruction that came with my Majik Brik in my SF555 kit (also Tom Berkner's advice) and mixed an equal amount of Elmer's all-purpose white glue and water to the brick powder and it doesn't flake off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IndyCindy Posted April 30, 2020 Author Share Posted April 30, 2020 9 hours ago, fov said: That's a gorgeous fireplace! Great work! I finished my Victorianna's brick chimney foundation while the forum was down. I'm happy with the result but I don't know if I'd do it again -- so many teeny tiny bricks! This is half scale so they're even smaller. Gorgeous results! The realism is awesome on this one!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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