Hi there, virgin dollhouse maker here!

[Libby Clough]

Hi everyone,

I have just started my very first dollhouse for my two daughters.  It is the Fairfield Dollhouse 1/2 size. I'm so excited that I want to rush in and I know I need to be more patient!  

A question I have is that I have read people use hot guns to glue the wooden pieces together but others use Aleene's tacky glue. Which one is better? It seems I'm making a bit of a mess with the glue gun... so I'm wondering if tacky glue is smoother and easier to manage?

Thanks for your advice!

Libby

[KathieB]

Do not use hot glue.  Aside from being messy, it will deteriorate over time and your house will disintegrate. 

Airleen's Tacky Glue will work. Even better is a good wood glue, like Elmer's or Titebond to glue raw wood to raw wood. 

[havanaholly]

Welcome to the little family, Libby.  I built two Farifields at the same time, one of them inside out, and made them halves of a Bar Harbor summer cottage.  A heat gun is a wonderful way to get rid of hot glue (a hair dryer will also do the job) and a putty knife or old table knife (think thrift store) will scrape it off.  I hope you haven't already attached the windows, though; I always prep and finish the window and door trims whilst I'm decorating the house and attach them last.  If your daughters are very young you might want to leave off the windows and doors until they are older.

[Bluestocking]

Clamps are your friends!  I always kind of rolled my eyes at how many clamps my husband has, from tiny clothes-pin-like spring ones to huge pipe clamps that I can barely lift, but after putting a few furniture kits and a roombox together, I am now a believer.  The best thing about hot glue is how quickly it sets, and you do NOT get that with carpenter's glue, which is where the clamps come in so very handy, as you need to let the glue dry overnight or the equivalent.  Your life will also be a lot easier with a jig of some kind, bought or home-made, to help keep the angles straight -- my husband made one for me out of leftover pieces of laminated shelving, so that accidental glue drips don't stick to it.

https://www.micromark.com/Miniature-Spring-Clamps-3-4-Inch-Capacity-Set-of-6

These are one of my favorites, as it works for all but the larger 1:12 situations --

https://www.grizzly.com/products/Jorgensen-E-Z-Hold-8-Hobby-Craft-Bar-Clamp/T26950

And this is on my wish list! --

https://www.micromark.com/Magnetic-Gluing-Jig-10-1-4-Inch-Square

 

 

[KathieB]

1 hour ago, Bluestocking said:

Your life will also be a lot easier with a jig of some kind, bought or home-made, to help keep the angles straight

Leggos are useful for forming right angles in corners and keeping walls vertical.

[havanaholly]

I have a magnetic gluing jig; our disabled/ differently abled son's hobby is building animated sci-fi models from Legos.  The first thing the hubs told me when I began my first solo dollhouse build:  "You can't have too many clamps"; in addition to the clamps I use a heavy-duty stapler and steel staples to hold sides of the house together whilst the wood glue dries.

[Libby Clough]

Thank you all, this has been such useful information. I will definitely buy clamps and they're young enough that we have a mountain of lego!

[jbnmini]

Hi LIbby!   And welcome to our mini family! 

[mesp2k]

Hey Libby