04-22-2010, 06:43 AM
This is a super thread sir...I just discovered it! (geez) As far as your DowntownDeco kit goes, I have done 3 so far and really enjoyed doing them. Here's my tips....You'll see thin plaster "flash" in the windows and along the edges of some of the castings. Use fine sand paper to clean them up. Do not use an exacto blade! Learnt from experience! It's too easy to slice a bit too much off and then your edges and windows won't be square. Seal the castings with white primer. I used a cheapo rattle can from Wallyworld. You can use many different types of paints, but I found craft acrylics in the small squeezebottles from AC Moore or Michaels to be very easy to use on plaster. If you have a broken casting as you show in your pic it will glue back together with plain old Elmers white glue; but I used Aileen's tacky glue for the faster setting time. In fact I used it for all the assembly too. I just made sure that once assembled, I let it sit for a good 24 hours to make sure everything was good and adhered to. If you accidentally break a piece beyond repair, Randy at DowntownDeco will send you a new one at no charge. I had a wall section that arrived smashed to a billion pieces (which I'm sure was the U.S. Postal Services fault) and I sent an email to Randy who had me a new piece in 2 or 3 days. Super company, super folks, super service, super kits that are super fun to build! Can't wait to see how you make out with yours!
Matt
Matt