# Sheet rock Stonework



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

I have been experimenting with sheet rock as stone. We have some small pieces saved at the school I work at for repairs, and I noticed the cut edge had a rock face appearance. I took two pieces, stripped most of the paper off the finished sides, and glued them together. I then scored some bed joint lines at 1/8" increments, and then scored head joints. I used a jewelers screw driver, as it was readily available at the time. Next, I sprayed the wall with Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint, and let dry. I lightly scribed the joints again to reveal the white sheet rock as the joints. The beauty of this method, is that most of the work is done simply by scoring and snapping the sheet rock to the desired width. My application is for O gauge, but this can certainly be applied to HO, S or G Gauge.


----------



## Lehigh74 (Sep 25, 2015)

What a great idea. Makes a nice retaining wall.


----------



## Patrick1544 (Apr 27, 2013)

Thanks for sharing. Looks terrific!


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Today, I began working on making stone sections for an arch, to see if this process will work for viaducts. I cut 2' X 2' scale pieces of arch stone the width of the wall I want to make. I glued these around a paint can with a rubber band. When the glue dries, I will remove the arch section, and place it on the stacked wall sections to form an arched opening. This is all experimental, so I am just using small pieces. More photos to come, as progress continues.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Lehigh74 said:


> What a great idea. Makes a nice retaining wall.


Thanks Lehigh.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Patrick1544 said:


> Thanks for sharing. Looks terrific!


Thanks Patrick.


----------



## mesenteria (Oct 29, 2015)

Nice!!


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

mesenteria said:


> Nice!!


Thank you.


----------



## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

Wow, very nice!!!


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Nikola said:


> Wow, very nice!!!


Thank you.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

The arch has dried, so I placed it on some stacked sections of wall to see what it looks like. Now I have to build the over arch components.


----------



## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

Awesome! Shows what can be done with scrap material.


----------



## BFI66 (Feb 7, 2013)

Nice idea! Thanks for sharing!

-Pete


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

BFI66 said:


> Nice idea! Thanks for sharing!
> 
> -Pete


You're welcome Pete. I only managed to cut some more material to make the over arch today, but I'm sure I will get that cut out on the band saw tomorrow. I opted for coffee at lunch instead of working on the stonework!


----------



## BFI66 (Feb 7, 2013)

Don, this might be some help to you. Over the years I used discarded ceiling tiles to make my walls. This technique might dove tail nicely into your project.
Heres a pic:


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

BFI66 said:


> Don, this might be some help to you. Over the years I used discarded ceiling tiles to make my walls. This technique might dove tail nicely into your project.
> 
> I remember this from the OGR forum. I am familiar with the use of ceiling blocks for walls. A friend made several viaducts using the technique. He was selling them at York several years ago. I got the idea for the sheet rock as I was walking past a piece, and saw that the edge looked like cut stone. That led to my experimentation.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

I did a little more work on the experimental sheet rock stone arch bridge.


----------



## flyboy2610 (Jan 20, 2010)

Looks good, Don! I might suggest somehow sealing the edges, though, so moisture can't get in. Maybe a coat of clear paint?


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

flyboy2610 said:


> Looks good, Don! I might suggest somehow sealing the edges, though, so moisture can't get in. Maybe a coat of clear paint?


Flyboy, thanks. I have a lot more to do yet, including adding a few more plies to the top of the arch, carving joints, and applying a finish. This is only a mock-up, and since I don't have a layout, I may just use it for photography.


----------



## SCL (Feb 23, 2018)

OMG, that looks great. After I looked at it a while, I noticed the facer/backer looks exactly like mortar joints!


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

SCL said:


> OMG, that looks great. After I looked at it a while, I noticed the facer/backer looks exactly like mortar joints!


Thank you. It's still a work in progress.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

I added the last three sections to the bridge. I made each slab 1/8" wider to make a corbel. I also filled some gaps and voids with joint compound. I picked up a tube of PL 200 construction adhesive to use as an alternative to the Tite-Bond wood glue. It works fine for the layers, but separates on the individual pieces that form the arch. 
Next step is to remove the weights, and fill the remaining voids. Then I can fine tune the surface before carving the joints. I may spray the finish first, and carve the joints after. This will leave the joints white as the paint is removed when carving the joints.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

I started carving the head joints on the stone work. I also did some touch up and patching with joint compound, and that has to dry before jointing can continue.


----------



## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

It looks awesome and must weigh a ton!


----------



## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Don, that's really starting to shape up very nice.
Great idea and workmanship.

Magic


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Magic said:


> Don, that's really starting to shape up very nice.
> Great idea and workmanship.
> 
> Magic


Thanks Magic. I'm keeping notes on things that should be done differently as I go along.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

A little more progress this afternoon, as I was grilling some Tuna steaks. I carved the remainder of the head joints on the face; I have the inside of the arch to do yet, and some more patching with joint compound. I had a piece of hair pin railing from my youngest son Mark's 7th grade project. He and I made a section of the Rockville Bridge for History class. I incorporated the bridge into my shelf layout in the shop, and the railing wouldn't fit, so I put it to the side for future use; welcome to the future!


----------



## Homeless by Choice (Apr 15, 2016)

Very nice.

:appl:LeRoy:smilie_daumenpos:


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Homeless by Choice said:


> Very nice.
> 
> Thank you.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

After a few days away from the project, I got back to it yesterday and today. I finished the touch up work with joint compound, and sprayed the finish this evening. I used Krylon Brushed Metallic spraying with fine mist strokes in all directions to get a complete coverage. The porosity of the sheet rock allowed the paint to shade naturally. I added some flat black to the underside of the arch, and the face directly above the opening to replicate soot.


----------



## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

SO nice!


----------



## Magic (Jan 28, 2014)

Don, that came out very nice indeed, great work.

Magic


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Nicola and Magic, thank you. I am thinking about making a small diorama. I also want to experiment with other uses, such as retaining walls and foundations.


----------



## Nikola (Jun 11, 2012)

Laid at an angle, I wonder if you could reproduce rock strata.


----------



## Don F (Dec 5, 2015)

Nikola said:


> Laid at an angle, I wonder if you could reproduce rock strata.


Quite possibly, but using various thicknesses, i.e. 3/4", 1/2", 5/8", 1'4", and possible some glued together as one thickness. There are a host of possible uses.


----------

