Dollhouse Miniature Fireplace pt 2

 

Watch the video here.

This week we are finishing the fireplace we started last Sunday.

I started by creating the firebox to inside the fireplace.

 

 

 

We need 3 pieces of foam-core 2 cut ¾” by 2 ½” and 1 cut 2” by 2 ½”

 

 

 

 

These are glued together to form the shape needed. This time we making sure the smaller pieces are glued to the edges of the larger one. Once we have them placed with the glue be sure to add the short pieces of toothpick to reinforce the bond. Allow the glue to dry.

 

Once the glue dries we need to coat all the areas where we are going to apply the bricks with a gray paint. This is the same paint I am going to use to make he mortar (or grout) Allow the paint to dry completely.

 

 

Now we can glue the fireplace body we made last week to the hearth. Be sure to measure carefully to make sure you have the fireplace centered on the hearth side to side and lined up carefully in the back. Once you are happy with your placement use some glue and more toothpicks to secure the two pieces together. This glue will need to be all the way dry before we begin to add the bricks to the hearth.

 

While the glue on the hearth dries we can start putting the bricks in the firebox. The bricks are cut from a paper egg carton and measure ¼” by ½” I know this is slightly small for scale but it is an easy measurement to cut and looks in scale once placed. 

 

Start on the back wall o f the firebox at the bottom. Line the row up at the bottom edge and cut the last brick to fit. Be sure to leave a tiny gap between the bricks to allow a place for the mortar/grout to go later. Once you are happy with the placement of this row allow the glue to dry. If you try to add more rows before the glue on the first one dries you run a bigger risk of shifting the placement. This first row is what all the rest of the rows are going to line up against.

 

 

Now it is just a matter of working our way up the back of the firebox with the bricks. Being sure to offset them so that the places where one row of bricks meet lines up with about the center of the bricks in the next row.

 

Once the back wall of the firebox is bricked we move on to the sides. For those alternate cut bricks with whole bricks to maintain a brick pattern. Do both sides and allow to dry.

Next I opted to paint the bricks on the firebox, since I had to mix my paint color I wanted to be sure I was happy with it before I committed to using it on the hearth. Also this way the firebox would be ready and I could just work on the hearth next. I wanted to paint my bricks with a “brick” red color but didn’t have any so I mixed some colors to get a color I was happy with. I did put it in a container with a lid so it would stay usable while I was working in the entire project. I am doubtful I could ever mix the exact color again to match it. Don’t be too heavy handed with the paint on the bricks. 

 

 

You don’t want it to fill the gaps we left between the bricks. Also it is okay to just paint the tops of the bricks and they don’t even need to be coated evenly since I am going for a used brick look all those imperfections will add to the look.

 

 

Now onto the hearth. Since the bricks on the ends of each row will need look like whole bricks not just pieces of egg carton I cut some more pieces of egg carton to use in those places. I cut a strip 1/8” wide and cut some ½” pieces (these will be the sides of the front row of bricks) some pieces that wee ¼” by 5/8” wide and scored 1/8” from one end and folded at that mark (these will be the full bricks at the end of the rows) and some that were ¼” by 3/8” and scored at 1/6” again (to the be the full half bricks at the opposite ends of the rows)

 

 

I drew a placement line that was in line with the front of the fireplace and lined up my first row of bricks there.

 

 

 

 

I started with a full brick with the folded bit on one end and ended with one of the smaller folded brick pieces. Filling in with the regular bricks I’ve been using all along. Allow the glue on this row to dry pretty well before you try to add more rows so you don’t accidentally move the bricks you just placed.

Now we can add the bricks along the area at the sides of the fireplace. There is really only room for 1 brick per row so that’s pretty easy. Use the ones that we made that were folded at the end alternating the long and short ones to maintain the brick pattern. Use small pieces of brick to fill areas as needed.

Now we can add the rest of the bricks to the top of the outside area of the hearth. You should have room for two more rows with the row at the very front hanging over the edge along the front. That is what you want. Allow the glue to dry.

