"brick wall" panels

Greetings and salutations, O denizens of the theatre world. I was introduced to a product through a class I took a few years ago that was molded paperboard that mimicked the look of a stone wall or a brick wall. I have, of course, lost my notes on suppliers, etc. Does anyone have a direction they could send me? Thanks heaps!

P.S. I do know how to paint a brick wall, but am looking more on the time-saving side and future re-use side of the equation.

Laurie Johnson
Fruita Monument HS
Fruita, CO
 
I know exactly what you mean when you said molded paper board. Somewhere around here I still have a sample, its basically the pressed cardboard that they use in boxes when its molded around something, almost like hard egg carton. I'll look around and see if I can remember the company, I do know they are still making it.

Ah! found it. http://pulpartsurfaces.com/product-line/
Last time I talked to them they mentioned discounts for schools, not sure if they still do it.
 
The Pulp Art surfaces are what you are looking for. The panels sold by HD (Lowes also sells a version as well as a stacked stone one) are MDF based sheets and are WAY heavier. Curious to know what the pulp art price point is since the look is much nicer than the big box store panels.

The one good thing about the MDF panels is you really can reuse them and they hold up very well.
 
I actually used the MDF "Z-Brick" brand for flooring for a show several years ago, and I have sucessfully used Z-Brick as wall treatment before, but not without repainting and touching up. I find the Z-Brick to be way too regular, you really need to goop it up with some dope and wash it with a couple colors to make it look nice.
A while back we use the pulp style brick panels for a huge Nike party. I hated the stuff. the panels are not cast/formed consistently. The grout lines where the panels are supposed to marry tend to be way off, so that without extensive trimming and doping the seams are very visible. Then we get into the finishing aspect.
When you go to paint them I suggest you first prime the back of each panel, and spray it, the pulp material sucks up paint like nobodies business! After the backs are primed then do you grout color then build your brick colors. If you don't prime the backs the panels will Pringle on you.
Still my favorite technique of all is Vacuum Formed bricks. Unfortunately unless you do them yourself or you have an inside line on them, they are just stupid expensive!
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Brick sample for Tony Wynn Macau "King Kong" wall.
 

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