# 242 Foam Blocks:Entrance WIP



## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Since I got the "200 days til Halloween" notice from jdubbya, I figured I had better get off my a$$ and get to work on one of the major elements of our vampire themed haunt for this year. We wanted a dramatic entrance with an "old castle/crypt" feel to it. So I thought, why not make it out of foam blocks.

So after many trips to several different _____ _____ (insert major farm implement store here) I came up with about 170 of the 242 I needed. More to come. The better half is starting to grumble a bit about storage, but I think I can stall for a bit more time.

I wanted to blend a couple different styles together. I see the finished project in my head but it looks like a combination of these:


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

So far, I've managed to glue a section of wall together using Great Stuff and play around with a bit of texture. The brownish coloring is just the sunset through the garage doors. The blocks are all still white and I haven't started with color yet. 

























The pictured portion is 1/6 of one wall. The finished structure will be 12' long x 7' wide x 8' high. I'm going to use the foam blocks for a ceiling as well. The walls and ceiling will be in 3 sections each so I can transport the whole thing and set it up at jdubbya's. I'll pin all the sections together using fiberglass rods.

As I get further along I'll be soliciting some opinions and help on finishing techniques. The inside of the walls will be a vampire/family portrait area to set the mood. The outside I'm looking for aged, decrepit, vine-covered, etc.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

I really like the look of the more primitive inspiration pictures. The one with the wood door feels more like a castle than a crypt. Of course, if your vampires are all black tie and tails formal, it might work:jol:


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

I have used these same foam blocks to make my entry way. Great stuff works great to glue them together and will last a few years. You may want to put some bamboo skewers at a steep angle to help hold the blocks while the GS cures. I just pushed them in all the way flush afterwards. It added some structural strength to the blocks. I got the skewers at the dollar store in packs of 25 or so. They were about 12 inches long and 1/8 inch thick.
Looking forward to seeing your finished project.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

This is what happens when you tell lewlew to "take an idea and run with it"! LOL!! Another epic foam project, that will be an amazing entrance to the crypt. Mark really puts a lot of effort and detail into our entrances which gets the crowd excited/nervous. Actually having so many blocks will come in handy. When our significant others kick us out, we can build a shelter to live in.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Here are a couple pics of the bunker lewlew built two years ago for our zombie theme. It looked like real stone!




























Can't wait to see this tunnel come together!


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

RoxyBlue said:


> I really like the look of the more primitive inspiration pictures. The one with the wood door feels more like a castle than a crypt. Of course, if your vampires are all black tie and tails formal, it might work:jol:


At least the vampires won't *sparkle*! What I'm thinking is more of a combination of the first and last pictures, except with a flat roof.



Bone Dancer said:


> I have used these same foam blocks to make my entry way. Great stuff works great to glue them together and will last a few years. You may want to put some bamboo skewers at a steep angle to help hold the blocks while the GS cures. I just pushed them in all the way flush afterwards. It added some structural strength to the blocks. I got the skewers at the dollar store in packs of 25 or so. They were about 12 inches long and 1/8 inch thick.
> Looking forward to seeing your finished project.


Thanks! I may have to use that technique. I've been using some weights and spacer blocks to make sure everything cures with a little wiggle room so I can get the panels together. I think once they are all together there will be a good bit of weight to it.



jdubbya said:


> This is what happens when you tell lewlew to "take an idea and run with it"! LOL!! Another epic foam project, that will be an amazing entrance to the crypt. Mark really puts a lot of effort and detail into our entrances which gets the crowd excited/nervous. Actually having so many blocks will come in handy. When our significant others kick us out, we can build a shelter to live in.


Yes, I know. A case of my classic over-engineering. lol 
SO if we have to live in this you're saying you want the roof waterproof? GOT IT.


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## Sawtooth Jack (Apr 9, 2011)

Looking good so far. I'm with Roxy, and enjoy the "rustic stone arches covered in ivy" look. Can't wait to see more.


