Grandma’s attic – wood floor

Before the rafters and support beams could be put in place, the floor needed to be finished. Since I had so many wood strips on hand, I decided to use them for the flooring in addition to the walls. I made a template of the attic with plain paper first and adjusted the fit accordingly.

I then used that to make my final brown paper template.

I set a bunch of strips on the template to give me an idea of where the pieces would fall front to back so I could plan any less-than-full-width boards.

I glued the wood on in random lengths, one at a time. This took quite a bit of time. I painted it before gluing it in place, following the same process as the walls though I did sand once in between two coats of the initial brown base. I figured the floor would be smoother than the walls. I don’t think I’ll be foregoing pre-made flooring sheets for good, but it is a lovely look in the right circumstances. :D This would make a fine country floor.

I “dusted” the corners and edges a little more with a heavier application of Slate Grey mixed with Staining Antiquing Medium. I also finished up the remaining wiring and tested all the lighting beforehand. This is by no means a guarantee that things won’t go awry in the future, but I at least know the connections were sound up to this point.

I tested the fit a final time and took a couple of photos to make sure the finishes looked good together. The floor appears dustier than the walls, which is the look I was aiming for. The copper bucket is from Celtic Juju.

I had been gluing in the templates with Aleene’s Quick Dry, but this time I used Yes paste since it would give me more time to apply the adhesive to the large surface. I taped the edges down and now it just needs to set. I will have to finish the back portions of the roof before I can install the beams and rafters, but I think it’s coming along well. (Note: I no longer recommend Yes paste – I use Wallpaper Mucilage instead. Yes paste has problems with longevity.)

The box of Christmas items was made by M Carmen; the snowman bead was purchased.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 6, 2013 | 0 comments

Grandma’s attic – faux slats and rafters, part 2

I continued working on the faux slats and rafters for the attic. Now, the front gable portion is small to work in, but it is manageable. Even so, I was not able to get in there to measure. I used the original gable template from the side gable and used that as an approximation. It worked very well.

Since I used the roof templates to make other templates after the shingling was done, I had to start over with those. I made the front gable templates by placing the paper on the outside of the roof to get the basic shape and size. Note to anyone making a Heritage: make at least two templates of these roof pieces and keep them until you’re finished!

I then cut them down to fit.

I added the wood, painted and measured the rafters. Here are the forward and right side pieces in place.

I didn’t remember to mark the rafters on the right side gable, but I did remember on the left side.  It shouldn’t be much of a problem figuring it out from there.

For the inside peak, I used a triangular piece of wood from my stash. This isn’t listed in the Heritage parts, so I am guessing it came from the old lost Dura-Craft kit. The piece I had is long enough to use both here in the gable and for the main span across when I get to that part.

I painted it to match and then glued it in place. I installed the hanging light from The Lighting Bug and pulled the wire through. I aged the ceiling plate and socket with acrylic paint since it wouldn’t be handled at all.

I love this light!!!! :D

One tip for these. The ceiling plate is hollow, so I added a small Woodsies circle to steady the whole thing. The Woodsies circle is glued to the plate and the ceiling board.

I finished up the rest of the front roof walls and installed the wall light, also from The Lighting Bug. The left side gable and its floor support will be installed after I get the attic chimney completed.

I love this light, too!!!!  :D

I think this rustic background will be perfect for the antiques and treasures stored here.

Rafters and detailing still to come…

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 5, 2013 | 0 comments

Grandma’s attic – faux slats and rafters, part 1

I’m mulling over the idea of using vintage newspaper to line the attic in the same manner as the attic in Baslow Ranch.

But, I also like the look of exposed wood in an old attic regardless of the energy inefficiency. Since I know what a newspaper covered attic would look like, I decided to try a wood slat attic. I can always cover it if I don’t like it, or do a combination of the two. :D

I used Dura-Craft wood flooring strips for the roof boards. These are pieces from both the old lost Dura-Craft kit and the Heritage.

I started with the three gables that are roughly the same size and shape, because they are the smallest and simplest pieces. If I didn’t like the result, I wouldn’t have wasted much time. I made a regular paper template of the side gable and then made the final template from dark brown paper in case it showed through.

