Dreamer14 Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 I'm ready to start putting shingles on my dollhouse. I have the individual wood ones. My question is, should I stain each shingle first before placing it or can I put them all on and then stain? Any recommendations on which would be best. In addition, I noticed people are making patterns before gluing on shingles. I'm not for sure how that system works. Do you glue the shingles to the paper first and then glue paper with shingles to the dollhouse? Any clarification would be appreciated. I've only placed 3 pieces of the roof in place so far but have the other sections ready to be glued on. I wondered if I should make a pattern of them first. The 3 sections I have already attached I have just drawn lines on the wood itself in order to place shingles in a straight and even pattern. I would appreciate anyone wisdom and advise. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 Stain first. You always want to stain first when glue is involved. A smudge of glue on unfinished wood prevents the stain from soaking into the wood. I personally don't use templates, I just wing it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 7, 2016 Share Posted November 7, 2016 What she said. To stain loose shingles in batches, invest in two of the disposable heavy aluminum foil roasting pans and a large-ish nail with which to poke holes all over the bottom of ONE of the pans. Spread out some old newspapers. Scatter your shingles over the bottom of the pan with the holes in its bottom, and set that pan into the one you left intact and pour in your mixed stain (you always want to stir & mix your stain really well before using it). Gently swish the shingles around in the stain, give them a stir with a paint-stirring stick or piece of scrap wood,, Carefully lift the panful of shingles straight up out of the intact pan, letting all the stain drain out of the pan with the holes. When no more stain drips out, dump the shingles onto the newspapers, using the stick to spread them out to dry so they don't stick together. Pour the stain back into its can and if you need to, you're ready to go again until all your shingles are stained. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 I am getting ready to buy shingles for the Garfield. Did you buy 6,000 shingles like Greenleaf suggested? It's making for a very expensive roof! I can't find any cheap ones in Canada and don't want veneer as it's pretty thin. When I did the Garfield roof which is also a big house, I stained all the shingles individually before putting them on (it took 1500 shingles). I just find you can't get into the cracks and crevices once they are glued on the roof. Never thought about the glue on the shingle, good point Sable. I didn't use a pattern, I just "winged" it. The instructions said start on the longest piece and work your way up which I did. Where two pieces of the roof met I cut the shingles at angles so there was no gap. I see some of the roofs where they used patterns they have gaps. Sure glad I read this....Havana Holly is going to save me hours and hours and hours and hours of work. lol I am attaching a picture of the shingled roof where two pieces met so maybe that will help explain it. If you click on the picture it will be bigger. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 Inge, I shingled my Washington 2.0 farmhouse and my Orchid general store with shingles I cut from sandpaper. The shingles on the Glencroft pub are construction paper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thresadep Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 1 hour ago, havanaholly said: Inge, I shingled my Washington 2.0 farmhouse and my Orchid general store with shingles I cut from sandpaper. The shingles on the Glencroft pub are construction paper. When I was doing my roof, I found this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GCGqpxqLO2c Rather then using sandpaper, I used cereal boxes ( learned here ) but cut them using this method. Not sure if she is a member here ( thanks! if so) her videos are very handy. I want to try the sandpaper method soon to. I used the wood shingles and I swear, this is a way better method. I lost so many shingles trying to cut them and they split on me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 6,000 shingles? Oh my! Since I use the real slate tiles from England at $200 per 1000, that would be a "No" for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
smjsome Posted November 8, 2016 Share Posted November 8, 2016 I too used cereal boxes, joint compound and painted for slate look. my friend - a complete newbie wowed me the other day! She used cereal boxes and textured the shingles before painting - may not be the look you were going for, but I was super proud of her for coming up with the idea on her own, and it looks amazing. she used salt, made them look like an asphalt shingle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamer14 Posted November 8, 2016 Author Share Posted November 8, 2016 10 minutes ago, smjsome said: 13 hours ago, Inge said: I purchase the sidings and shingle from green leaf when I purchased the kit. It came as a add on. I hope they sent enough. I guess I'll find out. Thank you to everyone for your advice. It's much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted November 9, 2016 Share Posted November 9, 2016 According to their website there should be 400 birch shingles per bag. Please, could you let me know how many you use? You know, like if you get your house shingled soon. thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dreamer14 Posted November 9, 2016 Author Share Posted November 9, 2016 Inge ~ I'll keep track and let you know the exact number of shingles I use. I let out a huge sigh when I examined the shingles closely. They are poorly cut and it looks like I'll have to lightly sand each shingle to remove the little burrs. It's a good thing I'm not in a hurry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inge Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Dreamer14 not sure if you saw my other reply from before Christmas. I have finished shingling the Garfield and I've used about 3500 shingles except for the verandah which will be put on after I make living room curtains. Are you serious??? You have to sand each one? I guess the cheap ones I bought were better than yours. