Garfield just arrived!

[bonzai2]

Hi from CT! The Garfield is my first dollhouse build. Very excited! Has anyone primed the sheets before punching out the pieces or would it be best to prime piece by piece as I go along so it's not even more difficult getting the pieces out?

[Selkie]

Welcome to Greenleaf.

Definitely don't prime while still in the wood sheets. You'll have a nightmare trying to get them out afterwards without breakage and splintering. It's a lot of work to sand and prime but well worth it.

Also don't follow the instructions that say to use hot glue. It won't hold up over the long haul. Use a good wood glue or white tacky glue instead. Painters tape is your friend for "clamping' things together while they dry as well as for dry fitting (test fitting) the shell together before gluing.

[havanaholly]

Welcome to the little family.

...Has anyone primed the sheets before punching out the pieces...

I did that once, with a Buttercup. NEVER do this. I will never do it again! The sealer/ primer will fill the stamp cuts and the wood will swell and you will go through many utility knife blades to get the pieces out, and that's just if you only did one side. I think you'd have to use a bandsaw to remove the pieces if you did both sides first. Totally never do this with a kit as huge as the Garfield! You will want to do lots and lots of dry fitting, so invest in several rolls of painter's tape.

One of the moderators please remove the duplicate.

[CraftyMtnMom]

Welcome, Bonnie! Glad you are here.

[Selkie]

I'll bet you dreamed about your new Garfield last night and all the fun (and hard work) you'll have with it.

The planning is half the fun. I keep those little inexpensive composition notebooks (graph paper style are my favorite) or a sketch book handy to jot ideas and little sketches in as I begin work on a new build.

I have a Garfield but it's still not finished - life and other kits interrupted it's completion. Someday ...

[bonzai2]

THANK YOU!!! I'm so glad I asked! Starting to lay everything out....

[Soapz]

Welcome to the forum, Bonnie.

I tend to sand the pieces of the shells after I remove them - it makes for a better fit in the end... glad you joined us!

[CheckMouse]

:welcome: Bonnie

[Dreamer14]

Hi Bonnie,  I just started the Garfield House as well.  It is also my first build.  I hope you are enjoying it like I am.  It is my new addiction.  Good luck

[Kari Lynn]

Hi, from another Connecticut resident, and welcome to the forum. It is nice to have you here

[weezah]

Selkie is right.  Don't prime before you punch out!  Wood glue prefers to stick to wood - not primer.  And it is hard enough to punch out some pieces without extra stuff holding them in place.

 

If you intend to paint, I wouldn't worry about using primer.  However, I would take your spackle (you gotta have that!) and work on a thin coat applying it against the grain.  This will fill all of the open pores in the wood.  Once it is dry, give it a good sanding with 180grit paper and then paint.  Your wall will look like a professional drywaller did the work!

[vbharrington]

Oh great.  I just primed both sides of sheets for my Orchid (my first build) because I saw several YouTube posts that said to do it that way, and it made perfect sense.  I hope I didn't ruin the fun of building before I even got started!  I guess I better pick up some more X-Acto blades.

[Selkie]

You can still get them out but you'll need to be especially careful with the gingerbread trim pieces and other smaller ones as well. They can break easily anyway so do get a good utility knife with fresh blades and, if you can, do it sooner than later. Paint is still soft (not cured) for a week or so. 

Look at it as your first level on the learning curve. You passed!!