When is the best time to do wall and floor coverings

[LifeUponTheWickedStage]

My Victoria's farmhouse has been labeled, dry fitted, and the outside siding painted. According to my instructions next I build the shell. When in this whole process do I wallpaper. I've read that doing all the walls up (wallpaper, paint) before assembely to make it easier, but I've also read that making templetes and doing it after the house is completed is the way to go. I HAVE NO CLUE haha Which way do you find turns out the best results?

Also my kit is MDF ( BLAKKKK ) so I need to put in my own flooring, is that better do do once all the walls are done and assembled?

Also another random question... if you can all recommend the best sites to buy supplies ( trim, flooring, wallpaper ) There are just SO many different sites but I'm not quite sure which ones have the largest array of product!

Thank you all so much!

[havanaholly]

My Victoria's farmhouse has been labeled, dry fitted, and the outside siding painted. According to my instructions next I build the shell. When in this whole process do I wallpaper. I've read that doing all the walls up (wallpaper, paint) before assembely to make it easier, but I've also read that making templetes and doing it after the house is completed is the way to go. I HAVE NO CLUE haha Which way do you find turns out the best results?

While the house is still in dry fit, study it to see which areas will be a very bear to reach once it's built and go ahead and prime and paint/ paper them first. Templates are a good idea if you're building for a child to play with, since you or she will be redecorating it later, as she grows & her tastes change.

Also my kit is MDF ( BLAKKKK ) so I need to put in my own flooring, is that better do do once all the walls are done and assembled?

I despise MDF, so I can't help you there; although what I did do with the MDF roombox I once built was to mark the floor whilst the box was in dry fit, and then primed the floor to seal it and installed the floor treatment I was using.

Also another random question... if you can all recommend the best sites to buy supplies ( trim, flooring, wallpaper ) There are just SO many different sites but I'm not quite sure which ones have the largest array of product!

For flooring treatments, IMO you cannot beat the Greenleaf store: http://shop.greenleafdollhouses.com/Search...eyword=flooring . For trim & wallpaper I'm partial to HBS: http://www.miniatures.com and we also have debra's album containing gorgeous wallpapers to print your own: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/i...d=342&st=25

[Ravenswing]

Hi, and welcome to the forum Amanda. First I guess it's best to identiy what kind o house you're building, 1/2 scale or 1 inch scale, as 1/2 is decidely smaller and with them the best way is almost always to paint and wallpaper before you glue it together...the rooms are just too small to get your hands into after the fact.

Another crucial question is are you going to light the house? Tapewire and to a great extent roundwire for lights should be installed before paint or wallpaper. If you're not going to do lights, then painting and papering before you glue together is the best option. If you're papering make sure to leave a little bit of an overhang of paper in the corners, when the walls are glued together the overhand can then be wrapped into the corner and glued to hide any imperfections or gaps between the walls.

Floors are best done after the walls are in place, that way you can make a template with the exact measurements - this will give you a much better fit.

As to the best places to shop - there are lots of places. My favorites for interior accessories are Manor House Mini's, they always have a weekly sale with bargains up to as much as 74% off (They're having a sale right now for 15% off the total order) and HBS (Hobby Builder's Suppy). For lumber and trim I always buy from HobbyLinc, the prices are up to 60% off the usual, and he sorts and labels everything you buy. Another good source for lumber and trim is Manchester Woodworks, the prices are reasonable and he always includes a small sample bag of the different kinds of wood he sells. (The free samples are great for making your own little projects or when you need just a small piece of wood to finish off a room).

For wallpaper there are tons of sites where you can get free printies but the ones I use most often are Jennifer's free printables and Victorius Wallpaper.

Hope this helps, and now that you have over 5 posts you can start a gallery and put up pics of your progress. I look forward to seeing your house.

[Sherry]

For the Victoria's Farmhouse, there is plenty of room to get in there and wallpaper after the walls are up. I think you get a better fit this way, especially in the corners. The exceptions are the bay window, and the hinged addition. Do these before you glue them in place. I didn't, and was able to fit the wallpaper, but it wasn't as easy as 'before' would have been.

I used skinny sticks for the floors, put them on a poster board template and then glued them in. I waited to make the template until the walls were in place, for a better fit. I also bought some of the hardwood flooring on a paper sheet and used it, but you can't tell much difference between them and the skinny stick floors for the difference in price.

It's a wonderful house and an easy build. But if you have questions, don't hesitate to ask me! And my house is in my gallery, if you'd like to look at a finished one.

[Ravenswing]

Hey Sherry, where are you getting these skinny sticks? I see folks talking about them all the time and they make great floors, but I haven't seen them online (or maybe I'm just not looking in the right place.) As you know, I do all of my shopping online so I'm kinda hard pressed to find some things that the rest of the gals (and guys) get at the craft stores. Please tell me that you know of a place where I can get them. And are they actually called "skinny sticks?"

[fov]

I've found them at Michael's and Ben Franklin's. I think the ones I got at Ben Franklin's were called skinny sticks. At Michael's they're "Woodsies" brand and the bag says something like "skinny craft sticks". I've only ever bought them in the stores so I'm not sure where you can find them online.

That being said -- I prefer wooden coffee stirrers for flooring. I bought a box at Smart & Final, which is a restaurant supply store, but I know some people have been lucky enough to find them at the grocery store.

[Violet2Dawn]

I can only add, that wallpaper, when used I prefer the stiffer paper, it makes it easier to install with less wrinkles and bubbles. GREAT Advice above from everyone else!

[havanaholly]

Wal Mart carried Skinny Sticks in the craft department.

