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Orchid Questions


nolephan

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Hi all,

I'm working on the Orchid (TMF) my first house in 31 years. I was thinking about putting the bottom partition in so that the kitchen is on the left. I thought about extending the bay window in for a small table. For those of you who've done this house, would that work?(i.e. proper height)

I really don't want to put printed wallpaper on all of the interior walls, and I've heard that you shouldn't paint them, so can I put up solid color cardstock instead?

I'd read some posts about scoring the floor and staining to look like floor planks, but my shell is already together. Could I make floor planks with craft (popsicle) sticks?

I'm having a hard time sanding the edges of pieces to get them really smooth. They seem to be rough no matter what I do, and on some of the narrow trim pieces, some of the back layer has actually fallen off. Am I doing something wrong?

Thanks!

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56 minutes ago, nolephan said:

Hi all,

I'm working on the Orchid (TMF) my first house in 31 years. I was thinking about putting the bottom partition in so that the kitchen is on the left. I thought about extending the bay window in for a small table. For those of you who've done this house, would that work?(i.e. proper height)

Sure ... go for it. You can leave the wall out altogether if you want to make the ground floor more of an open plan, but you may need to add a support column or use U-channel on the edge of the ceiling/floor to prevent a possible sagging.

I really don't want to put printed wallpaper on all of the interior walls, and I've heard that you shouldn't paint them, so can I put up solid color cardstock instead?

Dunno where you heard not to paint the walls. The walls should be primed before painting with gesso or a flat finish interior latex paint. If you want a plaster wall smooth finish, a skim coat of Spackle or wallboard mud is the ticket. And of course you can use colored cardstock, but please prime the wood first so the chemicals in the wood won't leach out over time and turn the cardstock ugly brown.

I'd read some posts about scoring the floor and staining to look like floor planks, but my shell is already together. Could I make floor planks with craft (popsicle) sticks?

Yes, indeed. Craft sticks, popsicle sticks and iron-on wood veneer strips all work, plus other stuff that escapes me at the moment. You could, actually, still do the score & stain method, it would just mean some fiddling. At least there are not strange nooks and crannies as in some other houses.

I'm having a hard time sanding the edges of pieces to get them really smooth. They seem to be rough no matter what I do, and on some of the narrow trim pieces, some of the back layer has actually fallen off. Am I doing something wrong?

Because of the nature of laminated plywood, it's hard to get the edges smooth only by sanding. Take a bit of Spackle or wallboard mud on a fingertip and work it into the edge. When it dries, it can be sanded gently for a nice smooth finish. Or alternatively, the edges of floors and walls can be covered with a square U-channel when the build is finished.

Thanks!

 

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I've used cardstock for wall coverings so I'd say yes. There's diferent textures in cardstock that can imitate a realistic plastered wall effect, depending on what you are looking for, plenty of options there. You can also paint the walls in a solid color, even smooth them or create a texture as you would on a normal wall, seen some works done without papper that looked really interesting as well.

Popsickle sticks or coffe stirers can work for floor planks, strips of wood that come pre-cut and standard sized are the easiest to cut and assemble. If the wood tries to warp a bit from the moisture in the glue just hold them down with masking tape and leave something heavy on top while it dries. After the floor is dry you can stain the surface with regular wood stain/varnish.

About the sanding, the wood that comes with the kits can sometimes be a bit troublesome... on my personal experience I sometimes use a metal file instead of sandpapper, specially with bits that are a bit fragile or small. Depends on the situation, but I try not to put too much pressure on the wood and well.. sometimes it's just too brittle. If breaks you can try to repair it, disguise it or hide the damaged part. If it's a surface that will be left in a wood finish it can be harder to hide, but if it's going to be painted a solid color you can easily disguise the gap/damage with a filler of your choice, sand and cover it with paint.

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I have spackled interior walls to look like plaster:

KathieB's views:  the bar

and I have primed and painted them:

hall & bathroom.JPG

and used 1:1 wallpaper in wee designs:

medium.56d51c1440c68_parlor1.JPG.9694dd4

and also scrapbook paper:

the parlor

You can also cover your walls with small print fabric, such as fat quarters.

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A lot of our members prime with Kilz.  I use a white flat interior latex paint because I can also tint it with acrylics to make custom paint colors, if I want to.  Don't prime anything you'll want to stain;  you can paint or prime over stain, but you sure can't stain over paint (or glue, for that matter).  This is just one use for the dry fit.  Speaking of glue, I hope you're using  good carpenters' wood glue, not hot glue, to build your kit.

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4 hours ago, nolephan said:

so basically, if I paint or if I paper, I need to prime the walls? Would I use the same primer for both? I think my dh has some Kilz in the garage. Would that work?

Yes, it's a good idea to prime any part that will not be stained. Kilz will work fine. 

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