Faux Concrete or Metal Wall Displays?

[Delmustator]

I'm thinking about making a faux wall display that looks like a chunk of concrete. I assume that I need to use wood or some base for the concrete (or concrete looking material) to stick.

You see these materials used to make fake rocks and stuff that weigh nothing. Even the tunnels at the putt putt place are basically wire mesh with some concrete looking materials stuck to them..

Anyone here that can share the best method of doing this?

 

[propologist]

stucco maybe. I use to make shelves from foam but they had a wood and wire mesh for support. After that I sprayed foam and carves out textures etc and painted. You could also use bits of canvas dipped into paint and left to harden. Once hard you can paint and you'll get good texture.
if you want expensive , then i'm sure someone will chime in.

 

[exoray]

Foam and/or wire mesh core, covered with strips and sheets of burlap soaked in a Portland Cement and sand mixture... Just like you would do paper mache but instead of paper and a paste, you use burlap and a mixture of Portland Cement and sand... Once you have a shell, you can brush on additional Portland Cement layers with pebbles and what not mixed in to hide the burlap texture and make it look more concrete...

 

[darthgordon]

Pink insulation foam, carved the way you want it to look and painted with gesso and then sprayed with paints from a hobby/ craft store that are designed to look like rock.

 

[Delmustator]

Pink insulation foam, carved the way you want it to look and painted with gesso and then sprayed with paints from a hobby/ craft store that are designed to look like rock.

That's pretty much the way I was thinking. There is a product called Permacrete that looks like it would do the deed well. I can embed the metal frame into the foam and then spray it all..

Now to work on a endo hand..

 

[propologist]

Foam and/or wire mesh core, covered with strips and sheets of burlap soaked in a Portland Cement and sand mixture... Just like you would do paper mache but instead of paper and a paste, you use burlap and a mixture of Portland Cement and sand... Once you have a shell, you can brush on additional Portland Cement layers with pebbles and what not mixed in to hide the burlap texture and make it look more concrete...

portland cement is fairly heavy too..lighter the better because you have to think what is being put onto them

 

[exoray]

portland cement is fairly heavy too..lighter the better because you have to think what is being put onto them

It's only a thin shell, you don't use much at all... When I sold exotic animals this is the way the exhibits and zoos built the simulated rock enclosures and scenery... You would be amazed at just how light things are vs the volume of piece, and you get the authentic concrete surface..

 

[Maelstrom]

I think there is a material known as "backer board" that is made for materials like this to stick to. Kind of like if you were putting up a faux brick wall in your house over and existing wall.

 

[DragonStar]

If you go the foam route, I'm doing a build right now using pink foam. I'm going for a metal look, but right up to the paint layer the builds would be similar. It is made of rigid foam insulation glued together with liquid nails "Paneling and foam" adhesive. (Be sure to remove the plastic sheet stuck to each side!) Once the glue sets, I coated it with scrim (a 50/50 mix of wood glue and water) using a brush, then put large scraps of cotton (muslin, for example) over it in overlapping layers, wetting each with more scrim. When this is dry, I gessoed the whole thing, let it dry, then coated each piece in a mixture of acrylic medium and play sand. This gives the surface a somewhat transluscent sandstone texture. If you don't like that, mix in some opaque paint with the sand and acrylic medium then go over it with chalk pastels. They will catch on the high points but not in the valleys. Finally, varnish it all and you have a lightweight, relatively sturdy, relatively cheap faux sandstone prop. Pics are here:

http://www.therpf.com/showthread.php?t=84433

but I don't have any shots of the "sandstone" stage. The best example would be the dark gray background arc in the top half of the blast doors, which I could have easily painted "concrete color" instead. Hope that gives you some ideas. I also think the burlap/cement combo sounds like a winner.

 

[Skaught]

Here's a Tatooine wall set I'm working on. It's only 1/8" thick wood panels on a 2" x 4" frame. I cut out sections and glued a piece of 1/8" wood on the backside to make the "damaged" areas. I painted on ceiling texture to get the stucco look and painted over that with some tan color.

It's very light weight for easy transportation.

Scott

 

[DragonStar]

That looks great, man!

 

[Delmustator]

Here's a Tatooine wall set I'm working on. It's only 1/8" thick wood panels on a 2" x 4" frame. I cut out sections and glued a piece of 1/8" wood on the backside to make the "damaged" areas. I painted on ceiling texture to get the stucco look and painted over that with some tan color.

It's very light weight for easy transportation.

Scott

Very Nice!