Fox & Hounds Pub & Restaurant Construction: Part 4

On our first day of sculpting for the Fox & Hounds Pub project, we focused on the trees n the entryway. First, we troweled on a coat of fiberglass reinforced concrete — about 1" thick. (The mud was applied even thicker in key areas to allow various details to be carved in.)

Then the mud was allowed to set up until it was good and firm before we started sculpting.

Using a variety of tools — including pointing trowels and folded up scraps of expanded metal lath — each detail was painstakingly sculpted into the wet cement. We had to work quickl (at the same pace as the concrete was applied) in order to maintain a consistent texture from tree to tree.

We finished the two trees in just under eight hours. Next week we'll look at, how we carved the faux brick and stone walls — see you then.

Naturopathic Clinic - Part 5

The first step when painting is applying the primer and then the coloured base coats. The dark green border exactly matched the client’s building. Dan painted the woodgrain a lighter, custom mixed shade. Over this he would later add two layers of glaze to highlight the grain.

While the paint cured he sculpted the rock work with fiberglass-reinforced-concrete (FRC). The needs to dry for a minimum of three days before being painted to look like rock.

Meanwhile, Dan painted the pinstripes and ornaments using the light green colour he has used as the base colour for the woodgrain.

Dan painted the rocks with the blended base coats to colour the stones and then using an undercoat gun with low air pressure (30 lbs. or so) to create a speckled effect reminiscent of granite. Once the paint was dry, he painted in the grout lines between the rocks with a small brush.

While Dan was waiting for the various coats of paint to dry on the rocks he painted on the gold size which is clear like varnish. He used a slow size this time and it took 12 hours to set up enough to apply the gold.

Next he carefully applyied the 23K gold leaf. The dark greens of the sign make the gold feel very rich. The sign sparkles even in the artificial light of the shop — it should look spectacular out in the sunlight!

Naturopathic Clinic - Part 4

To create a solid base for the cement to follow, Dan use galvanized diamond lath. It is cut roughly to size and then wired on with tie wire. The tools are simple - as is the task but as always it looks easy until you try it for the first time. If you look close at the picture you can see a bent loop in the wire. This is poked through the mesh and then looped around the welded pencil rod, then pulled tight with the nippers, twisted and cut off in a smooth quick motion. With practice it becomes easy. But keep the bandaids handy as the wire is sharp and will cut if you aren't careful!

If you need more than one sheet to cover the frame overlap by at least a couple of inches. Tie the mesh securely. — basically the mesh needs to be stable. If it wiggles it needs more tying!

After the mesh is finished it is on to the mud. We like to use a flexible tool trowel to apply the mud. We also wear rubber gloves — wet concrete is caustic and concrete burns can be very painful. Be sure to wear some safety glasses when you are mixing too. For this project we used a simple mix — one part sand, one part cement powder. We used a paddle mixer in a half inch drill to mix the concrete in a five gallon pail.

You need to press hard enough with the trowel to squeeze a little mud through the mesh but soft enough to not push it all the way through. We like to work from the top down — literally hanging the cement as we go. Below you can see Dan, scooping the cement out of the bucket with his left hand and applying it with the trowel in his right.

After the concrete is applied, Dan let things set up about an hour before he came back with a folded piece of mesh and scratched a rough patter into the wet cement. This would provide a mechanical bond when he add the rock work on after the sign is painted.

The sign is now starting to look like it will when it is finished.