Now we can add the “sides” of the row of bricks at the edge of the front of the hearth. I know I was out of camera on this part of the video, sorry about that. But all we need to do is add glue and one by one fit in the 1/8” wide brick pieces we cut to match the ones on the top row. You might need to cut them to fit because in order to make sense and look like they are part of the same brick they need to match in size. Finish out the row with the narrow pieces cutting as needed to create the brick sides.

Next add the bottom row of bricks at the front edge of the hearth and around the ends using a couple of brick pieces that have been cut 14” by ¾” and scored and folded at ¼” from one end. This will give you the end of the brick wrapped around the corners.

Allow the glue to dry.

Now we can add the bricks to the interior floor of the fireplace. This is a bit of a challenge because the work area is pretty small but it is doable. You don’t need to have entire floor of the firebox area covered. Have the firebox handy and check as you work that you have bricks where they will show. You don’t need to put them where they will be completely covered.

Allow the glue to dry.

Now really look at the bricks and trim off any places where you have bricks that are hanging over the edges too much. Also add some tape to the bottom of the painted areas of the fireplace to protect it from getting paint and other stuff on it.

Now using the same paint we used for the other bricks earlier paint the bricks on the hearth the same way. Allow the paint to dry.

 

 

Since I am going for the look of used brick I next got out just a tiny drop of each of the paint colors I have already used in the project: the white (from the fireplace body), the gray (that I painted the areas to be bricked with), and the colors I used to mix my brick color- the red, orange, and brown. 

 

 

Then I used really small paint brushes to add just a bit to the faces of some scattered bricks. Just one or two of each color and none very close to each other. Just add the colors until it looks how you want it to look. Now allow this paint to dry.

Now to protect the painting I have done I added a thin coat of Matt Mod Podge. This will add a layer of protection from the next step when we add the mortar/groat. I missed a couple of spots and off camera had to touch up some of the paint on a couple of bricks at the end of the project. So be sure to not skip this step and be careful to not miss any of the bricks.

Now for one of the most fun steps because this is where the bricks start to really look like bricks and not just egg carton chunks glued down. Mix some of the gray paint with some white sand to give a slightly thick textured paint. This time I found it easiest to use my finger tip to work the mixture into the surface and down between the bricks to fill the gaps.

Then immediately wipe away any excess with a damp paper towel. Work in small areas. Once you have finished cover up the remaining paint/sand mixture to use in the next step.

 

Now we can use some glue to attach the firebox to the inside of the fireplace body. Use a bit more glue than you think you need. Then fill the area where the firebox meets the hearth with a bit more of the paint/sand mixture. Allow this to dry completely.

 

 

 

Once the glue has dried it is time to add some “soot” to the inside of the fireplace. Depending on how old you want your fireplace to be add more or less black paint. Anywhere from none to mostly covered will help to tell the story of the age of your fireplace.

Now let’s talk about finishing our work to make it look more professional. I used some medium weight white card-stock cut to fit the back of the hearth and the back opening of the fireplace and glued them in place. This will hide the unfinished areas and just make the fireplace look a bit better. You could also cut a narrow piece of the card-stock to cover the back edge of the mantle if you wanted. Poster board would also work for this area.

 

I also added a quick coat of black paint to the bottom of the hearth to make it look a bit more finished. Then using an white paint pen I added my initials. I always try to do this step to sign my work even if I don’t show it on camera. Whenever I make any thing I am reminded of one of my high school art teachers that insisted we always sign our work. He went so far as not giving us a grade if we forgot. According to him if it was worth keeping you signed it. No matter what. So I want to see all of you signing your work whenever possible.

As always I do want to sincerely thank all of you for watching my videos and reading my blog posts. It means so much to me that you are supporting me in this way. If I could ask you all to do just a bit more by subscribing to the channel and liking the videos and leaving comments. Those help more than you can imagine. Also if you could pass the links on to your friends I would appreciate it so much.