The Bottom Line
I appreciate realistic detail and I also like products which are easy to use. Bromley Crafts Realistic Brick and Stone Stencils are a wonderful product for creating stone and brick finishes on doll houses, garden railroad buildings and model horse jumps and backdrops. The stencils are heavy mylar, which means they can be reused over and over, and the designs are well thought out to keep the brick and stone compound from creeping under the stencil lines. Application is easy, and although Bromley Crafts supply a great compound for creating the effects, common tile grout will work as well.
Pros
- Heavy duty reusable stencils in several patterns and scales
- Patterns are easily matched and overlapped
- Lots of different brick and stone patterns available in 1:12 and 1:24 scale
- Very realistic scale and style
Cons
- Rendering compound is heavy to ship, but fine grout will give the effect.
Description
- Fast system for creating realistic brick and stone finishes
- Matching quoin and lintel stencils available for finishing details.
- Sturdy finish
- Fine sanded grout substitutes well for Realistic Brick Compound if shipping weight is a problem.
- Can be used for walls, foundations, free standing and garden walls, buildings of many types.
Guide Review - Simulated Stone and Brick
Brick arches, rough or square stones, flemish bond or standard brick patterns, arches, roof tiles and many other highly detailed scale finishes are possible with the range of excellent stencils from Bromley Craft Products. The stencils are available from the UK supplier online and at craft fairs and are also now available in the United States via Dolls and Minis based in Ohio.
Applying the stone finish is easy. Prep the surface with a coat of paint in a stone or brick grout color. Spray the stencil with stencil adhesive. Allow the adhesive to set up. Position the stencil. Coat the surface with a Realistic Brick or Stone Compound (also from Bromley Crafts) or a thin layer of standard fine sanded grout in an appropriate color. To coat the stencil you use a painters spatula or plastic cake decorating spatula. Reposition the stencil and apply the next layer of stone or brick finish.The stencils are easily repositioned correctly as the overlap of the previous rows is clear. The weight of the stencil means fairly heavy layers of compound/grout can be applied over the stencil with the stencil pulling away cleanly. This means you can create highly rendered effects of very rough stone, or the smooth effect of finished brick or limestone block.
These are patterns and effects that are very easy to create and extremely realistic when finished. The final coat can be aged with acrylic or water color paints and a waterproof coating can be applied if desired. As the Bromley Crafts Realistic Brick Compound or grout are easily wiped off when wet, mistakes can be quickly cleaned off. When dry, the compound or grout, make a tough exterior coating for a structure.
Endless possibilities with the excellent line of stencils, which can be reused for a very long time.