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## Copchick (Apr 10, 2012)

I really like the texture on the block. I like the first reference picture too. I hope you're doing a tutorial (hint, hint).


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

Might I suggest a technique to age the blocks. This is what I did on a massive wall I had to make look like stone out of foam board. 

Get into a well ventilated area or preferably outside. Get some carb cleaner and spray it on the foam in a mist across the surface. Get a torch and light the foam on fire. The cleaner will burn quick and start to melt the surface. Don't leave the torch lit while spraying the cleaner or it might catch in mid air. Use a shop vac on blow vs vacuum and blow out the flame. (if you try to use your breath you will breathe in the fumes and nearly die and the foam will still be burning, not that I did that or anything....) Light another area and blow out again. Repeat as necessary. You want to burn small section no bigger than 10 inches at a time. The overlapping burns make the stone look like carved sandstone. 

If you lay the foam flat it burns better and more even. When no more foam burns you have eaten up all the carb cleaner. Reapply if you want deeper gouges. 

The surface then is textured and it is melted in a bit which adds the stone hand hued look to the surface. Paint as needed. See following post for video of process, although not perfect video, it shows how to burn it.


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## Haunted Spider (Sep 6, 2010)

Here is a video I made several years ago when I was working on the foam. Hope it helps to explain what I was talking about.


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## bobzilla (Nov 13, 2008)

Great start!
Can't wait to see it all put together


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Okay, so I finally got some time to really start putting this project together. I finally have all the blocks I need and DAMN do they take up a lot of room!

Each of the walls is 12-feet long by 8-feet high and take 60 blocks each. I've split them into three sections just so I can transport them to jubbya's for set-up.

In all I'll need 11 sections. 3 for each wall, 3 for the ceiling, and two for the front façade. As of right now I have 4 made. YIKES!

I first tried putting it together block by block but quickly learned that it went better if I made each row separately, let them cure, and put each section together row by row.

I've also started playing around with the heat gun and propane torch to get some aging done. I'll pry out some corner and make them look a little more ragged before I start painting. Here are some pics of my progress so far...


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)




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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

How did you glue them together?
The texturing look great.
Good luck with the storage issue


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Nice dog:jol:

Man, you could build a summer home with all those blocks! The texturing looks really good.


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Looking good brother!! Any self respecting vampire would be proud to live here! LOL! This is going to be such a huge part of the haunt structure. I feel like a slacker with you doing all of this at your house with no help. Damn! The texturing and aging looks amazing too. Can't wait to see this all come together!
In terms of transporting them, we might want to consider a flat bed trailer with tall sides so they can be moved in an upright position. If we have to we can put some kind of padding in between them. Really going to make for a dramatic entrance.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Bone Dancer said:


> How did you glue them together?
> The texturing look great.
> Good luck with the storage issue


Thanks BD! They're put together with Great Stuff. So far it seems to be holding really well. I had one block partially break off but the foam seam stayed intact to it's a pretty good bond.



RoxyBlue said:


> Nice dog
> 
> Man, you could build a summer home with all those blocks! The texturing looks really good.


Had to throw in the obligatory puppy pic! And if I bring any more foam blocks home I'm going to NEED a place to stay. Hmmmm... foam doghouse!


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

jdubbya said:


> Looking good brother!! Any self respecting vampire would be proud to live here! LOL! This is going to be such a huge part of the haunt structure. I feel like a slacker with you doing all of this at your house with no help. Damn! The texturing and aging looks amazing too. Can't wait to see this all come together!
> In terms of transporting them, we might want to consider a flat bed trailer with tall sides so they can be moved in an upright position. If we have to we can put some kind of padding in between them. Really going to make for a dramatic entrance.


We just may need a flatbed by the time these are all done! I think I can haul 5 or 6 at a time in a trailer. Once they're painted I think they'll be pretty stable. I've got two more to do and then I want to start on the front. I'll keep you posted!


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out.


