mariawicz Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 It looks really good so far! When I did stone out of egg cartons, the gaps looked even larger after grout. I guess it was because of the coloring. For my current project, I used chalk pastels before grouting, but, after I grouted, most of the pastel color got "sanded" off by the grout and the spatula so I'm not using that method again. Either way, you're probably going to have to re-touch after grouting. I started my egg carton stone foundation today. This is what I have so far. I painted the foundation gray before gluing on the stones. I haven't done anything to the stones yet, this is the "raw" egg carton material. I started with the side that will be covered up with the deck, on the assumption that I'll get better as I go along! In the pictures I've seen in this thread and in the gallery, the stones have such nice coloring. I'm wondering what people use to paint them? I read online about using a dry brush technique with various shades of gray and brown, which seems like a good idea. Am curious to hear some suggestions before I get started. I'm a little concerned about the grout lines between the stones being too big. I feel like this looks more like a path than a foundation that's holding the house up. (But that's why I started on the side I'm planning to cover up!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 ...some use crushed pastels to color the stones...I brush them on sparingly with a soft brush and then wipe off the excess with a piece of tissue, after I paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I'm not necessarily planning to apply grout, but might if I feel it needs it after painting the stones. For those who use grout, do you mix in paint to make it gray? The grout I have is bright white. Today at Home Depot they happened to have several "stony" colors on the oops shelf, so I'm going to give it a try with a dry brush. I like the idea of chalks or powdered pastels but will try painting first and see how I like it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterine Posted March 6, 2012 Share Posted March 6, 2012 I use Andi Mini Mortar, which is already grey. I don't know if adding paint would change the adhesion properties. Maybe do a test patch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Why not give evrything a wash with gray after the grout's dry, then drybrush and/or dust pastels on your stones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patkneazle Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 I did a wash of darkish gray Ceramcoat with the little Tudor. With my big house, I used a dark gray purchased cement powder for dollhouses. I can't remember the brand, but they had different shades. It was easy to mix and spread on and wipe off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-defunct account- Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 Ok I switched egg brands as I've started to collect the cartons. I was wondering about how much area one crate covers? I'm going to give this a try on my next build and would like to estimate how many eggs my dear family is going to have to consume over the next few months. Hope they like quiche! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted March 7, 2012 Share Posted March 7, 2012 The number of cartons needed depends on what parts of them you use and the size of the stones you're making. Some parts make better stones than other parts. My family suffered through I think hundreds of hard boiled eggs before I had enough egg shells to crush to make crushed oyster shells to go under Marie Laveau's house. I accumulated a pretty good stash of cartons during that adventure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-defunct account- Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I was planning to try out brick. I know that limits me to the flatter portions. I'll set aside the other parts that have been mentioned as good stone bits for later projects. I'm sure the count will vary, but hoped for a rough estimate. Hubby informed me at dinner that "there's no way I'm eating that many damned eggs" :nono: , so I guess I will have to order some. Worst case is I underestimate and end up ordering more, but once I get moving on a project, I like to have what I'll need on hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I've been saving packing material from computers and other electronics and some toys. I haven't found any stores that carry paper egg cartons. I have access at work to a fair amount of this from netbooks that we get in, so I should be set for a while. Especially since I won't ever get my act together to use it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterine Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I get some from mom and collect some myself, but I found the majority in my local freecycle ads. There's one house nearby where they have countless 28-egg cartons, just about every two weeks! You can even post an add on freecycle asking for the cartons. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted March 8, 2012 Share Posted March 8, 2012 I have done almost half the foundation on the Hillside Victorian so far, and have only gone through two or three egg cartons. I was surprised, expected it to take more (and this is a big 1:12 house!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fov Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I've finished gluing, painting, and varnishing about half of the foundation. I think I'm going to leave it this way, without grout. The gray shows up well enough between the stones and I actually like that the stones stand out from the background, it makes them look more three dimensional. Here are some pictures of my progress. (In the second one, the part on the front of the stairway hasn't been painted or varnished yet.) More on my blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
otterine Posted March 11, 2012 Share Posted March 11, 2012 I don't think you need the grout, either. They look great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 18, 2012 Share Posted March 18, 2012 I also don't use grout, and I also use a lot of flatter materials for faux "stone" & "brick", and I agree about the dimensionality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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