Amber Celeste Posted October 12, 2017 Share Posted October 12, 2017 Hi! I ended up ordering a front Opening house from Dollshouse Emporium and it got here FAST! I'm anxious to get started but I want to make sure I'm doing it right so it doesn't become a huge eyesore in my living room instead of a charming dollhouse!! I am planning to paint it with chalk paint. Do I need to seal it before painting? I also plan to paper some of the rooms if I can find some wallpaper I like. Anything else I should know? I've never dealt with MDF and I really don't want to mess this up!!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Use a good Primer first. A primer will 'bite' into the MDF allowing the paint to grab onto it. If you apply a latex paint directly on the MDF without priming first you could have some issues. Latex is plastic that just sits on top of a surface and doesn't really bind to it so priming is important. EDIT: Because you are using Chaulk Paint, forget everything I said up above!!! Chaulk paint is basically a primer paint so you shouldn't have a problem applying it directly to the MDF. However you want to prime before applying wallpaper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cathy C Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Here are some conversations from the Greenleaf Forum that may be helpful for you: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=forums&module=forums&controller=topic&id=19445 http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=forums&module=forums&controller=topic&id=40666 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 5 minutes ago, Sable said: Use a good Primer first. A primer will 'bite' into the MDF allowing the paint to grab onto it. If you apply a latex paint directly on the MDF without priming first you could have some issues. Latex is plastic that just sits on top of a surface and doesn't really bind to it so priming is important. Thanks!! I plan to use chalk paint on the exterior at least but maybe a latex would hold up better on the interior. This house will probably be played with at some point so I want the paint to be able to hold up to that! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 Please see the edit to my original post. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 1 minute ago, Cathy C said: Here are some conversations from the Greenleaf Forum that may be helpful for you: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=forums&module=forums&controller=topic&id=19445 http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=forums&module=forums&controller=topic&id=40666 Thank you Cathy! I did a search before I posted and must've missed these! Very helpful!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 1 minute ago, Sable said: Please see the edit to my original post. Thank you so much!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 I use the sample cans of Behr paint with primer from Home Depot to paint all my houses. Covers the MDF very well with no bleedthrough, plus they are very affordable. A $4 can will do way more than 1 house. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrchob Posted October 13, 2017 Share Posted October 13, 2017 I built Wentworth Court from Dollshouse Emporium and found I was able to successfully do most of the wall painting and papering before constructing. What house are you going to build? http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=view&id=68063 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 1 hour ago, chapchap73 said: I use the sample cans of Behr paint with primer from Home Depot to paint all my houses. Covers the MDF very well with no bleedthrough, plus they are very affordable. A $4 can will do way more than 1 house. That sounds like it would be perfect for the interior! Thanks for the tip!! I always get so overwhelmed by all of the paint choices at the store! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted October 13, 2017 Author Share Posted October 13, 2017 59 minutes ago, jrchob said: I built Wentworth Court from Dollshouse Emporium and found I was able to successfully do most of the wall painting and papering before constructing. What house are you going to build? http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=view&id=68063 Wow! Your Wentworth looks great!! Very inspiring details! I have the Dartmouth. I really like the idea of painting/papering in advance. I did that in my halfscale Jefferson, of course now I've changed my mind and am redoing it now that it's built which is no easy task given the size of the rooms! I'm REALLY looking forward to working in 1:12!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chapchap73 Posted October 14, 2017 Share Posted October 14, 2017 Pretty house I got a lot of stuff from DHE when I was furnishing my Vermont Jr and always found their shipping to be quite speedy. Were the shipping charges reasonable? Just so you know, the sample cans at Home Depot can be tinted to any color you want. My store also does color matching from whatever sample you have like a piece of fabric or scrapbook paper. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thimble Hall Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I seal my MDF, I have DHE house on the go that I imported too , Grosvenor Hall and basement, it is having a rest at the moment all primed and I think I will be getting back to it in a coucoople of weeks. I think you will enjoy your one, they go together so easily.. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I once put together an MDF roombox for one of HBS' Creatin' Contests that weaned me off of MDF forever. The parts I covered with wallpaper (1:1) looked OK. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 13 hours ago, Jeannine said: I seal my MDF, I have DHE house on the go that I imported too , Grosvenor Hall and basement, it is having a rest at the moment all primed and I think I will be getting back to it in a coucoople of weeks. I think you will enjoy your one, they go together so easily.. Oh! I love that house! I like the idea of a house that goes together quick as I won't have a ton of time/space to work on it this fall. It will be nice to get it put together and get right to the funnest part for me which is decorating! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amber Celeste Posted October 15, 2017 Author Share Posted October 15, 2017 7 hours ago, havanaholly said: I once put together an MDF roombox for one of HBS' Creatin' Contests that weaned me off of MDF forever. The parts I covered with wallpaper (1:1) looked OK. It seems like there is a pretty even split between dollhouse people that love MDF and those that hate it. Lol I don't normally like MDF in general but I was unable to find any kits that weren't discontinued or sold out in plywood that were front opening and close to the style I was looking for! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thimble Hall Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I am not opposed to ply but I find it it has very varying qualities and it can be difficult to work with. I can't speak for all mdf but the DHE mdf houses are grooved and go together with perfect joins so there is less fighting to get bits to fit, but if you want to make a change then the mdf is much tougher to work with. I put my Grosvenor away because I wasn't happy with the basement and wanted to change it but didn't fancy cutting it.. I actually am planning on starting it again but I am no going to use the basement at all I am just going to do the main house.I found the placement of the large winding sweeping steps too big and to access the basement you have to lift all that away. I will come up with something to use the bits on but it was money down the drain really as it was an expensive basement. I do however like the main house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 I believe there is MDF and then there's MDF, and the stuff in the kit I had was rough textured. But since then I've discovered bashing, and that's just a whole lot easier for me with plywood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thimble Hall Posted October 15, 2017 Share Posted October 15, 2017 Well there you go. I wondered about that. I have only used the DHE stuff and it is perfectly unblemished, very dense and very smooth. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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