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  • Blending wall panel seams

    I really want my asylum this season to appear less like a wall panel haunt- so I want to hide the seams but not greatly increase the time it takes the crew to set up and tear down. What do you guys use, and what are the pros and cons Ive considered Drywall joint compound, Wallpapering over them...
    Help a brother out..what am I forgetting. Or do you bother to hide them?
    Allen H
    www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
    http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

  • #2
    Good question, I will tell you this.....I have been to a lot of haunts over the years and as a paying customer, thats the last thing I would notice going through a haunt.

    Just a thought!

    Mr. Haunt

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    • #3
      When painting wall panels, I usually continue the paint color around the edge of the wall panel a bit. When the panels are later assembled, the joint almost vanishes. The rest is taken care of with lighting.

      As a customer, I would be looking at the effects, props and for where the next scare will come from. As a fellow Charity Haunter, I am looking critically at sets, lighting, costumes, continuity and prop placement. Thankfully the vast majority of our customers don't look at our haunts the same way we do.

      Using an assembly jig and paying attention to placement of the panel face during cunstruction will also minimize the size of the gap and the visual impact of the joint.

      Eric

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      • #4
        Damn good question.
        Its an easy answer if was a permanent haunt but if your taking it up and down,
        the only thing I can think of is cloth over the entire wall if it like hallways and such.

        If its the asyum why not white sheets button tucked to the walls?

        Cloth will obviously not work on textured surfaces like stone and such.

        I did one year put masking tape over the seam and then painted as normal.

        You do not see it at all. When taking it down just pull the tape.

        My 2 cents with 2 seconds of thought....................

        John

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        • #5
          I finally got to see your human pelt video on YouTube, very cool!

          Anyway, I use both the paint around the edge method like earlier suggested and the masking tape whenever the seam still needed help.

          I'm sure either way you'll do great, youre one of the industry big guys!

          Ps,
          For half walls, low traffic areas or if you're in a rush, if your haunt is indoors, or under a tent, www.hauntedprops.com carries some useful wall rolls, that are actually pretty good. We've used them for the Relay for life haunt and they saved a boatload of time when you have less than 12 hours to set up a 1,200 sq ft wooden haunt! Thank god we got a scAIR sponsor which saved SO much time.

          Comment


          • #6
            What I started doing was using Duct Tape to tape over the seams and painting over that. It works surprisingly well, and the paint sticks to the tape great! (I used name brand duct tape, not sure if the cheaper stuff would work or not.)

            If your show is outdoors (as mine was) I suggest stapling the tape on either side of the seam and hammering the staples down flat to assure the tape doesn't fall down after a heavy rain storm.

            At the end of the season, just tear off or cut the tape. Worked great for me!

            Good luck!
            .
            Zach Wiechmann
            www.frontyardfright.com

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            • #7
              Bobby,
              there are no big guys in the industry- and if you think you are one, then your doing it wrong. We all just work and pretty much have the same challenges different attendance just changes a few of the problems.

              I was worried about masking tape because of the temperatures here- we had 30 100 degree + days in a row, and that wont let up for a while. I will tape them, carry the tape over the top of the panel and staple it there. that should keep the tape on till the paint seals it down.
              Thanks for making me rething masking tape.
              I know the seams seem like they arent a big deal but breaking the wall line every 4ft is a big deal and it bugs me.
              We have seven shows to put up in four months and then take down in one month, so its definitely not a permanent location lol.
              Im jealous of the haunts that are up year round.
              Allen H
              www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
              http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

              Comment


              • #8
                You could Dutchman it. Take long strips of fabric (just use the cheapest fabric you can find, but it has to be thin) and dip in a mix of House Paint, Elmers Glue, and Water. Then paste them over the seam and blend with your hands. Kind of like paper mache, but with the mix of paint and glue, it makes it so you can peel it right off when you are tearing down. Once you can get the process down, you can make the seam nearly invisible. It would take a bit longer than doing masking tape, but it might work better for your conditions and it is cheaper in the long run.

                - Jake

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                • #9
                  A "dutchman" is an old theatre technique, it would work to hide the seams very well. It's generally made with watered down joint compound, sanded, then painted. I would also suggest masking tape, but prior to laying it down, spraying a VERY STRONG adhesive under it to hold it once the tapes adhesive dries off. I don't think though, once you paint over it...it would peal? Especially if you're using latex paint, that alone should hold it on well!

                  Have you tried taking plastic strips and shrinking them over the seam?

                  -Tyler
                  Chris Riehl
                  Sales@spookyfinder.com
                  (586)209-6935
                  www.spookyfinder.com

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I'd have to double check, but I thought the mixture we used was House paint, Elmers Glue, and water... I don't remember joint compound, but I'm sure both mixes would work fine. We didn't do any sanding when we used it though, just smoothed it down while it was wet, the mixture was pretty runny.

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                    • #11
                      There are HUNDREDS of ways to make a dutchman...I think in theatre we actually used a cheap scrim/mesh with the compound. -Tyler
                      Chris Riehl
                      Sales@spookyfinder.com
                      (586)209-6935
                      www.spookyfinder.com

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Joint Compound

                        Hey Allen,
                        For my asylum I used joint compound and put it on the whole wall then took a flat head screw driver and carved lines back into it to make it look like white tile. It gave a great effect and you can not tell where the seams end at all. However, when you take them apart it will crack and mess up a little just at the seams, but next year when you put them back up you just use the same joint compound over the seams and redraw your tile lines where they join and it only takes a few minutes and you cant tell they were ever down. The first time spreading all of the compound on the wall took forever, but it turned out looking great and much cheaper than buying the tile-looking luan at lowes for $22 a sheet.

                        -Matt

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                        • #13
                          Tile tip: I paint my tile by painting the walls black, then slapping a piece of 6" square hog wire fence against it, then spraying white over that- when you remove the stencil (hog wire) it looks like tile. Your way sounds good to, I may try that in a few areas.
                          www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
                          http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

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                          • #14
                            Yep Allen, I would go with the dutchmen technique. These guyes are right with the Muslin strips. You can also use wallpaper paste, pre soak the strips in water, wring out, then soak in paste. These will come off fairly easy. This old theater technique was the main method when Theater flats were "soft". Soft flats were frames stretched with muslin or canvas like a painting. They are still used for faux ceilings during photography because they can easily rest on top of walls, slide around to accomodate lighting. School's Out!!
                            Listen to them, Children of the night. Oh what music they make.

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                            • #15
                              Awesome, a dutchman it is. I have no theater back ground so thats new to me- Awesome guys thanks!
                              www.Stiltbeaststudios.com
                              http://www.youtube.com/user/Stiltbea...s?feature=mhee

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