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In my daughter's room is the chimney chase. I want to take it and papier mache it into a tree (making it more round and making branches that reach to the ceiling) But taking on such a large project makes me a bit nervous. Can you please answer some questions for me?
1~will I be able to make this in such a way that it will last for several years and eventually be taken down? Pointers?
2~I am nervous about it getting moldy or smelly over time (or even attracting insects~we have a horrible wasp problem around our home and the last thing I want is them making a nest in this project!) I am sure that there is a good sealant to protect from that, but I also dont' really want it to be shiny, so is there anything I can use?
3~General pointers in doing such a large scale project...what's the best materials, how long will eachlayer take to dry, how many layers should I use, etc...or is this just a bad idea????
I appreciate any help you can give me. Thanks so much!
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I used Google to find you what a 'chimney chase' is, but didn't have much luck. May I assume it is part of a brick chimney that is inside the house, that eventually comes out on the roof as the chimney? I am wondering how warm it gets.
I'm not certain that papier mache is exactly what you would want to use directly on the surface. It seems that it could be a real problem to get off later.
Do you think that corrugated cardboard might be better as the initial form? Form cardboard into a rounded shape to form the main trunk, then attach limbs of rolled cardboard that go up to the ceiling, like the room was built around a tree?
Could you nail or screw the cardboard to the wall? Holes would be easier to patch than prying PM directly off the chase, I would think.
Then PM over the cardboard to give a more realistic shape and texture?
I'll bet David O can come up with more ideas.
Sue
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I'm sorry, I guess I should clarify a bit. The chimney chase is where the chimney comes up from the furnace to the chimney in the roof. In her room it goes from floor to ceiling. It is not bare brick, it is covered with sheetrock to make it look better. The furnace it is hooked to is not currently in use, but we can't remove the chase at this time, so heat is not an issue (and actually, since it is sheetrocked, I would assume it doesn't get that hot anyway...)
I wasn't planning to PM directly to the chase, I knew I'd need a framework of some sort, I was thinking chicken wire, but that is where I was looking for advice. Cardboard is a good idea.
Now that I've clarified a bit more, does that make it easier for you guys to give me recommendations?
thanks again!
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I did start to reply to this and then got interrupted by my son so lost the thread. I agree with Sue I would build an armature over the existing structure. I would be inclined to use chicken wire as you can bend and shape this into a good bark shape, then you can also create branches easily that can be wired to the main trunk.
I would be inclined to attach the chicken wire armature to the wall using builders staples (the ones that look like miniature croquet hoops) these should be easy to knock in with a hammer without stressing the wall too much. I would then start to add the pm in torn strip layers building up the form bit by bit, they are quicker to dry and are less likely to build up mould. Make sure that you use an adhesive with a fungicide in if you think mildew is likely to be an issue. It would probably be easier to do the whole thing in situ but it may slow down the drying time a bit as the through flow of air wil be cut down by the wall behind. I think I would also tend to use scrunched newspaper and strips for form because of the drying issues, rather than pulp, although fine detailing with pulp would be fairly easy.
Best of luck, I will be very keen to see how it turns out.
Charlotte
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