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Clapboard siding


mjcmaisto

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I'm about to install a sheet of clapboard siding to the front of my dollhouse and I have several questions:  

1. Can sheets of clapboard warp like individual planks if you paint them before installing? If not, should I prime the back as well as the front?

2. I wanted to prime the clapboard sheets since I read that then you can use wood glue instead of Quick Grip Glue to install. Does this make sense? I don't have adequate ventilation in this apartment and I'm worried about the fumes. But then, I don't want the clapboard to "slide off" some day, either!

3. Is it better to cut out windows and doors before gluing or glue and then cut out doors and windows with a razor saw?  

Any pro's or cons would be greatly appreciated!

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I prefer to paint the siding once it's installed - I'd rather paint one big thing than a lot of little things. If you paint it once it's glued on you don't have to worry about it warping.

You can glue it on with wood glue. No need to prime. The pieces will want to curl, use a lot of masking tape at the seams to prevent this. If possible, turn your dollhouse on its back and weight down the siding with heavy books while it's drying.

I cut out the windows and doors before gluing. Hold the siding in place, trace the opening with a pencil, and then remove the piece and cut out the opening with a utility knife. Cutting the openings before you glue on the siding means you can wrap masking tape into the openings while the glue dries, which helps prevent the siding pieces from lifting up or curling while they dry.

 

 

 

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8 hours ago, fov said:

I cut out the windows and doors before gluing. Hold the siding in place, trace the opening with a pencil, and then remove the piece and cut out the opening with a utility knife. Cutting the openings before you glue on the siding means you can wrap masking tape into the openings while the glue dries, which helps prevent the siding pieces from lifting up or curling while they dry.

 

 

 

I am planning to glue on my clapboard pieces (I have the premade "slabs" of them) onto the walls before they go together. It just seems to me to make the most sense, because I can put weights on them without stressing the structure of the house. Or is that impossible?

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7 hours ago, Susan18 said:

I am planning to glue on my clapboard pieces (I have the premade "slabs" of them) onto the walls before they go together. It just seems to me to make the most sense, because I can put weights on them without stressing the structure of the house. Or is that impossible?

You will want not to cover up the slots & tabs.  If it were me (I prefer to use the strips if I'm going with clapboard) I would assemble the house and use my collection of bar clamps with scrapwood to hold the clapboard sheets flat to the house whilst the glue dries (like I do with the strips).

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If you put on the siding before gluing the house together, you can cover up the slots with siding, just be careful not to gum them up with glue or the tabs won't fit into them anymore. Also you don't want to do it this way if you have pieces that meet up because you will end up with a seam in your siding. One nice thing about siding is that it neatly covers up any seams in your kit pieces. It's okay for pieces that meet at an angle, but not if they meet up in the same plane.

Here's what I mean - the front of this house is made of two pieces that fit together with a horizontal seam:

puzzlehouse_dryfit1.jpg

Applying the siding after the house was glued together allowed me to cover up the seam completely. If the siding had been glued onto the pieces before assembly it would have been harder to line everything up just right.

puzzlehouse_siding1.jpg

Personally I always do the siding after the house is together, I think it's easier to do it neatly this way and make sure pieces meet up where they should.

 

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8 hours ago, havanaholly said:

You will want not to cover up the slots & tabs.  If it were me (I prefer to use the strips if I'm going with clapboard) I would assemble the house and use my collection of bar clamps with scrapwood to hold the clapboard sheets flat to the house whilst the glue dries (like I do with the strips).

Oh, yes - I know I would have to be careful of the tabs & slots - the one's I'll be using, of course. Thank you for making sure to warn me - right neighborly of you! At any rate, my kit did not come with clapboard strips.

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3 hours ago, fov said:

If you put on the siding before gluing the house together, you can cover up the slots with siding, just be careful not to gum them up with glue or the tabs won't fit into them anymore. Also you don't want to do it this way if you have pieces that meet up because you will end up with a seam in your siding. One nice thing about siding is that it neatly covers up any seams in your kit pieces. It's okay for pieces that meet at an angle, but not if they meet up in the same plane.

Here's what I mean - the front of this house is made of two pieces that fit together with a horizontal seam:

puzzlehouse_dryfit1.jpg

Applying the siding after the house was glued together allowed me to cover up the seam completely. If the siding had been glued onto the pieces before assembly it would have been harder to line everything up just right.

puzzlehouse_siding1.jpg

Personally I always do the siding after the house is together, I think it's easier to do it neatly this way and make sure pieces meet up where they should.

 

Oh, absolutely, that made perfect sense. Yes - I was not going to glue up the slots - I suppose I didn't make the clear! (Silly me)

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2 minutes ago, Susan18 said:

Oh, absolutely, that made perfect sense. Yes - I was not going to glue up the slots - I suppose I didn't make the clear! (Silly me)

Sometimes that happens, even when you are aware of the potential.

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22 hours ago, Sable said:

I live in a humid environment so I use Liquid Nails. Any water based glue will warp the siding. 

I don't have humidity issues, but I'm going to do all I can to prevent the warping-bought clamps today and I have tape! Thanks!

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22 hours ago, rbytsdy said:

As Emily said, clamp well if you're going to use wood glue-- here's what happened when I used wood glue for siding (and I live in a pretty dry climate, and I used alot of masking tape too):

blogentry-928-0-37836600-1367714421.jpg

 

Yikes, thanks. This is worrisome!

 

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6 hours ago, fov said:

If you put on the siding before gluing the house together, you can cover up the slots with siding, just be careful not to gum them up with glue or the tabs won't fit into them anymore. Also you don't want to do it this way if you have pieces that meet up because you will end up with a seam in your siding. One nice thing about siding is that it neatly covers up any seams in your kit pieces. It's okay for pieces that meet at an angle, but not if they meet up in the same plane.

Here's what I mean - the front of this house is made of two pieces that fit together with a horizontal seam:

puzzlehouse_dryfit1.jpg

Applying the siding after the house was glued together allowed me to cover up the seam completely. If the siding had been glued onto the pieces before assembly it would have been harder to line everything up just right.

puzzlehouse_siding1.jpg

Personally I always do the siding after the house is together, I think it's easier to do it neatly this way and make sure pieces meet up where they should.

 

My house was already assembled, so I had no choice but to apply the clapboard after assembly. So far, it's going well. I'm going to cut out the windows and doors before I glue-I am more comfortable with this since making mistakes after I glue, terrifies me!

 

 

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18 hours ago, Susan18 said:

I am planning to glue on my clapboard pieces (I have the premade "slabs" of them) onto the walls before they go together. It just seems to me to make the most sense, because I can put weights on them without stressing the structure of the house. Or is that impossible?

Yes, this makes perfect sense! And I feel most comfortable with this method. Thanks for the back-up!

 

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rbytsdy are those siding strips, or the clapboard sheets? With the sheets I've found you only really need to worry about the top and bottom edges. (I only tried using strips once and they curled so much I ripped them all off!)

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2 hours ago, fov said:

rbytsdy are those siding strips, or the clapboard sheets? With the sheets I've found you only really need to worry about the top and bottom edges. (I only tried using strips once and they curled so much I ripped them all off!)

Siding strips like these. They do take some mighty mask-taping! (And I only use Aleene's quick grab for them now.)

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I've only ever used the siding strips and put them on with wood glue.  Some of them curled a bit, but when the glue dried they flattened right out again.  The reason I finish my houses with stucco or brick or stone is that, while I can shingle all day long, laying clapboard bores me stupid.

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