I glued wood strips to the back of the template, leaving them long.

I then cut around the template.

I checked the fit and then marked the visual center and the location of the two side supports.

I cut rafters from 1/16″ x 1/4″ strip wood. If this were an actual roof, the rafters wouldn’t be flat, but I wanted mainly the look of an attic more than an architectural model.

I decided to add color before installation in case I needed to press the boards flat as they dried. I stained the wood by mixing Staining Antiquing Medium with Asphaltum, both by Americana. It was a rich color I will definitely keep in mind for future use, but it was too new and warm for an old attic. I added a stain of Staining Antiquing Medium mixed with Neutral Grey by Americana. It toned down the brown.

But, it wasn’t “dusty” enough, so I added a third stain of Staining Antiquing Medium mixed with Slate Grey by Americana. Very nice! Of course, I had to add this grey layer to the support boards I had primed brown previously.

Once dry, I checked the fit again and then glued the main piece in place. I won’t glue in the rafters until I get the rest of the walls done and the floor installed, but I propped them up with mini hold wax.

I absolutely love the way this looks! I didn’t sand the boards or the rafter pieces, and I think that really solidifies the rough-hewn look. Hooray!

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 4, 2013 | 0 comments

Grandma’s attic – prep work

To help keep the ceiling board in place and (relatively) level, I glued in wood supports along the attic floor. These were cut very rough to keep with the look of an attic.

I cut a new plywood piece for the flat roof since the original kit piece was beyond warped and didn’t fit at all. It won’t be glued in place until I finish the interior of the attic.

I used my new Dremel to cut my first wire channel in place! How exciting! It’s not pretty, but it doesn’t have to be. It took two minutes and was easier than it would have been with the utility blade. With practice, I’ll be steadier with it. I made the channel around the circular patch where I first cut the round window. I didn’t want to weaken the patch. As you can see, there is no floor support on the side gable. That will be put in place after I get the attic portion of the chimney installed.

I then primed the attic walls and supports with Asphaltum by Americana. It’s already starting to look like a cohesive room.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 3, 2013 | 0 comments

Heritage – bedroom ceiling, part 2

Continuing work on the bedroom ceiling. Since I’ll be installing flat trim around the bedroom ceiling to help disguise any gaps, I traced the walls onto the unpainted ceiling board.

I then cut strip wood following these guidelines. I might have to do some adjusting during the actual installation, but this should give me a good approximation of lengths and angles. Much easier than trying to cut them in place later.

I painted the bedroom ceiling side with two coats of white paint, sanding once in between. I primed the attic floor side with black paint. I pressed the board to dry flat overnight to combat some warping in the plywood.

I glued the bedroom ceiling board in place first. The bedroom interior wall likes to lean into the hallway, so I had to hold it in place during the process. I added some straight pins for stability, cutting down the length as needed. I drilled pilot holes for them to keep the wood from splitting.

I glued in the hallway ceiling board that had been painted and prepped ahead of time. I taped the electrical wires into their respective channels, though I still have to lengthen a few of them on the outer wall to reach the power strip.

The ceiling line overall is a little crooked. Apparently, the bathroom and bedroom interior walls are slightly off in measurement from one another and the parlor ceiling has started to sag. It’s a good thing this is meant to be an old house. Haaaa! And, I’m hoping you will all be so wowed by the interior that you’ll ignore this problem. I have plans for finishing the back edges of the interior walls and floors to help disguise any warping. More on that later.

I’ve had a lot of challenges with this build, so I’ve taken these types of shortcomings in the final result in stride. I’ve learned a lot on this build, and I do love the way this house is turning out.

Update: After working on the back roof, I was able to finish up the bedroom ceiling trim. It’s a simple, flat strip wood trim, but it really brings it all together. It hides the slight gaps as well as the tabs and slots in the front and outer walls.

I cut and installed the final amount of bedroom wallpaper (I hadn’t yet added the flat ceiling trim around this corner to complete the room when I took this picture). There was a slight gap between the roof board and the gable wall, so I also added a thin strip of trim (painted black) along the angled wall that you can’t see unless you put your head inside the room.

Categories: The Haunted Heritage
January 2, 2013 | 0 comments