In deciding how to address the area in front of the shops, I’ve gone through several ideas. My first thought was some sort of cobblestone or flagstone, so I bought a bag of plaster “fieldstone veneer.” However, I didn’t realize how thick the stones were going to be, so I ended up selling the bag on eBay.
It was clear I needed a very thin material that wouldn’t cover up any of the trim on the facade. After browsing photos online, I came up with my next idea: using egg cartons for a concrete sidewalk effect. I made some test pieces, painting them gray and experimenting with dry brush to give them a weathered look. The result was just okay, not quite what I had envisioned.
My final idea came to me by accident, as I was playing around with different stucco techniques for my osteria. The gray stucco applied with a brush looked very much like a real sidewalk.
So this is what I ended up doing for the three shops that are currently assembled (Pasticceria Penso, Osteria Al Vecchio Stallo, and Gelateria Bocelli). I traced the outline of the finished shop onto the base and painted the surfaces that would show around the edge a medium dark gray. (I also primed the floor surface of the shops that will eventually have floor paper.)
I painted the edges of the base a darker shade of gray.
For the sidewalk itself, I traced the outline of the facade onto a 3″-wide strip of 1/32″ balsa wood. After carefully cutting out the full length of sidewalk, I then cut it into individual pieces approximately 3″ wide. The gelateria, being a corner shop, was especially tricky, since I had to be creative in rounding the corner in front of the door.
Once the pieces were cut out, I sanded the adjoining edges on a slight angle so that the base would show through better, like sidewalk “cracks.” Then I mixed mortar mix with light gray paint (I chose a different shade so it would contrast with the grays I used for some of the buildings) and brushed this on for a light stucco effect. Since the mortar mix darkens the paint, I later went over it again with another coat of paint.
The next step will be to glue them in place.
