Your all so brilliant, so here goes for begging for more tips and advice pretty please!
Ive been looking at the Sweeney Todd Movie Guide Book and the flooring on the Mrs Lovett Pie Shop floor looks like small tiles, you know like you get on the dollhouse paper, ( like a chequered black and white tiled paper you can buy ) . Well these tiles are medium size terracotta and black, so I figured from your advice that paperclay may be the best way to go with it.
Thing is Ive never used it. Can you recommend please
1. Which kind / make is best?
2. The best way to start as I have a large area approx 15 x 10 inches to tile
3. Do you roll it out just with a roller like rolling out Fimo?
4. Whats best to use to make the lines in the clay?
As the tiles are quite small, do I have to put graph paper under the flooring to get the lines straight?
See, need help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Then I thought I could do the 2 colours in a dry brush paint teqnique to get the worn look.
Thankyou all in advance, i have done my research on the internet and found several usefull sites but i always find you get the best tips from those you know that have been there, done that!!!
LOL Kate xxx
18 comments:
Kate have you thought of going to the local B & Q and having a look through their Paint Chip Cards, where you have the paint mixed. If you find the colours you want just grab a couple of dozen. Then cut them up to make the tiles on the floor.
Deb, not sure what you mean by paint chip cards? dont think ive seem them, dont do much DIY!!!, but next time im in Homebase Ill check out the bit where they mix paint and see what they have. One of the tiles is almost black, the other a terracota, then around the counter a muddy beige,
I LOVE paperclay. I use creative paperclay...haven’t tried any of the others and I am not sure if you can get that in the UK or not.
Is the floor already installed in the house...i.e..can you pull it out to work on it or not.
I just roll it out like I would pastry. Then I smear glue, generally wood glue, over what I want to paperclay. Slap the clay on and push down. I use a toothbrush, wire brush, nail brush etc to pat it down and make texture.
To make the lines…anything. Depending on how much room I have to maneuver .... a ruler, edge of an old credit card, piece of an old CD case...anything straight.
If the floor is already in the house it might be tricky to get in so you’ll need something small...cut up a credit card if you can’t fit anything else in.
I don’t use graph paper for square things like tile. If I want a complex brick or stone patter I draw the pattern on paper to the same size, place over the paperclay and then just trace the lines. Then I remove the paper and go over the lines with a more suitable edge to make them deeper.
I also grout all mine..using regular grout from the builders yard. I think it adds more realism but isn’t necessarily needed for floor tiles.
Cons of paperclay...it shrinks some. Don’t make the gaps between the tiles too big as it will shrink back. On my blog, there is a pic of a foxglove in front of a poor paperclay wall...perfect example of how not to do it and make the gaps between the bricks too big.
Paperclay takes paint brilliantly and it is so easy to get it to look old. Don’t use undiluted acrylic though…the effect is too 'painted'. Water it down some first. And then once you have done just give it a wash with a watered down grey, brown or black to age it.
Have fun...as I say I love it and it is one of the most fun things I do.
you can use a cutter chips
you dismantle the square section cut out.
roll the clay to desired thickness
and print the square of the chips cutter in the clay
so you get all the same
custom tiles
let dry and paint the color you want
hopefully you understand it
I write with the translator
greetings Marja
WOW Jayne, thankyou so much, what fab advice, your a treasure!! Will have a good read of this tomorrow and take it all on board, thanks! Yep the floors and walls are all still in single parts so I can get to them all easily. I bought the house from ebay ( you can see the house on the earlier post) but it was sent by courier and it was so badly put together it fell apart in transit so all the walls fell apart from each other. i was mad at the time but SO pleased now as I can decorate it all so much easier then just piece it all together when its done. the floor is just a base so easy to get to, no surrouding walls. Cant wait to have a go now!! LOL xx
That will be a doddle for you then :-)
I have some pics of the steps of an old wall I made...if you want me to I can put them on my blog..just let me know.
Yes please Jayne, that would be great to see some pics. And thanks so much too to Marja for your kind help, xx
Done...they are on my blog now :-)
You've already been given great advice. One thing, it will warp as it drys, so put something heavy on it when you're done until it dries.
I gave my floor an acrylic wash. If you'd like to see it, click on choc-o-lat bar under "cloud labels" and scroll to the bottom.
Thanks jayne, wonderful step by step advice, thats brilliantly helpful :-)
Marsha, thats a beautiful floor, love the colours.
Do you have to wait a while to put something heavy on top while it dries incase it dmaages the shape of the tiles or will it be fine straight away? xx
My best advice is don't buy the delight paperclay. Its too foamy. It just feels too light and doesn't give nice texture.
The pearl paperclay in my opinion is equally as good as the more expensive creative paperclay. Both of which are usually available on ebay, although you can get them also on uk based sites.
I've used all three but just stay clear of the delight for all miniature work.
Its great for kids though and cheap as chips for them to have some fun with.
I know i shouldn't but the walls falling apart did make me laugh.
Bad postie!
Thank you. I followed along Tracy Topps how-to in the October AM issue.
Good question. It didn't on mine but my stones are bigger than what a brick would be and I let it sit overnight before I put something heavy on it (and it was already warping) . . . .
Are you going to roll out the paperclay on a piece of cardboard creating your floor that way and then place the floor in your house? Maybe you could "frame" the cardboard much like a picture/photo and that would keep it from warping and that way you don't put anything down directly on the floor. This is how Tracy did her how-to.
Thanks Nikki, will check out that brand of clay.
Marsha, whichever way makes it better, I was debating either laying it something ( hence the question as to whether I should lay it on graph paper for the lines) or card, or just straight onto the MDF floor. I tend to go with putting it on something then if anything goes wrong I can whip it out and start again!! thanks for all the advice everyone. xx
I've never heard of those other brands of clay Nikki. I will look out for the cheaper on though.
As for warping...I think a lot depends on the kind of wood it is. The wetness of the clay will make it warp if it the wood is so inclined.
I have never laid anything on top of mine because it would squish the bricks.
What I have done on bigger pieces is to clamp the wood down first then paperclay it. So long as the wood is secured well it won't be able to warp anywhere.
Just another suggestion here....I used a one inch square hole punch and punched out black and white cardstock to make a checker board floor in Cora's kitchen....And in the dining room, I used the sticker tiles you can buy at your home improvement store, I just cut it down to one inch squares and stuck them down. Really easy!! And there's also contact paper....Just go walk around the home improvement store, and you'll find all kinds of neat stuff!
Kate, Tracy Topp is really the Queen ofpaper clay! But I have also done quite a bit. Here are a few tips. I make my floors on heavy card. Roll the clay put well then put a heavy coat of glueonthe card. Roll the clay on top. Let it sit for about half hour. The I use the edge of a 6" metal ruler (the edge is 3/4") to make my lines. Whne done, cover with another piece of card stock and weight it lightly to revent it from warping. When completely dry, this takes time! You are ready to paint!! Many people dont wait for it to dry and thats when the problems start to crop up! Use Creative Paperclay!
I hope this helps!
More fabulous advie thankyou, i think Ill do that and put it on card first. I had thought of using my husbands nice heavy stell ruler to make the lines he he I always loose his rulers!! Kate xx
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