Here is some more info on the general store project. This is my first attempt at using stone mosaic tile sheets from Lowe’s for model making. The inspiration was an old abandoned stone building in Antelope, Texas. Here is what the prototype building looks like today:
I adjusted the general proportions of the structure to match the width of the stone mosaic tile sheets. I foreshortened the length so that the model has an approximate 12” square footprint. I set the wall height at 6” in order to get two walls from each sheet. I reduced the width of the front and rear walls by one half of a stone’s width to maintain symmetry over the doorway and windows.
The model is built over a shell made from ¼” cement backer board (HARDIE-BACKER). The various pieces of the shell were cut from a single sheet of backer board. You can score this backer board with a carbide scribing tool and snap it apart easily. You can also cut it with a circular saw using either a masonry or carbide-tipped blade. The saw generates quite a bit of dust, but produces a much cleaner edge. Cutouts were made in the front shell piece corresponding to the front door and window openings.
Here is an interior shot of the model that shows how the stone tile sheets are attached to the cement backer board shell. The mating corners of the backer board are joined with mesh joint tape made especially for cement board and covered with thin set mortar. I also used thin set to attach the tile sheets to the cement backer board.
Here is what the model looks like so far:
Unlike some of you who make detailed drawings on a napkin before you start building, I haven’t even put down a sketch on this one … just winging it as I go along. So far it’s working out. More to come later.
