bmatson Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 It has been a LONG time since I was last on this forum. Like, at least 3 years ago! But I am glad to be back now, and look forward to getting reaquainted with and/or getting to know all of you My current labor of love is the beautiful Foxhall Manor. Omg I am in love with this house! I mean, what's NOT to love about it? I should stop here because me going on about my great love for the house is not the point of this post. What the point IS, is to post current pics of my progress, as well as share some problems I have encountered that y'all who are infinitely more talented and creative than I might be able to help with This pic is the general layout of the rooms. Here is the Laundry Room. It is the far upper left room as you look at the house from the back. For the wallpaper, I simply took some white cardstock and stuck some mini soap bubbles to it. I thought it was appropriate What you see is pretty much how the room will be, with the exception of the floor, but I will address that later in this post. 3rd pic is of the Music Room which takes up the rest of the 3rd floor space next to the Laundry Room. It's not much of a pic, I know. But for now that's all there is of the room. I am working on the wallpaper, which will consist of tiny music notes on the walls. This house is made to have 3 rooms on the 3rd floor, but I chose to have one regular size room and one bigger room because I have some big (and exciting!) items I will be putting in the MR and would need the extra space. Plus, I like customizing things to my specific needs Here is my problem with the flooring...I have a large wood floor covering that I made as one big piece for both rooms. I have a few coats of varnish on it to protect it and make it look nice and shiny. Anyhoo. My problem is that the wood has curled up on the edges quite a bit, and I cant get it flat again. I have tried laying heavy books on it for long periods of time, as well as ironing (the back side, of course). Nothing has helped. Has anyone experienced this, or know what I did wrong to begin with, and how to fix it? I can't put any of my furniture and/or instruments on the floor because the curling is so bad. Obviously this is not desirable. Please help!!! I have included before and after pics of each room. Keep in mind that these rooms are next to each other and the floor is one big piece. Last pic is of the Bedroom, which is located directly underneath the Laundry Room. The theme of the room is purple, as you might be able to tell. Guess what my favorite color is???? The carpet is some purple fuzzy material I found at a fabric store. The wallpaper consists of lavender cardstock with flower jewels glued on (purple, of course). This house is designed to have all rooms on the 1st and 2nd levels (excluding the Foyer) have horizontal room dividers, so you are looking at different rooms from the front than you are from the back. You will notice that I have omitted that divider for this room, as I will for the other 3 main rooms in the house. As with the Music Room, I need a lot of room for my ideas and have chosen to have 7 total large rooms rather than 11 smaller rooms (plus the Foyer) to achieve my vision for this house. I can't wait!!! Well that's it for now. I have great plans for my Foxhall, and I can't wait to share the progress with y'all. I welcome any feedback, as I need all the help I can get Happy mini-ing!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Suzy Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Hi Betty, welcome back! Now to dive right in, you could try gluing the floor to a piece of cardboard the same size as itself, then weighting it down for a few days, or glue it into the house then weight it down, depends if you want it removable or not. I would kill for a laundry room that size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kari Lynn Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Hi, Betty, I wasn't here three years ago(just joined last Oct.) so it is nice to meet you! I love what you are doing with Foxhall Manor. Can't wait to see more, keep the pictures coming. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Well I'm glad you didn't desert us for Facebook! Welcome home. Did you lay your floor on a template before laying it? Can you remove the dividing wall? I would remove the wall and the floor, apply fresh adhesive (like contact cement, to both the house floor and the back of the wood flooring) and start in the middle and press the floor down in place firmly and evenly, and weight it down really well with lots of big, heavy books, and leave it for a few days to dry flat as possible. Then replace the dividing wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmatson Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 I should mention that I want the flooring to be removable since I will be wiring my house (yay!). So the obvious fix to the problem (gluing the heck out of it to the floor) won't work Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris P. Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Hi Betty, I'm new, so welcome back and nice to meet you. I love the laundry room ~ it caught my eye immediately. But a big music room! Oh my, I can't wait to see what you put in it and see your music note wallpaper. Looking forward to watching your progress, Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bea Killion Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Welcome back. This is such a great house. I'm looking forward to following your progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judithfa Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Hi, Welcome back --- abs fab house -- the Foxhall. I have loose flooring in my houses because I too, have wiring on thr floor and have to get to it. I glue the flooring sheets to a heavyweight cardboard and then put that on the floor. Sometimes, it doesn't lie flat after a while. Then I use some two-sided scotch tape for the bad edges. When I have to move the flooring, I carefully pry up the flooring. It should only be the front edge that is a problem since the other edges will be held in place by the baseboards. The baseboards will be glued in place slightly above the floor ao that the flooring can slide in and out. Besides, the double-sided scotch tape, there are a number of "temporary/repositional" glues (including rubber cement, I think) that can be used. You probably want to experiment. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Properly applied, rubber cement will bond for a very long time before old age deteriorates it enough to make it lose its grip. I use rubber cement to secure floorboards to the the floors. Installing your baseboards to the walls when you first put the flat floor into place is an excellent idea. Also, instead of using card for a template, I like the idea whoever it was suggested of using fabric, instead. Could you carefully cut the floor along the line where the wall fits over it, and try a damp rag and flat, heavy weights to flatten it again, and then reposition it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judithfa Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Holly, of using fabric, instead like a close weave cotton poplin? What would be the best glue to use to glue to the fabric? Further thinking about this problem, I remember some people using flexible but sturdy acrylic sheets and the stuff with the "For sale", etc signs printed that are sold in hardware/Wal-Mart stores. That stuff is not flexible, though, I think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Someone posted about using fabric to glue floorboards onto, and I think they mentioned a fairly loose weave, maybe old muslins shheting or cheesecloth? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Songbird Posted February 6, 2011 Share Posted February 6, 2011 Love the purple room, I have one in my Realife house! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmatson Posted February 6, 2011 Author Share Posted February 6, 2011 Thanks for all the comments ideas everyone! I knew y'all wouldn't let me down I look forward to seeing all of your pics as well. I think I'm gonna go with the hard acrylic sheet idea. That would be PERFECT....not too thick, yet not flexible so after I glue the heck out of it, no more curling issues. AND after I told hubby my plans, he said he even already has some. Brilliant! Now if he could only find it........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 The acrylic sheets are what I am using in the Montclair and a trick I learned from a dollhouse professional builder. She has used it for years and swears by it. Once the wiring is done, the walls all but finished except for the trim, the flooring is laid and the baseboards are attached to the walls. You should leave enough room to allow you to slide the flooring piece out to access the wiring. The baseboards should hold the flooring in place alright. If you attach the baseboards to the floor instead of the wall, the floors tend to "float" and can warp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
judithfa Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 The acrylic sheets are what I am using in the Montclair Beverly- What brand of glue are you using to glue flooring to the acrylic sheets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Starfire Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 That's a good question. It has been a couple of months and I will have to dig out the project box that I have all the pieces in. I think it was the Ultimate Pickers or Alene's Fast Grab. I used the sheets of flooring on a backer and had to piece them to fit the rooms. I will admit that the flooring can peel off of the acrylic sheets if you are not careful but I needed to be able to adjust the wood sheets to fit. I will try to get to that in the next few days and see if I can give you a more definitive answer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.