Sometimes a craft project doesn’t go the way you planned, but that doesn’t mean it has to go to waste. That’s exactly what happened with this build. I started out trying to make a spiked wall trap, but it just wasn’t working. Instead of throwing it away, I took the XPS brick foundation I had already glued together and turned it into a culvert/doorway.
Building the Arch
The first step was ripping out the bottom section of the wall and turning the loose XPS bricks into an arch. I used an toothpick container as a simple arch frame and hot glued the bricks around it. By coincidence, the arch fit perfectly into the wall I had already built—except for the huge gaps.
I tried filling the gaps with leftover bricks and scrap pieces, which helped, but not enough. Most gap-filling methods I found online required materials I didn’t have, or they would have made the piece too heavy for my liking.
Filling Gaps with Floral Foam
Since I make my own flocking by grating floral foam, I always have a lot of it lying around. I decided to try pressing it into the gaps to see if it would work as a filler—and it did! It filled the spaces nicely and the texture looked like rough mortar between the bricks.
But it came with a new problem: the foam kept sticking to my Mod Podge and black paint mixture when I tried to seal the project. When brushing over it, bits of the foam stuck to the brush, pulling out from between the bricks.
The solution was to absolutely soak the foam with the glue mixture. I put it on way thicker than usual, then moved on to paint the rest of the piece. After the glue absorbed, I could gently wipe away the excess. You can also just let it dry completely—it works fine either way.
Adding the Bars
I wanted this doorway to double as a prison gate, drainage culvert, or side entrance, so I added metal bars. I twisted together jewelry wire to make thicker strands, glued a few together to form a grate, and then pushed the whole thing into the arch. Once I liked the placement, I glued it in place.
The bars aren’t perfect, but they give the piece a lot of character.
Painting the Terrain
To finish everything off, I used my usual drybrushing method:
- dark gray
- light gray
- touches of green and brown
- and a final dusting of white
This always gives my stone a worn, natural look, and it fits perfectly with my other terrain pieces.
Final Thoughts
This piece started as a failed trap wall, but with a bit of creativity, it turned into something that will get a lot more use at the table. Sometimes the best terrain projects come from mistakes.
And one last thing—while you might know me as PibblePusher, I also publish fantasy novels under my name, Zenia Platten. If you enjoy fantasy games, there’s a good chance you’ll like my books too. Check them out here – one novella is 100% FREE!
Happy crafting!