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New builder, New member, New confusion


Marshall

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Hello, 

First off, I'm THRILLED to find this forum.  I started building a house from scratch following a set of plans a few years ago.  The project got sidetracked until earlier this year, and now I have two daughters and decided I needed to make two houses. 

Brilliant plan, I know... 

Anyhow, I also decided that wouldn't be difficult enough for my first build, so I added electric to every room.  

Yesterday I added the siding my wife bought.  She's... "frugal"... 

 

She bought mdf 1:12 siding  instead of wood.  She has NO idea what these have cost so far to build, so I had to use the mdf. 

 

I'm very worried about not proceeding with paint correctly, and I've read so much I've confused myself even more. 

Can someone suggest a brand or type of sealer, and also type of paint that would work together? I'd be eternally grateful for any help. 

Edited by Marshall
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1 hour ago, Sable said:

Welcome. I use Kilz Primer on bare wood. An oil based primer is best to avoid warping. Then you can use any paint you want. A latex satin finish is easily cleaned. 

Thank you very much.  Just to clarify, the Kilz primer will work on the mdf as well?  Or do I need to seal that first to avoid warping and the dreaded fuzzies?

I was completely unaware of mdf issues until I read about them here.  Thanks again for the reply and welcome. 

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Primer basically is a sealer but if you want to seal with a shellac first you can. All sides must be sealed/primed. It’s the sanding after priming that is important to eliminate fuzzies. However, MDF should be sanded outside. I recommend a 45degree angled sponge sander for milled siding. This might help you:

http://www.painting-ideas-techniques.com/primingmdf.html

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Welcome to the little family, Michael.  A clear sanding sealer will also work if you don't find premixed shellac.  I personally prefer wood to mdf, but you work with what you have.  I agree it's a lovely house.

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Thank you all very much.  It's been a struggle trying to learn as I'm going, and this forum has been a lifesaver more times than I can count.  I've definitely caught the bug.  I already purchased a few books on making furniture and I started making my own window trim.  This is way too much fun. 

I'm going to pick up some Zinsser tomorrow and get going.  My kids are trying to figure out wallpaper patterns and choices with my wife, so I think I have some time to finish.  That sounds more difficult than building these two. 

Thanks again, it's very much appreciated! 

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5 hours ago, Marshall said:

trying to figure out wallpaper patterns and choices with my wife, so I think I have some time to finish.  That sounds more difficult than building these two.

I have a Beacon Hill that sat for months before I finally got some paint chips from Sherwin-Williams and used them to determine a color scheme for each room. THEN I went shopping for wallpaper. Do have your wife and girls consider using scrapbook paper as well as dollhouse wallpaper. Also, cotton fabric (think quilt store fat quarters) can be used as wall covering as well as wrapping paper, etc. 

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Grass placemats for wall coverings and floor treatments.  Do buy at least one extra sheet of scrapbook paper, just in case.  I have even used a colorful foil wine gift bag to paper a stairwell:  http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=view&id=3011  I left a comment with the picture to explain how the colors got selected; I learned the color wheel at a very early age, plus I sometimes hear colors.

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On 11/5/2018, 5:42:35, Marshall said:

 

Yesterday I added the siding my wife bought.  She's... "frugal"... 

 

Welcome Michael.  This made me genuinely chuckle.  There’s no turning back for you now.  I look forward to your progress. 

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On 11/6/2018, 5:56:24, Keifer said:

Michael.  This made me genuinely chuckle.  There’s no turning back for you now.  I look forward to your progress. 

On 11/6/2018, 5:56:24, Keifer said:

 

On 11/6/2018, 5:56:24, Keifer said:

 

I'm looking forward to some progress myself!  Glad I could give you a chuckle. 

If my wife had ANY idea on what the houses have cost so far, she'd probably spontaneously combust.  So far, any time she's asked "How much was that?" I've replied "About 20 bucks..." 

I have a side woodworking business we use for 'fun money', and it's been funding this project!

We do not share a frugal gene... 

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For my first large house including all the necessities like tools, paint, wallpaper paste, wood trim, flooring, glue....cost about $600 (that’s a lowball estimate). But then you have everything for the second house. Consider it a capital investment.

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Well, I apparently need to learn a lot more.  Just browsing the forums and tips tonight I created a nice list of things I never considered in my 'plan'. 

I have no foundation, and never thought of it until now. 

I need to figure out the roof trim and accents. 

