Advice on room layout

[havanaholly]

I'm getting all excited to see what decorations an furnishings, etc, you make for the inside!











!

[Elsbeth]

Holy cow - that is AMAZING! I love the brick. This looks like something from a museum...WOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[CheckMouse]

Looking awesomely beautiful! 

[Phillip]

As I get ready to wall paper, I've noticed that the few sheets of paper I've purchased feel like photo printer paper and in worried that if they bend, they'll get permanent creases. Are there more normal types of wall paper or is it common that dollhouse wallpaper is laser printed?

[havanaholly]

You can buy dollhouse wallpaper as well as print it.  I have also used fabric and giftwrap in suitable scale-sized designs.

[Sable]

The wallpaper paste available in small tubs at any hardware store eliminates all folds/bends when applied to the paper.  I use scrapbook paper from Michael's or HL. Also, Apply a spray Fixative to the paper before using it. This protects the paper from smudges.

[Phillip]

Another challenge I think is going to be successfully installing the lights on have with adapters. I understand the process but getting the wiring correct with the adapter looks to be hard 

[Guest]

It's not hard at all Phillip, it's really quite easy given you have a completely empty shell!

[Phillip]

Random question, but if there is some expertise on colonial revival design: I am trying to decide between painting or staining doors. Trim will be white. Seems somewhat standard, but not universal, in conical revival style to also paint doors white but I wondered if stained doors would appear more elegant 

[Soapz]

I think stained doors are pretty much found in all design eras. That being said, I would probably making it dependent on the overall exterior to determine if it would fit. Decide on a stain color, take white cardboard and stain that - stick it in the door opening and look at it from a distance - then rinse and repeat with white cardboard and go with whichever you like better.

[Phillip]

Some more lattice work under the porch 

[havanaholly]

Out of curiosity, what did you use for your window screens?  Also, with all the white trim on the windows and the porch, would you want the front door to stick out with stain?

[kathi17]

20 hours ago, Phillip said:

Random question, but if there is some expertise on colonial revival design: I am trying to decide between painting or staining doors. Trim will be white. Seems somewhat standard, but not universal, in conical revival style to also paint doors white but I wondered if stained doors would appear more elegant 

I agree with Holly about the paint versus stain, plus, most colonial revival houses were designed to mimic houses of the colonial era, such as Georgian or Federal, so paint would be more authentic.

[Phillip]

Thanks! I should have specified that I meant the internal doors but it does look like paint is the way to go

[kathi17]

1 hour ago, Phillip said:

Thanks! I should have specified that I meant the internal doors but it does look like paint is the way to go

Actually, internal doors can be either stained or painted, depending on how the room was decorated. If the room was painted, usually, the doors were as well, but if the room was stained, the doors were stained to match. (At least that's the case with the original houses the colonial revivals were representative of). I was born and raised in the historical district of Sturbridge, Mass, and lived all my life on the common. The house I grew up in was built in 1792, and some of the houses my relatives lived in had deeds from the King of England from the 1600's, plus I worked at Old Sturbridge Village, which is where my information came from, so I actually know more about the original houses than the revival ones.

For front doors, the original ones were painted on the outside, but sometimes stained on the inside, if the entryway was stained. (Actually, the wood wasn't really stained, but it was so old that the walls, doors, floors etc. had darkened and had the appearance of being stained).

[havanaholly]

Weren't the jambs and lintels stained if the doors were stained?  In the old houses I've lived in and toured that was the case; if the trims were painted the door was painted; otherwise it was all stained.

[kathi17]

10 hours ago, havanaholly said:

Weren't the jambs and lintels stained if the doors were stained?  In the old houses I've lived in and toured that was the case; if the trims were painted the door was painted; otherwise it was all stained.

Yes, in most old houses I have been in, they were. If the room was stained, everything was stained. If they were painted, everything was painted. I think if they were wallpapered or stenciled, the trim and doors could either be stained or painted. Most I've seen were painted if the room was wallpapered and could be either way if it was stenciled.

[havanaholly]

That's what I noticed at Mt Vernon & Gunter Hall.

[Phillip]

Nearing completion of the exterior. Amazed how much glue it took to poor the roof on. Starting to turn to the interior, and I'm quite pleased that I was able to add adapters to the sconces and ceiling lights that I will install. 

Any tricks to using yes wallpaper paste or wallpapering in general? 

[kathi17]

I've never used yes for wallpaper, I've always used the real paste from the hardware store. (We can't get yes locally so I use my one container of yes sparingly on greeting cards).

Anyway, I usually use a wet paintbrush on my cards with the yes glue, dipping my paintbrush in water frequently so it is thin and spreads easily. I think I have read that most people thin theirs in water when they wallpaper.

[havanaholly]

I also use premixed wallpaper paste from the hardware store, and KathieB's tip for covering the top of the container with cling wrap before hammering the lid back down.

[KathieB]

24 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

I also use premixed wallpaper paste from the hardware store, and KathieB's tip for covering the top of the container with cling wrap before hammering the lid back down.

The tip: press the cling wrap (or a piece of plastic grocery store bag or similar thin plastic) onto the surface of the paste or wallboard mud/joint compound/Spackle. That helps deprive the mold spores of oxygen and keeps the product fresh for a longer period of time.

Tip #2: for paint cans, I use a double layer of plastic grocery store bag over the top of the can before replacing the lid. It prevents the paint on the rim from gluing the lid in place.

[Sable]

Yes paste had a diasterous issue for one person here. Like holly, I use wallpaper paste.

[Phillip]

Hmm - looks like doesn't do well on painted surfaces? 

[Phillip]

One more question- because I wanted to blend the exterior brick right to the windows, I installed the windows and front door. I gather that installing windows after wallpapering is more common but I couldn't sequence that way. Anyhow, seems common to paper with whole sheets but I had planned to cut openings for the door and windows on the paper panels. Will that cause the paper to tear as it dries? I'll use full sheets and cut out over window casing if need be