Gaudi Inspired Set Suggestions

[JackofMostMasterofSome]

I am looking to create a castle facade in the style to Gaudi (pictures below). I am trying to figure out what might be the best plan of attack. I was thinking maybe spray foam? Or some type of chicken wire then paper mache? I am trying to do this relatively inexpensively and I'm slightly concerned about the foam being toxic (this is a project where kids will be involved). If you all have any suggestions I would be grateful.

 

[Van]

Well, My first inclination would be "Great Stuff" spray foam, however it is Messier than all Hell, especially if kids are involved. It does not come out of clothes, hair or off skin once it is set, requires turpentine to remove when not set. but for that Gaudi look, it's perfect. The other option might be build-ups of Extruded polystyrene shaped and sanded then slather on a liberal coating of VSSD or Latex based Lagging compound. How large of an area are you covering?
BTW I climbed to the top of the Inner Left Spire in the that photo of Sagrada Famila in 1979.... 739 steps if I remember correctly

 

[Van]

BTW, If you DO choose to go the "Great Stuff" way, I found a trick when doing this kind of look. Spray it onto the surface. let is sit just a little bit, then lightly mist it with Water. The water will help the outside surfaces cure faster. it also makes a thicker, smoother skin on the outside. This technique might lend itself well to the Gaudi look.

 

[kicknargel]

Spray foams (and most foams) can be quite flammable, so make sure to take that into consideration.

 

[JackofMostMasterofSome]

So I did a little testing and the 'great stuff' method is definitely the look we are going for. We were able to build it out with a little chicken wire underneath. Now I'm wondering if using many cans would be better or something like this Touch n foam ( https://www.lowes.com/pd/Touch-n-Foam-Foam-Sealant-Foam-Insulation-Kit/50353850 ) Does anybody have any experience with this stuff? Does it work the same or would it spray strait through the mesh?

I think I'm gonna try the VSSD treatment next and see if maybe we can do a little mix and match as well.

Thanks guys, I appreciate the help.

 

[Malabaristo]

Now I'm wondering if using many cans would be better or something like this Touch n foam ( https://www.lowes.com/pd/Touch-n-Foam-Foam-Sealant-Foam-Insulation-Kit/50353850 ) Does anybody have any experience with this stuff? Does it work the same or would it spray strait through the mesh?.

Not that exact product, but a similar, single-component foam in the same style of container. I was actually using it in my house for (almost) its intended purpose, and it does work pretty much the same as the smaller cans... which also means you can't let it sit for too long or the foam in the hose and valve will cure. Also, I did the math on the second round of buying and found that the cost was actually about the same as buying individual cans for an equivalent volume of foam--although this was several years ago. It can be a decent choice if you know you're going to use all of it in one project, but it's not a clear winner in all cases.

The one feature I liked better about the big tank is not having to worry about the orientation of the can as you do with small ones (which was difficult in some of the tight spaces I was working).

 

[Van]

If I remember correctly the "touch-n-foam" is Latex based whereas the Great stuff is Polyurethane; they have different properties when cured. the Touch-n-Foam is very mushy, the Great stuff is rigid.
I have to confess ignorance about the Flammability of the Great stuff prior to Nick's warning. I did research and even found they have a "Fire Stop" Great stuff. guess what it is Flammable at 240° too! I think that is criminal negligence.
Now, that being said, if you use VSSD to encapsulate the foam, AND add some Flammex or FR-1 to the mix you should be protected against accidental/temporary ignition sources.

 

[JackofMostMasterofSome]

So thought I'd give you guys an update. We couldn't get the touch-n-foam in on time so we went with ~60 cans of Great Stuff. We put a chicken wire cage around the pieces we wanted to foam as the stuff just slipped right off of vertical surfaces. This is a test piece we made and then sprayed to make sure we were going to be ok to paint it.

We also made up large batches of the VSSD that was recommended and coated the foam in that both to give it a more natural texture and to aid some in fire retardancy. That stuff also works great to make muslin mache. We dipped the muslin in the VSSD and then plastered that to the larger open areas of the walls.

A few coats of paint later and some texture and shadowing gave us pretty great results

Throw in some light and I'm pretty happy with it.

Thank you all for the suggestions everything worked great and hopefully now people can use this in the future.

 

[Van]

GORGEOUS !