There are no stairs leading to my top floors.  Oops. 

Those are just a few of the "Huh, I didn't think of that" moments I've had tonight.  Looks like I have some reading to do...

 

 

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4 hours ago, Marshall said:

Well, I apparently need to learn a lot more.  Just browsing the forums and tips tonight I created a nice list of things I never considered in my 'plan'. 

1) I have no foundation, and never thought of it until now. 

2) I need to figure out the roof trim and accents. 

3) There are no stairs leading to my top floors.  Oops. 

Those are just a few of the "Huh, I didn't think of that" moments I've had tonight.  Looks like I have some reading to do...

1) Some houses don't have foundations. That said, raising it up on a foundation gives you a nice space underneath to house wiring junctions if you intend to electrify.

2) The house will help nudge you in the right direction for trims, etc. That will depend on what period this house is. Victorian? Mid-century Modern? or whatever. Did you see any mention in the posts about houses talking to us? You'll know when it happens. 

3) You can always imagine that the stairs are in the back of the house, the part that you aren't building. A fair number of mini houses lack things like stairs, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. They are usually explained away as being in the unseen parts of the house, located out in the yard, and so on. I also have it on good authority that some mini people are capable of levitating, even passing through solid ceilings and walls. Consider who the inhabitants will be.

Don't start obsessing at this point or you will make yourself crazy. :) Get your girls on the Imagination Train, and you'll be guaranteed hours of fun.

And keep in mind my personal observation that what we do in miniature is, for the most part, smoke and mirrors. Getting it to look like real life is the deal. Trying to recreate real life can cause ulcers. Also keep in mind that there is no right way to build. Ask a question here and you will get several answers. They are probably all correct. Don't do too much reading. Choose what feels right to you and go for it!

Also keep in mind that it is not difficult to fix an experiment something that seemed like a good idea at the time but later turns out not to be quite what you had in mind.

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I have a short workbench frame the hubs made me years ago to build on, and there is no top.  I have an old RV dinette table tap I build on and if I want a base I cut a piece of 3/8" (or thicker) plywood to set the house on and landscape around it:

farmhouse front yard.JPG

Note:  I won't try doing another farmhouse in 1:12.

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4 hours ago, KathieB said:

1) Some houses don't have foundations. That said, raising it up on a foundation gives you a nice space underneath to house wiring junctions if you intend to electrify.

2) The house will help nudge you in the right direction for trims, etc. That will depend on what period this house is. Victorian? Mid-century Modern? or whatever. Did you see any mention in the posts about houses talking to us? You'll know when it happens. 

3) You can always imagine that the stairs are in the back of the house, the part that you aren't building. A fair number of mini houses lack things like stairs, kitchens, bathrooms, etc. They are usually explained away as being in the unseen parts of the house, located out in the yard, and so on. I also have it on good authority that some mini people are capable of levitating, even passing through solid ceilings and walls. Consider who the inhabitants will be.

Don't start obsessing at this point or you will make yourself crazy. :) Get your girls on the Imagination Train, and you'll be guaranteed hours of fun.

And keep in mind my personal observation that what we do in miniature is, for the most part, smoke and mirrors. Getting it to look like real life is the deal. Trying to recreate real life can cause ulcers. Also keep in mind that there is no right way to build. Ask a question here and you will get several answers. They are probably all correct. Don't do too much reading. Choose what feels right to you and go for it!

Also keep in mind that it is not difficult to fix an experiment something that seemed like a good idea at the time but later turns out not to be quite what you had in mind.

Thank you.  This makes me feel a lot more at ease.  I like the look of the foundation, now that I looked at examples, so I think I'll add one.  Of course I've already run the electric everywhere without it. Lol.  Next time I guess! 

I'll definitely hand over more choices to my daughters.  That makes all the sense in the world.  

So for now, I need my wife and kiddos to choose wall coverings, and I can build the foundations in the meantime.

The plan I used for a basis was a Victorian Dollhouse plan, but nobody is tied to one style or another.  One recently asked if there could be a superhero room. Lol.  They haven't been exposed to many dollhouse options so I'm taking them to a show this weekend to see what can be done. 

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3 hours ago, Marshall said:

The plan I used for a basis was a Victorian Dollhouse plan, but nobody is tied to one style or another.  One recently asked if there could be a superhero room. Lol

Of course there can be a superhero room! Nothing wrong with a modern family living in an older home that they have modernized. 

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