LizaJane Posted August 26, 2015 Author Share Posted August 26, 2015 Thanks for all the info!! And you're right, if things are crooked, it's nothing a good craft beer can't fix! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted August 26, 2015 Share Posted August 26, 2015 Welcome aboard!!I rehabbed my childhood dollhouse last year, and am about halfway through my first scratch build. Take everything I say with a fine grain of salt...Read the instructions. Then read them again. Read them every night before bed. Read them again over breakfast. Read them before you cut, sand, glue or paint anything. Read them again after you've glued something in backwards or upside down. Read them when you are bored or frustrated with the build. Read them after every meltdown. I can't stress this enough....In between reading the instructions, dry fit every piece at each step. Dry fit again after sanding, painting, gluing. Tab and slot kits have many little bits that all have to fit together just so to make up all of the components. I counted 38 pieces just for the windows on the Orchid...and they all have to fit. Even the best instructions will leave out some tidbit of info that causes a disaster later on, and disaster might have been averted if you had just picked up the pieces and held them together before putting glue on it. Or read the instructions. If I get frustrated with a certain part of the house, I just work on something else for a while. I was fed up with the windows, so took a break from that and assembled/painted/finished the porch pieces and stair landing. I'm back to the windows again, and when I get to the porch, all of those little bits are ready to go on the house. Some of my furnishings are being built from kits, so again, if I get fed up with the house, I build a little table or something to take a break. I've found it very helpful to keep a notebook for the build. I just use a cheap school folder with pockets and brads -on sale right now just about everywhere, so buy a few. Get notebook paper, too. I keep the instructions in the front pocket, paint chips, fabric samples, etc. in the back pocket, and lots of notebook paper in the middle. I make notes on instructions, lists for shopping, sketch out ideas, make a note of the actual size of each room during the dry fit, that kind of thing.The link that was given for the Moreminis site is extremely helpful. You can watch her build the house step by step, with lots of photos, and she also makes note of any really difficult or tricky areas. Scroll through her build while reading the instructions. Browse that site to get lots of information and tips about construction. Come back here to ask questions. Lots of folks have built the Westville, so whatever your question is, someone probably has the answer.I've found that kits look very intimidating when you first open them. then reading the instructions...omg...you get to page 3 and start sweating. It's OK. You can do this. Take your time. Do not work on the house when you are tired, cranky, or hungry. Remember that it's just wood, and unless you set fire to it, it can probably be fixed. Small gaps and cracks can be filled with spackle or covered with trim. If you have large gaps, it might mean you've done something wrong, glued something upside down, etc. so re-read the instructions before moving ahead, cutting things off or slathering it in spackle. Have fun!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaJane Posted August 27, 2015 Author Share Posted August 27, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaJane Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Great advice. Been reading the step A instructions over and over. My daughter helped me get this far with the house. Amazing how so many of the tabs and slots don't really fit. When I finally got this much taped together I got up off the floor to get something and kicked the dollhouse by mistake. My daughter and I could only laugh. Good times!!! It's amazing how long step A took!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stickyfingers Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Good for you!!Yes, a number of the tabs and slots may need to be trimmed, sanded, widened, etc. Do not skip this step! The walls and components are supposed to be flush together and interlock completely, so if they don't, fix it before you glue it together. Leaving that little gap here and there will only cause everything else to not fit correctly, and as you can see, one piece is always fitted to another, so you'll have a snowball of wonky if you don't fix it from the start.The Westville is on my future build list, so I'm excited to see how yours comes together! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaJane Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Wow, why are my pics so big? Sorry about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Wow, why are my pics so big? Sorry about that. You probably want to resize them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaJane Posted August 28, 2015 Author Share Posted August 28, 2015 Yeah. Going to need my daughters for that. I'm making progress on my dry fit. But gee, it would be nice if something fit together without me having to sandpaper and (yes) use a hammer!! As I'm sanding some of this wood it is literally falling apart. And wow. Gluing the stair treads is going to be fun. Hard to place it so that it can dry! I've been reading and watching by videos all day. (It's my day off). So I'm super excited. Question. The wood glue says to use on bare wood only. Hmmm. So do I prime AFTER? I glue stuff? Thanks everyone. So glad I found this site. It has been so encouraging and helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 You can prime everywhere and just scuff up the area to be glued or put a smsll piece of tape to cover the to be glued area. Wood glue dries yellowy so you'll want to wipe up spills. Go easy with the sandpaper. It's easy to go too far and then create a new problem for yourself.You can use a utility knife to cut slivers of the tabs to custom fit. You do want them to be tight. A little spackle later on will fill in any tiny gaps or uneven spots. Do several thin applications rather than one heavy globby one sanding lightly in between. When trying to glue tricky areas, you can purchase a magnetic gluing jig (micromark is one place that sells them). I swear by mine! You can make one as long as you are certain you have 90 degree corners.Keep asking questions. We all learn from each other. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 28, 2015 Share Posted August 28, 2015 Whilst the house is in dry fit I trace the corners with a pencil and then mask off the places where I'll want to glue If I need to prime before gluing. Mostly I just mask off the door and window trim areas and assemble the house and then prime what needs priming; sanding off the primer to glue works, but I can't sand evenly enough for that to work for me. If I have brittle wood (like the Glencroft I built) I stain the wood parts I want to stain before removing them from their sheets and then I could reinforce the tab with an application of wood glue with a toothpick and let it dry before shaving them carefully with my utility knife. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaJane Posted August 31, 2015 Author Share Posted August 31, 2015 My house has siding. So I am thinking I do not prime/paint the shell of the house. Right? And do I paint the siding before or after I put it on the house. Again, I guess I paint only one side so that all the glue will stick. Thanks everyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 I wait to paint the siding until after it's on the house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaJane Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 OK, I'm finally getting the hang of this. I realize I have to really carve out pieces to make them fit! I'm about 8 hours into this with all the reading, researching, and actual building. Can't even imagine how long this will take, but that's ok, I'm not going anywhere!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LizaJane Posted September 1, 2015 Author Share Posted September 1, 2015 At what point do I glue the shell? Do I put the entire house together first? Then start all over? Thx! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 2, 2015 Share Posted September 2, 2015 At what point do I glue the shell? Do I put the entire house together first? Then start all over? Thx!I put the whole shell into dry fit and let it tell me what it wants, but that is what works for me. Go with whatever feels comfortable for you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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