Mrs Pudditfoot's tea shop - update

Well I have done some mini work, but it's all been time-consuming stuff, I've also had problems sourcing the ceiling papers I wanted...all making progress slow! Real life has been keeping me busy too...lots of gardening and plant buying! ;o)

I decided to make and lay the floorboards...

I buy veneer pieces and choose my boards accordingly. In the past I have stained the veneer and then cut it in strips, but it's prone to warping when you glue it down...and that's using resin glue. It was extremely time consuming as each strip needed to be weighed down as it dried, so I tried a different method this time and I decided not to stain until the boards were glued down. 

My revised method worked and the boards stayed down, that meant my flooring was laid sooooo much quicker! Yay! :o) I also stained my actual shop floor before I laid the floorboards down, even with resin glue and waxing after it's hard to get a colour into the gaps.   

The flooring all laid..

After one coat of light stain, it's still drying here. ;o)

After another coat and one layer of waxing, the wax seals the surface and removes the raw look. I have also sanded it down to age it. ;o)

I also removed the top row of bricks (or boulders as I called them!) which I hated! I really needed to remove about 3 or 4 rows as well..but I wasn't sure how well I could join the clay to new lot and I didn't want to ruin the front, suffice to say I thought better of it!  

Here are the new ones...hmmm they are okay...but only that!

With the blue paint applied...but not aged and weathered as yet (they are now!). 

This is the front door panel painted, again no weathering applied as yet... 

It's a lot more flat now...not warped, so I may not glue it in.

Here it is weathered...no damp areas though, I may add that.

I did add some damp to the main areas though..

This vintage Sid Cooke kit didn't come with any interior wooden frames etc. I want to add acetate to the windows and I don't want it to show. So, I've made a frame from mount-board, I've used mount-board before. It can be extremely hard to cut and punishing on craft knives, but easier than trying to cut it out with a fret-saw. The acetate will be sandwiched inbetween this frame and the wooden frame. I have primed it with normal white emulsion mixed with a good measure of PVA (white glue), so it strengthens it. It needs another coat of normal white paint, I'm not sure what colour to have as the top coat yet. I have made 2 interior frames and they both need tweaking! lol  

It needs to be re-shaped a little still.

 I will add this wooden frame around 3 sides... 

 I will also add a windowsill ..a slightly deeper piece that this though. :o) 

Here are the frames,...

I've also bought a number of wallpapers...I have loads! I can't decide! lol The shop is supposed to be kitsch and Mrs Puddifoot loves pink! 

 The tongue and groove (this is only part of it) will go upstairs...

 Will I ever decide?!! lol

This is a favourite for upstairs... 

 This is a favourite for downstairs...

Here it the paper that could go upstairs..

I've never seen this wide cornicing before...I was going to use it for this Georgian shop, but I decided against it and will use it elsewhere. I will be using the deep skirting board though...

I was going to use this tongue and groove. It's made of resin, but I thought it was a bit low! Georgian ceilings are a lot higher than normal ceilings so it made this tongue and groove look even smaller! 

The wooden strip at the back is where I will be having the fire surround and range. 

This is the wooden tongue and groove...far better overall and what I was originally looking for, Graham saved the day!

My wooden pieces of trim etc, all ready to be primed and painted!   

I primed in a strong mixture of white emulsion and PVA, it's made of MDF and it needs it to stop the wood being fluffy as I call it! lol 

The tongue and groove as it will look. ;o)) 

I'm still painting! lol 

I hope you don’t mind my ramblings and madness! :o))

Michelle xxxx