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## Shadow Panther (Apr 5, 2013)

I can't wait to see more. You have inspired me so much


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Shadow Panther said:


> I can't wait to see more. You have inspired me so much


Well thank you! It's been quite a project so far!


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

So I got some more work done on the front entrance to our Eerie Manor/ Road's End collaboration for this year.

I finally got the walls all glued together. Six interlocking panels in all. The panels still have to be textured and painted but they're 8' by 4' so I can transport them.

And I worked quite a bit on the actual front. That's where the detail really starts to pay off. The front façade comes apart in 3 pieces (again, for transport) and really starts to bring it together. Getting everything to match up is proving to be quite a challenge. Even thought the blocks are roughly 'square', putting them together with expanding foam tends to send them out of true unless you stay right there to adjust them. Therefore, there has been a good bit of shaving the foam down so I get a good fit. Any seams that show big gaps will get filled with moss I think.

I started off using a heat gun to get the stone detail but it wasn't fine enough so I went to the propane torch. Aside from the fumes (glad I'm outside) it works great to put in some detail. Here are the results:


































I have more detailing for the walls to do and I have to construct the ceiling panels before I move on to painting.

I consulted with jdubbya the other day and I think I'll go with a base of dark gray over everything and then with a watered down black paint wash to hopefully bring out the detail. There is so much area that I can't spend too much time on any one spot. I think we'll look for more detail on the inside where our vampire portraits will hang. The plan there is to carve out recesses in the wall to hold flickering candles for lighting.

If anyone has any tips on painting, I'd love to hear them! Lots to do yet but it's starting to look like something!


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

WOW!! This is looking fantastic!! I can't even imagine the work this is taking but man! it's going to be such a dramatic entrance to the crypt! I can see that big gargoyle perched on top, looking down at people as they enter! This is just amazing!
You rock lewlew!!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Propane Man rules!

Really fantastic job with getting a stone-like texture, and I'm happy to hear you did all the torching outside:jol: Don't want you losing any brain cells.

Give some thought to hitting some of the raised areas on the stones with a bit of white. You can drybrush it on after painting with the darker colors.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

RoxyBlue said:


> Propane Man rules!
> 
> Really fantastic job with getting a stone-like texture, and I'm happy to hear you did all the torching outside:jol: Don't want you losing any brain cells.
> 
> Give some thought to hitting some of the raised areas on the stones with a bit of white. You can drybrush it on after painting with the darker colors.


I've lost enough thank you very much! Thank you for the tip on the white. I'm going to try a couple different things on the offside of one of the walls that folks won't see much of.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Had a little more time to work on the crypt/mausoleum for our haunt entrance. My helper an I got the last of the 12 panels glues up. 240+ foam blocks and 20+ cans of Great Stuff later...

90% of the foam detailing is done. I do want to gouge out a few more cracks and roughen the edges on a few more of the stones before I start to paint.

In the twilight it almost has the color I'm going for and the detail stands out pretty well. I'm not sure I want to cover it up with paint and then try and bring it out again with a black wash. We'll see. Time is getting short I know...

Picture it with a big gargoyle on top and also two big a$$ lion plaques on either side of the door (from jdubbya) . A warped iron gate guarded by our forbidding gatekeeper.

I only have room to set up 2/3 of it and I need to get it out of here pretty soon (It's been suggested that I may have to start living in it if it stays at my house much longer).

It is almost 13 feet in length, 9 feet tall (+gargoyle height), and 8 feet wide.


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## Bone Dancer (Oct 7, 2005)

When I glued my stryo blocks, I held them together with bamboo skewers that I got at the dollar store. They are about 12 inches long and put them in at an angel (toe nailing) to hold the block in place while the GS cured, then pushed them in the rest of the way to add strength. It worked great, and you didnt have to stand around an watch it.


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

About time you got back to work on this, you slacker:googly:

Epic build, lewlew!


