The French Farmhouse: One Wall, a Fireplace, and the Kitchen Sink

The stairs were finally in place to allow me to climb to the upper level of the farmhouse, so the time had come to start working on the upper back wall, where the kitchen would be located. I decided to cut all the upper-level walls at the same time, since the cutting is a very messy job. But I chose the worst possible time; it was July, it was blistering hot, and although I had a fan in the garage, I couldn't use it while I was cutting styrofoam. The little bits of light-weight foam were blown everywhere by the fan. Snow in July! 

While I worked among all the stacks of wall pieces, Robert brought me a pre-dinner glass of chilled white wine. Refreshing!

I drew the placement of the fireplace, sink, and niches for shelves directly onto the styrofoam wall. There are both an inner and outer back wall in order to have depth for the firebox and for the storage shelves.

The fireplace hearth, mantle, and surround pieces have been put into place, and I cut out the tall niche for the shelves.

I started work on the chimney piece and also propped up the outer wall behind the fireplace and shelf niche just to make sure it would fit well.

I cut a shelf niche above the sink space, then decided to make an arched top to both the shelf niches. Remember what I said in an earlier post about the forgiving nature of styrofoam? 

I began working on the granite sink and trying it in its space for fit. The sink was a lot of work for such a small piece!

I finished cutting out the chimney piece and secured it in place with toothpicks and glue.

I began coating the "granite" sink with joint compound, using my favorite, indispensable mini-tool. My thoughtful neighbor showed up in my garage one day with a complete set of perfect tiny tools, after he had watched me struggle for weeks with several less than efficient, improvised tools. He told me that he had "just picked up the tools somewhere and had no use for them." They are wonderful things. Thank you, Dick.

The sink has been completely covered with joint compound.

After the second sanding on the sink was finished, I applied the first coat of the "granite" finish - a mixture of "Country Gray" and white.

I sanded the sink for the third time and applied a second coat of the gray and white paint mixture. It was finished!

I cut styrofoam shelf brackets that will be stuccoed along with the niche so that the brackets look as though they are part of the wall. This was the traditional style in a farmhouse of this type. I was not too pleased. Some things don't convert well from real size to miniature scale.

I applied the first layer of joint compound to the kitchen wall, fireplace unit, and shelf niches.

While the joint compound dried on the wall, I measured, cut, and stained the shelves for the two niches. I started with a dark stain, then added a light wash.

The joint compound hearthstones have been marked and formed for the fireplace.

I sanded the hearthstones and painted on a "stone" finish.

I needed a sturdy, working fireplace crane, and Robert said that he would help me construct one, since I'm not up to his soldering iron standards. We found various bits and pieces at the hardware store that seemed to be likely components.

Robert completed the hard part of soldering the pieces together.

And I did the easy part - painted the crane with flat-black paint.

I installed the crane on the side of the firebox using Gorilla Glue to insure permanency. Thank you, Robert.

I made a BIG mistake. I don't know what I was thinking! Apparently, I "drew" the firebox stones on the outer back wall sideways. I cannot believe I did that.  It must be because of working in a standing position - maybe I was turned sideways so that the stones looked right side up to me. I applied a coat of stone-gray paint on the fireplace stones, but of course the sideways stones didn't look any less sideways. I must have been very tired, because the repair job seemed enormous to me. I couldn't face it that day, so I just left the sideways stones sideways overnight. I kept thinking, "the whole back of the fireplace, all those stones, have to be replaced!"

The next day, I had put things back in perspective. I sometimes - or often - forget that I'm working in miniature. I obviously was thinking of the stone do-over as a major real-size project. I started over with another layer of joint compound. I'm talking about a bitsy 6" x 4" swath of joint compound here, folks! It took me ten minutes! That included waiting for the joint compound to set up enough so that I could mark the stones. I did have a sinking feeling that I might have made the hearthstones sideways as well - and sure enough, when I double-checked, I saw sideways hearthstones. However, I did not re-do those stones. They were destined to be blackened and covered with soot, ashes, a grate, wood, and a fire. I left them sideways.

While I had the joint compound opened and handy, I also spread on a layer that would be the backs of the shelf niches. Not a good photo angle, but you can see the joint compound layers to the left and right of the firebox stones.

I sanded down the new firebox stones and painted on several coats of "stone" colors: gray, white, Desert Sand, and Khaki Tan, my usual standbys. I also sanded the niche backs to get them ready for the outer back wall.

