DIY Interior Columns
If you can mix a batch of cake mix, pour it into a pan and bake it, consider yourself a good candidate for making your own interior columns out of plaster of Paris powder mixed with water and cured to replicate any column style you desire. The process is messy, so resurrect an old shower curtain or tarp and don old clothes so you can play with the plaster and not worry about too much clean up once your columns are unmolded and ready for refinishing. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Latex or silicone mold
- Mold resist spray
- Plaster of Paris
- Mixing vessel
- Paints
- Brushes
- Embellishments
- Sealant
Instructions
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Select a latex or silicone mold that suits your design sensibilities and approximates the size of the interior column you have in mind. Work with the correct size batches of plaster depending on the size of molds you choose.
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Mix enough plaster of Paris for your column. It takes about 6 cups of plaster of Paris powder to make a block the size of a brick, so you’re going to need a lot of the medium to fill your column if you’re making a tall or thick model. Mix water with the powder according to package directions. Produce small batches of fill in a bucket if you’re working with multiple molds or use a wheelbarrow or another large receptacle to tackle the job if your project is large.
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3
Prepare the mold for pouring. Spray heavy amounts of silicone mold resist into all of the nooks and crannies within the mold to keep the hardened plaster of Paris from sticking to the walls of the mold while it’s setting. Consult package directions for recommendations on curing and hardening times, as every poured plaster product is different. If the mold is large enough to lift, lightly drop it on the ground once or twice while the plaster’s still wet to encourage air bubbles to disburse.
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4
Remove the column from the mold once the plaster is set and lightly sand all surfaces of your column to smooth rough edges. Mix additional plaster if you discover a hole, crack or concave blemish that needs a major repair to even out the interior column. Follow the same procedure: allow the filled hole to harden and then sand it lightly to prep the surface for refinishing.
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Choose only plaster-appropriate finishes for your interior column or the paint may not stick to the surface of your column. Make it easy on yourself by buying a finishing kit that includes a variety of supplies packed into one box, or work with plaster-friendly sprays, paints or applications to decorate, seal and complete the column so it’s ready to display. Attach any separate prefabricated plaster embellishments to decorate your column using additional plaster of Paris and allow the bond to dry before you complete the decorating process.
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Tips & Warnings
It can be more difficult to remove a poured plaster column from a latex mold, even if it's sprayed with mold resist, so if you have a choice, you may wish to choose a silicone mold instead.
Expect small molds to cost around $50. Large molds are very expensive, particularly those with ornate bas-relief features or design patterns that are etched into the column. Some mold sets come in sections. For example, a three-mold design may come with separate column crown, center tube and base sections that require attachment after all three have cured.
References
- Photo Credit Thinkstock/Comstock/Getty Images
