making a foam core step riser

[wildeyes]

its white of course, and i wanted it to be "dressed" but i really dont have time to paint, and i wouldnt know the right kind of paint to use anyway.

ideas? cover it with fabric? contact paper? throw some fabric loosey-goosey over it? skip it this time?

the show is on sunday but i dont NEED it till the 27th, when i do an indoor show. i can hang things off my tent this time around.

[ByFreddismom]

I like all of your ideas (except the contact paper, we don't get along) but I think the fabric loosey-goosey might not be a bad idea. It will allow you more use of the display. You can change the fabric as your inventory changes.

[wildeyes]

i *wanted* a wooden one, but i dont have tools, and i couldnt find what i had in my head, so i settled on this for now.

[MemoriestoYou]

What about decoupage with some pretty scrapbook paper? Or gluing burlap on it for the wood look. You could use the spray glue so it is smooth.

[Former_Member]

Test paint first; it can sometimes melt materials that might be used for risers (like Styrofoam).

I used a spray glue and an opaque fabric, using t-pins to set the pleats at the corner around the sides and (mostly) out of sight.

Funny how our displays evolve!

[Former_Member]

Fabric loosey-goosey is always nice. Those folds are art classics and can give a nice texture to a display; in addition to what's mentioned earlier.

[GlassyGrace]

When I made one of those years ago as one of my first display pieces, I covered it in the same fabric as my tablecloth. I cut a piece about 2 inches wider than the steps. Then used spray adhesive to stick it on, starting at the bottom. I folded over the 1 inch edges onto the sides, then cut 2 pieces to fit the sides and adhered them which covered all the folded overstuff. Didnt take long and it looked nice for as long as I used it - a couple years.

[YellowmelleArts]

I covered the individual pieces with the brown kraft paper that people use to wrap parcels before gluing all of the pieces together. I figured it would be easier to wrap flat pieces instead of trying to do the whole thing at once!

[8thdaystudio]

I just had a thought -- instead of foam core, which is pretty thin and not all that durable, what about some of that sheathing stuff they use to insulate houses? I think it's basically like styrofoam, covered in some kind of tough plastic, and it's thicker, like 1/2 - 3/4". Seems like you could glue/pin it together like foam core, but it would be sturdier and hold more weight. Then you could cover it with whatever you wanted. Just brainstorming here...... :)

[TigersandDragons]

I personally don't like foam core, I would use corrugated cardboard or corrugated plastic.
Melissa's idea of wrapping the flat pieces with fabric before gluing them is smart. You could always add trim in the seams, after the whole thing is glued together, to cover up any glue blobs or discoloration.

[Former_Member]

Cindy the insulating foam you speak is the greatest single thing I can think of for displays.

Super cheap, very strong and you don't need tools, ok a steak knife, to work with it. I love the stuff. The boards I made to display my items over 8 years ago are still in use. All I've had to is recover them with fabric every other year and their good to go.

The best thing is how light they are. My wife can pick up two table length display boards fully loaded with jewelry, no problem.

[wildeyes]

well.. i already bought the foam core. i think, given the time crunch, just draping it with some fabric would be the easiest thing, i can dress it later if i dont like the fabric draping. thanks!

[GetGlassy]

I use staples on mine. I made triangle boards for my necklace display and just stapled batting and fabric. It holds it tight and yet I can pull it out to change it or wash it.

[LucidArts]

I use scraps of wood planks (about 3 feet long by 6 inches wide and an inch thick) from Home Depot and cover them with fabric. I just wrap the fabric tightly around the wood and secure the seam underneath with a glue gun. The risers are standard black plastic flower pots turned upside down. My display color theme is black and white so I can keep it simple by covering the wood with black fabric, or change the fabric for to add a pop of color. By just using a couple of glue dots, i can easily remove it and replace. The project itself is all made with scraps, so inexpensive and takes very little time to create and maintain. I like the fabric vs. paint mostly because it's less permanent and leaves options to change. Not sure about you, but my display is in a constant process of evolution, so being able to "undo" things is always a time saver in the long run.