And the first upper-level wall was up! I glued the outer wall to the inner fireplace wall and secured the double-thickness wall to the lower-level ceiling. Niches for the upper-level ceiling beams have been cut into the top of the wall. (I did not want to overlook that step and have a repeat of the mess I made on the lower level!) I sanded the entire wall and applied a color wash.

So, of course, after the wall was ALL DONE, I decided to re-do the kitchen shelf niches! I had never been happy with the "traditional" style shelf supports. I cut off the "built-in" supports and re-stuccoed and repainted the interior of the niches. Much work, but so worth it; I was much happier. But then I had to make new shelves as well, since the original ones no longer fit.

I installed the kitchen sink by embedding it in joint compound, which I thought would make it more secure than using glue.

I measured, cut, and painted the new shelves and supports for the two kitchen niches. I decided to add a bit of color, so I used "Blue Bayou" with an added gray wash.

And I am finally pleased with the kitchen shelf niches! Even though it meant a departure from tradition. Sometimes creative license must reign!

I made logs for the fireplace using pieces of twigs darkened with paint, soot, and ashes. (And kept asking myself whether real life ashes are the right scale for a miniature fire? I heard a resounding YES from the universe.)

When I was ready to "build" the fire in the fireplace, I brought out the fireplace grate and the spit that I had found online. The first thing I did was to drop the grate - and the spit - on the concrete floor of the garage. One bar from the spit rack and one piece from the grate broke off. I tried mending the pieces with superglue, but NO. Then I used my hot glue gun, and that worked. The glue sort of molded itself like wax around the breaks. It looked fine. It should hold. After all, I kept reminding myself, no one will actually be dropping logs onto that grate and turning, turning, turning that spit. (Will they?) The fire in the fireplace was made by installing a light bulb, then adding orange tissue paper, ashes, and "logs" - the pieces of twigs.

And so it came to pass that the kitchen wall was finished! And that included the kitchen sink!

The French Farmhouse: Ups and Downs of the Staircase

The lower level of my high house was basically (very basic) complete, so it was time to head upstairs. Of course, I had to build the stairs before I could head up them. I had experimented earlier with the stairs, trying to get the angle of ascent/descent right. (That math thing again!) My husband was helpful. He is a "numbers" man and has a degree in accounting. But (I digress here) he has never used his degree in that capacity; he chose, instead of sitting at a desk fiddling with numbers, to sit in a cockpit fiddling with dials and controls; and I, never a numbers person, take care of all our family finances. Go figure! (In a manner of speaking.) So - to the stairs!

 The staircase has been secured - temporarily, depending on the fit - with toothpicks and glue.

  After going up and down several times, both in my imagination and finger walking, I determined that the stairs were safe; at least I hadn't come tumbling down. So I secured them permanently in place and trimmed them up.

 I've marked the placement of the solid wall that will enclose the staircase.

The solid wall has been trimmed to fit the stairs. Before securing it permanently, I wrote a tiny note to enclose within the cavity of the stair wall. The note describes the origins of the house and is meant for future generations to find if the farmhouse should be demolished. Perish the thought! (I had not thought to do this when I built the adobe house - so I belatedly wrote another note and inserted it into the wall surrounding the adobe house.) Are my thoughts becoming more negative or more realistic as I grow older?

 I aged the stairs a bit by hollowing out the centers where they would have received the most wear over time.

 I applied joint compound, mixed with gray paint, to the stairs. I added other paint colors later to create a more realistic stone finish.

 I continued to add color layers of paint on the stairs.

 The stairs needed to be sanded several times in order to smooth out the cracks in the joint compound.

 Yes, smoother is better.

I tried a new, experimental technique to embed the real stones in the outer stair wall. I mixed various colors of paint - Gray, Desert Sand, Yellow Ochre, and Khaki Tan - into the joint compound, trying to match the existing mortar color. 

The colored joint compound was applied liberally first, then I pushed the stones firmly into the joint compound "mortar."

The new technique was time saving, but the mortar was much rougher than that between the faux stones. I used my Dremel tool to smooth out some of the roughness.

The Dremel helped; but the mortar still wasn't as smooth as I wanted, so I made tiny rolls of coarse sandpaper and sanded around the stones by hand where the mortar was roughest. (Sort of like flossing one's teeth.) Not perfect - but finished!

To make the stones for the porch (le porche - thanks, Anna!) I used the same technique as for the wall stones and the flagstones on the lower level. I spread on joint compound, let it set up a little, then drew in grooves to simulate the stones. 

When the "stones" had dried, I sanded them and applied a mixture of several colors of paint: taupe, dark gray-green, and light gray, followed by a wash of white.