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

oh wow.... That looks great...!!!
I want to do that...kinda missing the big prop builds now....
Really nice work lewlew.....


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## jdubbya (Nov 6, 2005)

Looks amazing Mark!! Can't imagine the work you put into this but WOW! It's going to be such a dramatic entrance to our crypt! This is the gargoyle that will sit on top, and the two lion head plaques for each side of the door. With the right lighting it's going to be creepy as hell!


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## Hairazor (Mar 13, 2012)

Your work is Always worth looking at and maybe just a bit of drooling


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Bone Dancer said:


> When I glued my stryo blocks, I held them together with bamboo skewers that I got at the dollar store. They are about 12 inches long and put them in at an angel (toe nailing) to hold the block in place while the GS cured, then pushed them in the rest of the way to add strength. It worked great, and you didnt have to stand around an watch it.


Thank you for the tip! I used it when I glued up the ceiling panels as I wanted them nice and straight. Worked like a charm. Made it go faster too since I didn't have to babysit them.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

RoxyBlue said:


> About time you got back to work on this, you slacker:googly:
> 
> Epic build, lewlew!


Thank you! Starting to feel that voice in the back of my skull that says, "Get a move on!" It also helps when I have my boy Ian asking me every day if we're working on stuff for the haunt.



beelce said:


> oh wow.... That looks great...!!!
> I want to do that...kinda missing the big prop builds now....
> Really nice work lewlew.....


Thank you! The haunt is a big build every year, but it feels good to start in on a 'prop' this big. I don't think I've done anything this large since my witch shack years ago.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Hairazor said:


> Your work is Always worth looking at and maybe just a bit of drooling


Thank you for the compliment! It means a lot! MY girlfriend is drooling to get it out of our downstairs basement entrance!



jdubbya said:


> Looks amazing Mark!! Can't imagine the work you put into this but WOW! It's going to be such a dramatic entrance to our crypt! This is the gargoyle that will sit on top, and the two lion head plaques for each side of the door. With the right lighting it's going to be creepy as hell!


Thanks for posting those Jerry! It gives me a good feel for paint color to match!


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Well...this project has certainly taken longer than expected but it's getting a lot closer to completion. Due to inclement weather on SEVERAL days that we has slated to paint the mausoleum, it has taken awhile to get an update.

We finally had some sunshine and were able to use the sprayer and put a coat of gray latex paint on the entire structure. Once that was dry and while jdubbya and I worked inside on the haunt building, one of our trustworthy and hardworking minions put a dry-brushed coat of black on everything.

The effect is much better in person and the pics don't quite capture the amazing patina the black brought out. It still needs some finishing touches. Some highlighted green (lichen) areas along with a couple darker shades on the underside where the wall and ceiling meet. The stone sconces that will be on the inside walls and hold about 24 candles still need dry brushed as well. I'll add some Spanish moss in any of the larger cracks and will have some store bought vines hanging down over the front.

Things are in full swing at Road's End/Eerie Manor, so the last pics you may get will be the night of!


























Minion Bob doing some excellent work!!!


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## RoxyBlue (Oct 6, 2008)

Man, I can appreciate the size of this endeavor when you put a minion into the picture for reference:jol:

You guys are going to be kicking some serious Halloween butt again this year!


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## Headless (Sep 4, 2011)

Holy cow that's massive! Well done!


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

Final dimensions are 13 feet long, 8 feet wide, and 9 feet high. Plus another 3 feet for the gargoyle on top!


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## tjc67 (Jul 28, 2013)

I always enjoy seeing what kind of masterpiece is created for the year


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## acanton04 (Jan 18, 2017)

What did everyone use for the "mortar" pieces? I don't have huge foam stones in which I can cut to create that look.


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## lewlew (Mar 15, 2006)

The blocks were glued together using great stuff foam. It's sets up nicely and doesn't take long to cure. I took some advice and used skewers to hold some pieces in place until cured.


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## acanton04 (Jan 18, 2017)

Thanks!


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