But it had some pretty significant damage to it
And because we're no plaster experts, we decided to hunt online for a new one that resembled the original one as much as possible. We decided to go with a polyurethane corbel as it's cheaper and resistant to weather, insects, etc. so it would hold up to the elements better.So I hunted
and hunted
and hunted
and I FINALLY found one that both Chris and I thought resembled the original one enough (and didn't break the bank)
(of course we would attach it to the house horizontally and not vertically)Once our new, pre-primed poly corbel arrived in the mail we compared it with the original
Not a perfect match by any means, but close enough for a new corbel vs. a 90 year old one.Then it was just a matter of me getting it painted. And I had quite an elaborate paint job in mind (see all the color labels?)
I painted the darkest blue coat first. Stupid you say? Yes, probably. But that blue color was in all the nooks and crannies and so it was the most difficult color to get on so I figured it'd be easier if I could just slop it in and then clean everything up later with the other coats.I spent many hours with the corbel on my lap while we were watching TV
And 10+ hours later I was doing some cleaning up and fine tuning
And it was looking pretty damn good
We added a bit of trim to the top to beafen it up a bit, then I spent a little time painting that and after 12 hours of work it looks totally awesome and ready to go on the house!
I was super excited about the colors (gray/white = house color, blue = trim color, yellow = front door color) and the plan when I was planning it, but as I was painting I got a little scared that my plan was a bit too much and it was starting to look clownish, but now that it's done I really really like it and I can't wait to install it!
4 comments:
I have some corbels I need to replicate also. Mine have all these "leaves" or "waves" or something carved in them. I can't find anything even remotely like them so I was considering getting some mold-making supplies, and using the few corbels I have left as a "master" to cast a mold from, then pour resin or plaster into the mold to create exact replicas. Abatron has some stuff for moldmaking. I usually see their ads in the old house magazines..
http://www.abatron.com/buildingandrestorationproducts/moldmakingcompounds.html?vmcchk=1
if I get around to it, and get a blog up and running again, I'll post my results :)
Looks terrific!
ah. Found it :) The little thumbnail on this page http://www.abatron.com/buildingandrestorationproducts/moldmakingcompounds/mastermold123.html
is the one usually in their ads...which planted the replicating idea in my head for my corbels :)
Thanks Bunny! And I'm WAY jealous of your patio project! We're hoping to tackle our backyard next, completely throwing out our 2011 house goals because we're sick of not having a nice backyard to enjoy the weather. Can't wait to see yours when it's done!
Jenne - Man that is dedication and ambition! Let me know how it turns out. Chris had thought about us doing this too, but because we found a close enough match we decided to buy one. Lazy, I know. So I'm way excited to hear how yours turns out.
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