questions about cardboard siding

[Rhonda]

I am going to be putting siding on the Old General store aka florist shop. My plan is to use cardboard. At the dollar store you can get huge pieces of poster board, one side is shiney. Do you think that it will work? I remember reading that people have used cereal box cardboard for siding and this would basically be the same thing, maybe a tad thinner. My next question is should I glue the shiney side to the house? Do I paint the strips and then glue them on? I was thinking if I glue them on first it might keep them from trying to curl up. If I glue first do I need to work in batches and glue then clamp after a few rows? I was thinking one inch high strips is that right or should I go smaller, part will be covered due to over lapping.

Thank you in advance.

[minime]

You could splurge and buy a piece, then glue some shiny side down and some shiny side up to a piece of scrap. Paint some before and some after, try different paints and different glues and different widths. You are only risking one dollar.

I would go with about three quarters wide and shiny side down. What will work best for you may be different than what would work for me or anyone else, don't be afraid to just test something.

[More Minis Dollhouses]

I have never used cardboard siding but I'm pretty sure it follows the same rule of thumb as thin wood veneer siding does. If you do not want your siding to warp, then I recommend using hot melt glue. Hot melt glue is fine for use on siding and shingles because neither are structural. The hot glue works well and keeps your patterns from shifting. If you still want to use tacky/wood or any water based glue, then you will have to clamp as you go and work in sections. Masking tape is fine for clamping and it's not really to keep the pieces down but to keep your pattern from shifting because your siding will warp. The warp will flatten once the strips are dry. As far as painting is concerned, I would paint after all of the siding is glued in place and dry. It's just easier that way. You can do them before, strip by strip, one by one but it's not really necessary. Even if you apply your components before the siding and cut the siding around them, its faster to paint the siding afterwards and use a fine tip brush to go around the components. I would adhere the non shiny side to the dollhouse wall. It might not make a difference, since I don't believe it's shiny enough to prevent adhesion but just to be on the safe side.

[havanaholly]

I would paint each side of the posterboard with clear sealer/ lacquer first, thinking it would be a bit sturdier. I would glue it on with wood glue or tacky glue, whichever you happen to have, and cover the strips with waxed paper and weight it down until it dries. Then paint it.

[KathieB]

What Gina said. Experiment with small sections and see what works for you. We can give all the advice in the world, but if we haven't done it ourselves, it's an educated guess, aka mostly hot air.

One hint: if you use white or wood glue, use only dots of glue to attach the strips. No need to smear glue all over the place. Using dots will cut down on warping. This I do know to be true.

[madtex1967]

I used poster board for siding on my McKinley I did years ago. I used Elmer's white glue and attached the shiny side to the house. I used a thin line of glue on the each piece and smeared it with my finger to put a thin layer across the whole strip. I did use wood strips and clothes pins to hold down the strips of poster board (a few at a time) as I worked to make sure they didn't warp. I had no problems with this technique. I then painted it with no problems - two coats!

[kat57]

This is the kinda project I like to learn about,as I can't afford many bought components. I like Pam's idea to experiment with a piece of poster board first. But then,Matt's already done a pretty cool house in it...I'm anxious to see your results,Rhonda!

[amylynn920]

I use that poster board for my photography. What I have found is that if anything damp or wet is on the non shiny side, the poster board ripples. I would test it and see if whatever you're adhering to it works for you. At a dollar a sheet, it's pretty cheap to play around with.