A new stone facade made of mud

The dollhouse is coming along, slowly but surely.

I had hoped to have the doors and windows installed a while ago, but I decided the outside needed a facelift first. The front of the house is turning out to be more and more important for my new design, so I wanted something more than painted plywood.

My inspiration photos all had stone facades, so that’s what I have attempted with the mini house.

This was my first attempt, and I think it will do after a few touch-ups.  I’m not sure that I picked the best way to go about adding the stone facade, in fact, I’m sure there are better ways out there.  But, my way was pretty quick and easy and it works.

Here’s what I used:

• Drywall joint compound (we have tons on hand)
• Ruler
• Putty knife (spatula) to apply joint compound
• Bamboo skewer

Here’s what I did:

First, I applied the mud (joint compound) in a small, workable section.

Then, using the 1″ tall ruler as a guide, I drew horizontal lines through the mud.  Once the horizontal lines were drawn, I used the ruler to draw the vertical lines in a brick pattern every 2 inches.

Then, repeated the process until the whole facade was covered.

It looked pretty messy at first, but I decided to let it dry overnight and see what touch-ups it needed after that.

Once it was dry, I sanded down all the lumps that were formed from drawing the lines and added mud in various places where it needed more.

Next up: painting the faux stone, finishing the roof, and then finally installing the doors and windows.