Emmyloowho Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 So I bought a new (old) dollhouse today! It obviously sat in someone's attic for YEARS, and I decided to show it some love! Most of the pieces are still in the box - I think I may be missing a few triangular shapes, but nothing my file can't whip up. So the serious questions: I have never built a dollhouse (although I've wanted to my whole life!), and I don't know where to start. It's a rather large house, and my son is already talking about wiring it! I read something about dry fitting, and something else about priming...what are the absolutely necessary things to do to built the best (and sturdiest) dollhouse? I should mention, I have 3 kids under 7, so it will get played with. And in what steps do I do these things? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Soapz Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 Welcome to the mini-madness......... Dry fitting: A lot of us tend to assemble the house - without glue - to see if the parts fit well together and to see if the kit is complete. Painter's tape holds it well enough for this purpose. It also helps to figure out if there are hard to get to places which helps with wallpapering and such. Priming: Some do - some don't. Those who do, do it mainly because it makes wallpaper go on more smoothly, it allows for some wiggle room (aka - moving the wallpaper on the part) and it can show you flaws in the wood that might come through on the paper, ruining the look. Often a bit of wood filler takes care of these flaws. I've built MDF kits for kids before - they tend to be more sturdy than plywood kits. Difference being: MDF = 1/4 inch walls - Plywood= 1/8 walls. Gotta run to work now, so I hope this helps a bit Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 23 minutes ago, Soapz said: Priming: Some do - some don't. Those who do, do it mainly because it makes wallpaper go on more smoothly, I prime because there are natural chemical elements in the wood that will, over time, leach out into the wallpaper, appearing as brown spots. Priming seals the surface, so there is no leaching. The wallpaper stays pretty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 10 hours ago, Emmyloowho said: So I bought a new (old) dollhouse today! It obviously sat in someone's attic for YEARS, and I decided to show it some love! Most of the pieces are still in the box - I think I may be missing a few triangular shapes, but nothing my file can't whip up. So the serious questions: I have never built a dollhouse (although I've wanted to my whole life!), and I don't know where to start. It's a rather large house, and my son is already talking about wiring it! I read something about dry fitting, and something else about priming...what are the absolutely necessary things to do to built the best (and sturdiest) dollhouse? I should mention, I have 3 kids under 7, so it will get played with. And in what steps do I do these things? Inch by inch it's a cinch, but by the yard it's hard. If you have the kit's instructions, give them a read over and then check your kit's contents against the schematics sheet/s to see what parts are missing that you will need to make. Dry fitting helps us to understand the instructions, and sometimes it works better for an individual builder to work out of order or in a slightly different way. The house usually begins to tell you what it wants and how it wants to look during the dry fit. It also shows you which areas you will want to decorate before committing to glue and which can wait. I usually decorate as I build, some people build first and then decorate. Dry fitting gives you the leisure to decide what to prime and what to stain (you can paint over stain, but staining over paint just doesn't work). I often do my floor and ceiling treatments before I glue them in, but I don't electrify. If little children will be playing with the house I suggest just prime the interior and exterior with a flat white interior latex paint and sand the door and window openings. When they are older you can go back and clean off the stickers and crayon and magic marker and reprime where necessary, electrify, paint or wallpaper to your heart's content, add the stairs, windows and doors and enjoy the house yourself. Either that, or build and finish the house as it wants and keep it for YOU to play with and get the little ones their own Melissa and Doug dollhouse. Sometimes there are flaws in the wood that sanding won't take care of. Spackle or drywall mud or joint compound spread over the surface in a thin, even layer and carefully sanded when dry will give a lovely smooth, flat surface for painting or wallpapering. Architectural fancy trims and details can be added using matboard or other sturdy card, since it's going to get painted anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 What Holly said ... but I'd prime with a satin finish paint rather than flat. It's easier to clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparklepuppies Posted July 6, 2018 Share Posted July 6, 2018 I did a rehab of this house a few years back. Very pretty house. I don't recall there being any places that I couldn't reach to wallpaper, but as you do a dry fit (definitely do a dryfit!) you will see which places may to easier to do before hand. This is an L shaped house, so I'm thinking particularly of the walls that face "backwards". Have fun! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Emmyloowho Posted July 9, 2018 Author Share Posted July 9, 2018 Thank y'all so much! So the biggest thing I've noticed so far (just assembling the first 3 floors per instructions) is that there are pieces that are SUPPOSED to fit, but don't fit as well. Like, there are gaps on one side of the piece, but the other side fits snugly. I feel like maybe sanding down isn't necessarily the answer, mostly because I'm worried that I'll sand down too much. Does wood putty or something else make up for these gaps? Or would I be better off getting a piece of wood and having my father-in-law just cut out a piece that fits properly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted July 9, 2018 Share Posted July 9, 2018 39 minutes ago, Emmyloowho said: Like, there are gaps on one side of the piece, but the other side fits snugly. Check to be sure the piece is in the correct orientation. A piece flipped or reversed can throw off adjacent pieces. Ummm ... don't ask me how I know this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted July 10, 2018 Share Posted July 10, 2018 2 hours ago, Emmyloowho said: Thank y'all so much! So the biggest thing I've noticed so far (just assembling the first 3 floors per instructions) is that there are pieces that are SUPPOSED to fit, but don't fit as well. Like, there are gaps on one side of the piece, but the other side fits snugly. I feel like maybe sanding down isn't necessarily the answer, mostly because I'm worried that I'll sand down too much. Does wood putty or something else make up for these gaps? Or would I be better off getting a piece of wood and having my father-in-law just cut out a piece that fits properly? One of the reasons I like to dry fit all the parts of a kit before committing to glue is to make sure I have everything fit, and that all the pieces are going the way they should (I share KathieB's experience in this area). Sometimes, even when everything is going the way it's supposed to and everything dry fits just fine, when it's glued gaps might appear (again, I have first-hand knowledge that this is so). My filler of choice is spackling compound, but joint compound or drywall mud will do the job just as well. They certainly are easier (for me) to use and sand far better when dry than wood putty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Irene bouchard Posted December 28, 2018 Share Posted December 28, 2018 Does anyone have the instructions for Nob hill Victorian dollhouse #689 by skilcraft? I bought the kit but the first page is so worn that I cannot read the first 14 instructions. Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gatokissez Posted January 17, 2021 Share Posted January 17, 2021 Does anyone have the instructions and/or schematics for Nob Hill Victorian dollhouse #689 by Skilcraft? I just bought an assembled one and am rehabbing it, sure would help!! TYIA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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