I added a wash of taupe to the stairs as well; they looked a bit too gray to me. I added rubbed-on dirt 

later to achieve an aged, well-used finish on both the stairs and the porch.

Having a staircase to the upper level meant that I could start working on the upper back wall, where the kitchen area and the fireplace are located. Tune in next week as more sticks and stones and styrofoam are used for making everything - including the kitchen sink!

The French Farmhouse: More Sticks Than Stones

Last week's post was all about stones and stones and more stones, so this week I'm changing to sticks and sticks and more sticks. Just for a little variety. As you may remember from a previous post, this farmhouse is a "high house," which just means that the family living quarters were built above the barn and stables. 

One end of the barn is designated as the boy's room, because in the mid-nineteenth century, my chosen time period, a young boy of an age to perform chores would not have had a sleeping place within the main house. He (or a hired man if there was no able-bodied son) would have had his sleeping quarters in the barn or stable. 

I designed the boy's room to be partially open to the barn, separated by a low wall and a wooden gate, so that he can keep watch over the family's two milk cows. He also has a window that overlooks the chicken run, so he must be vigilant on both sides. I'm surprised that he gets any sleep, but he's fourteen years old; that explains a lot. Teenagers were ever thus.

So - the boy's room stone walls, including the low one, were ready; it was time to construct the gate. 

I used balsa wood pieces for the gate. It took some trial and error, because I had never paid much attention to the construction details of a wooden gate. Mostly I had only heedlessly opened or closed one without due diligence. If only we could know in advance what we're supposed to observe closely!

 The gate construction has been completed - ready to be stained. The wider end pieces in the photo will be attached flat against the stone walls, and the gate will be attached to these two support pieces.

The gate has been stained and mounted - after much searching for the strap hinges and a working latch.

I finally found the strap hinges at Mainly Minis, and the sliding bolt is from SP Minis.   

Now - moving on to some bigger sticks - it was time to make the "hand hewn" beams for the lower-level ceiling. But just as I was all set to start the hewing, I was sidetracked by a disconcerting discovery. OH NO! I forgot to leave notches in the stone walls for the lintel beams at the three doorways! I had to belatedly cut the notches. Demolition is a messy job - and it broke my heart to see those precious pieces of "stone" chiseled away. My just desserts for a careless oversight.

But I did discover that the "fake" stone is hard as a rock!

And now - back to the beams. I marked the placement of the beams on the ceiling piece, then marked the placement of notches at the top of the back barn walls. The beams will fit into the notches at the back and will be glued into place after the beams have been aged and stained.

I tried all the ceiling beams for fit before beginning the aging and staining process.

The original balsa wood for the ceiling beam is on the left, and the distressed beam is on the right.

All the ceiling beams have been distressed and are ready to stain.

 The first application of stain has been completed on the first two beams. I used a dark walnut stain for the first coat, then added a second coat of chestnut red. In some areas I also dabbed on gray or black stencil paints for more color variation. Since the above beams were for the wine store ceiling, I thought it appropriate to add a glass of French wine to the process. 

The aging of the ceiling beams has been completed, and the electric wiring for the interior display lighting was finished as well. Since the "current" time period for the farmhouse is 1853, there would have been no actual electric lights; but the display lighting is necessary, as it was for my previous adobe house.

I had to improvise a method to attach the ceiling beams to the front lintel beam where there was no notch. I cut one-inch lengths of balsa wood and attached them to the beams and the lintel by using tiny nails and glue. The nails were pressed into the soft balsa wood easily by hand, without needing to resort to hammer blows.

 I measured and cut many strips of balsa wood that I used for the barn ceiling above the beams.

After "beating up" the ceiling boards a bit, I began to stain and paint them. I painted each board first with a "Mushroom" wash, then I applied a final gray wash.

The boards were ready to glue into place on the styrofoam ceiling piece. The boards in the photo look much darker than they actually turned out. The photo below shows a more accurate finish.

I first double-checked the correct placement of the wood pieces by placing the styrofoam ceiling piece on the tops of the walls and marking the inside edges. (That tricky inch and a half again!) The ceiling piece was a good fit; ready for Liquid Nails. I applied the adhesive to each board and pressed it into place on the styrofoam ceiling piece. One board at a time. One by one by one by one. I was feeling verrrrry woozy by the time I finished. (I did not drink any wine!)

Time to attach the barn ceiling to the walls - which I did using toothpicks, glue, and duct tape. 

And at 4 p.m. on July 14 - Bastille Day! - the ceiling was permanently secured in place.

So a celebratory glass of French wine was definitely in order.