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Sometimes I find wood shingles with the fuzzies, but they come right off when I rub my thumb along the edges. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted January 22, 2017 Share Posted January 22, 2017 Some, but not all, of the shingles for the Beacon Hill had a little bit of fuzz on the rounded edge, the edge that shows when installed. I had an emery board handy and did a quick swipe with it that cleaned the edge very nicely. No need to sand the surface. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Ann Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 On 11/7/2016, 1:25:01, havanaholly said: What she said. To stain loose shingles in batches, invest in two of the disposable heavy aluminum foil roasting pans and a large-ish nail with which to poke holes all over the bottom of ONE of the pans. Spread out some old newspapers. Scatter your shingles over the bottom of the pan with the holes in its bottom, and set that pan into the one you left intact and pour in your mixed stain (you always want to stir & mix your stain really well before using it). Gently swish the shingles around in the stain, give them a stir with a paint-stirring stick or piece of scrap wood,, Carefully lift the panful of shingles straight up out of the intact pan, letting all the stain drain out of the pan with the holes. When no more stain drips out, dump the shingles onto the newspapers, using the stick to spread them out to dry so they don't stick together. Pour the stain back into its can and if you need to, you're ready to go again until all your shingles are stained. Does this work the same for painting the roof. Or can I apply first and then paint? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 32 minutes ago, H-Ann said: ...can I apply first and then paint? Of course you can. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H-Ann Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 13 minutes ago, havanaholly said: Of course you can. Awesome! Made me a little nervous because a lot of people have been mentioning the wood curling, and having to start over. Maybe that's just siding they are referring to. I'm completely new to all of this. I'm trying to learn from other people's mistakes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 The wood is very thin, so it does curl & ripple when either paint, stain or glue is first applied. As it dries the wood flattens back out. To help it to do so I often lay a piece of waxed paper over freshly glued rows and clamp a chunk of scrap wood on top to help the glue dry flat. I suggest that people take a good long look at 1:1 house shingles & shakes & wood siding and notice that they don't all lie perfectly flat. I gave up on trying to make things look perfect in mini, I far prefer peoples' reactions when they find it isn't "real". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted February 25, 2017 Share Posted February 25, 2017 4 hours ago, H-Ann said: ... can I apply first and then paint? Of course. But be sure to paint the under-roof with the shingle color, so the teensy gaps that inevitably appear won't be noticeable. You may need to use a tiny brush to catch some of the edges that need to be touched up. Hint: when you're finished painting, take a couple photos from different angles. Photos tend to show up the missed spots more readily than the naked eye. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooknink Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 So how many shingles did everyone figure was needed for the Garfield? I have read 15 bags, 5 bags, 7 bags. I have been thinking of asphalt for mine. Where is a good place to get them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 You can simulate asphalt shingles with coarse sandpaper. I would glue each sheet of sandpaper to a sheet of manila construction paper first, for scale. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooknink Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 Sounds good, but I just can't picture what it will look like... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 26, 2017 Share Posted February 26, 2017 6 hours ago, Hooknink said: Sounds good, but I just can't picture what it will look like... This sandpaper roof was duplicating a roof shingle pattern I noticed as we were driving around Staunton, VA: I used construction paper for slate for my pub roof and the sun leached out all the color (I have since painted it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hooknink Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 So you can paint it? I like the look of the top one. Are there any tutorials about this that you know of? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted February 28, 2017 Share Posted February 28, 2017 I have done dry brush and wash on sandpaper once it's glued into place. I really like to use chalk pastels to color sandpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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