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Adobe Roombox


Kells

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Here's the project I finally landed on. It doesn't require much to finish it off, just a lot of stucco. Like, a LOT of stucco. I've only done the back and sides so far and already gone through a container of it. I'm dreading tackling that fireplace, as it is affixed into position and isn't coming out! Everything else should be pretty easy.

All but the last two pics are "As Found." The last two show how the stucco is coming along. I've never used this product before but was happy with the test on the rear exterior (pictured below with the DAP container in front of it). I like the tan color it becomes once dry and may not paint it, or at least not the exterior. Not sure I want this rough of a finish on the interior though. I may use drywall compound to do the interior walls.

Here are the other two I've done.

 

Edited by Kells
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I just realized I hadn't pointed out something interesting about the 3-room roombox. I got it from a young lady whose grandfather made it for her from scratch when she was a little girl.

What I find unique is that it is made entirely out of 3/4" thick wood. He sanded the edges to give it that rounded look of authentic adobe, which gives it a great effect, but the thickness of the wood also makes the whole thing incredibly heavy. It weighs a ton! I need my husband's help to flip it about to get to various surfaces. Wouldn't it be cool to have a whole adobe house made that way? Except you'd need a crane to move it!

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19 minutes ago, Kells said:

That's true. Can foam board be sanded to get rounded edges? I've never used it.

Carved and/or sanded ... then coat with gesso and a skim coat of wallboard mud/Spackle

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On 7/20/2021 at 5:01 PM, KathieB said:

Carved and/or sanded ... then coat with gesso and a skim coat of wallboard mud/Spackle

That is good to know, thank you!

I have to point out something I found hilarious. We've all seen those mass-produced dollhouses sold as "An antique my great-grandfather built in the 1930s..." (he built tab-and-slot from scratch? They had hot glue guns in the 30s?) Apparently I fell for it myself. Well, not really, because that had no bearing on my decision to get this roombox, but I did just say how this was built by a young lady's grandfather...

No, it was not, and KathieB is indirectly responsible for my finding that out! Holly mentioned on another thread that Kathie built a houseboat so I went looking in Kathie's galleries to see it. Lo and behold, there is an adobe nearly identical to mine in one of her albums! Mine has a few differences but it has to be by the same builder. I'm glad to have seen it. I really like that shepherd's bed above the fireplace. Hmmmm...

I stupidly never looked at the bottom for a signature until now! It is by Little White Dove in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1985. Does anyone have more information about this person or company?

The adobe in one of KathieB's albums:

Mine. Note the fireplace, the trim on the front wall ends, the end bevels on the dowels, brick flooring, front dirt/clay 'landscape'...

Photo of the underside stating it is by Little White Dove in Albuquerque, New Mexico, 1985

Aannd the Denver Miniatures Museum had one of her roomboxes in their Fall 2020 show and sale. Too bad I didn't attend or I'd have known about mine a lot sooner! Image doesn't seem to want to embed so here's a link.

https://www.dmmdt.org/fall-show-2020-exhibit-room/zkjh8demp2f52lm4rh8jka7fgbmk1t

 

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On 7/19/2021 at 3:24 PM, havanaholly said:

I'm not familiar with the stucco repair product.  I started with their spackle and have moved on to the joint compound, as well.

I picked up some spackle for the interior based on your post. I just did not like how the drywall patch was turning out. It is very powdery and required three coats just to get the plywood not to show through. I am loving the spackle. It is smoothing things out nicely and creating a soft finish perfect for adobe. Easier to texture, too, to create trowel marks for that hand-plastered effect without being as rough as the stucco repair I'm using on the exterior walls.

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