[Sherry]

What they said! I've bought them at all of those places.

[Silvyr]

Hey Sherry, where are you getting these skinny sticks? I see folks talking about them all the time and they make great floors, but I haven't seen them online (or maybe I'm just not looking in the right place.) As you know, I do all of my shopping online so I'm kinda hard pressed to find some things that the rest of the gals (and guys) get at the craft stores. Please tell me that you know of a place where I can get them. And are they actually called "skinny sticks?"

Judith, I looked around at Michaels online and Hobby Lobby online and found 'em!

http://shop.hobbylobby.com/products/slim-c...-sticks-135087/

1/4" x 5 1/2", although these ones have rounded ends and the Woodsies ones I've used have flat ends. I'm sure it wouldn't be too much trouble to cut or sand them off, though! Alternatively, a little more expensive: http://www.woodcrafter.com/m011680skinnystickspkg75.aspx

[LifeUponTheWickedStage]

Oh my goodness I love this forum!!! and of course all of you. Such a treasure box of information. I'm going to go pick up some skinny sticks tomorrow! That seems like a fun project that will turn out a great result. Since were on the topic of looking for random things, how about how stain glass windows are done? That would be fun to learn!

[havanaholly]

You can use Gallery Glass and Liquid Lead on clear acetate, you can print stained glass windows off the internet onto transparency film and use a sharpie pen or acrylic paint from the tube with a liner brush, you can use wax crayon on paper and lay it between layers of paper towels and melt the wax with a hot iron, you can use the lead tape used on golf clubs for your lead-lines (I advise wearing rubber gloves to handle lead, since it can be absorbed hrough the skin), and if you're already "into" RL stained glass, make it MUCH smaller.

[Sherry]

The difference between skinny sticks and craft sticks is the width and type of wood. Craft sticks are soft wood, and a bit wider. They will make a good pine floor. But the harder skinny sticks take a stain much, much better.

For stained glass, I printed a pattern (available online-google them) and sized it to fit my window, then printed it on a transparency. The black lines are there, so no need to try and draw them. I used delta glass paint in translucent colors. They are available at Michael's in a little kit that has 6 colors in tiny tubs...plenty for several windows. Fill in the space first, then add another coat of dabs, swirls, whatever, to make it look like handmade glass.

[Aimeehj]

This thread is so useful! Wooden coffee stirrers?! BRILLIANT! Any craft stick would do, just about, I bet. Just nothing toooo wide.

Do you stain your coffee stirrer floors before you glue it down, or after it's installed?

Thanks again for all the sharing... this newbie is inspired and happy!

[DocGreen]

I always paint, paper, etc. before construction. I find it so much easier (big hands, small spaces) and can correct any mistakes with ease but do what ever is comfortable and natural to you. I think mine turn out just fine. A few examples in the gallery if you would like to see them. Be prepared for a surprise every once in a while. I put together one of my Willows and noticed that the heart wallpaper on one of the back walls has the hearts upside down! I'm the only one who knows though, well, I was until now!

[havanaholly]

Aimee, I find the iron-on wood veneer that comes on a roll is a nice scale thickness and grain for floorboards. I use dots of wood glue to lay the strips after I cut them into scale board width & length and weight them down until the glue is dry; then I go back and iron them in place. If you're going with craft sticks or coffee stirrers, staining them first is a good idea because stain won't penetrate any glue that happens to get on them once they're down (we won't go into how I figured that out firsthand, since it was before this forum, or any other, was available to me...).

[More Minis Dollhouses]

I always apply the wall coverings after the dollhouse is assembled unless its a room that will not be accessible afterwards. If your dollhouse is MDF, I'm thinking that won't be the case and all of your rooms will be easy to access later. I also do all of my flooring after assembly, unless once again, the rooms are inaccessible later.

There are a lot of retailers out there for flooring and other materials but very few that carry a lot of products and have good service. I like Greenleaf's Company Store, miniatures.com, Dejoux Miniatures and Dollhouse Collectibles. There are a few others out there as well.

[KathieB]

This thread is so useful! Wooden coffee stirrers?! BRILLIANT! Any craft stick would do, just about, I bet. Just nothing toooo wide.

Do you stain your coffee stirrer floors before you glue it down, or after it's installed?

Thanks again for all the sharing... this newbie is inspired and happy!

It's a good idea to stain before gluing. Dried glue resists stain, so any oozes or driplets will show up much lighter and be really annoying.* Also, you may want to put a coat of stain or similar color paint on the wooden floor (or cardboard template) before gluing down the sticks as even the best of them vary a bit in width. A light colored underlayment will also show and be annoying.

For width, I've seen old floors with 12" boards, so even a 1" tongue depressor would work.

*It just occured to me that by painting a pattern of thinned glue onto the raw wood (or wood stained with a light oak or similar color) before staining with a darker color might be a short-cut way of simulating an inlaid floor. Once the darker stain is dried and the floor is clear coated, the glue shouldn't show. Anybody ever tried it?

[havanaholly]

Ooo, Kathie, I might have to try that whenever I get back to mini-ing.

[Dalesq]

Nice idea! Hmmm....

[Rhonda]

I stain my floors after they are glued down, for those of you that stain first seems to me the cut ends would show as you are piecing together the floor. I could not imagine staining the pieces to the herringbone floor before I assembled it. Or any of the other floors for that matter.

[havanaholly]

When I used stripwood flooring I cut my pieces first and slopped the stain all over them, sides and edges, because some sides looked nicer than others; and since they were also stained, the edges didn't stick out when butted together.