KatFord Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I tried to find the answer to this question, but despite the many topics on electricity, I couldn't find the answer to this question. Either I'm not using the right keywords, or I just missed it. I think I read somewhere that you should use false walls, ceiling, and floors so if a light quits working you can replace the tape. This seems like a lot of work, and I'm not sure it would look right. I'm ready to start planning the electric but not sure if I should do this step or not. I would be interested to hear how others have done this step. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 I wallpapered onto cardstock templates and it helped.....https://livingtheminiaturelife.blogspot.com/2018/05/two-steps-forward-one-step-back.html I also used a solid piece of 1/32 birch scored to look like planks. It slides under the floor boards and is only tacked down with a few spots of glue. I haven't had to pull it out yet, so I don't know how successful it will be. Electrical is a real pain in the rear when something goes wrong. Mostly I just give up when a light stops working for no apparent reason. If I check the bulb etc...... I think false walls are good ideas...... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 28, 2019 Share Posted August 28, 2019 Some folks make templates of their walls from cardstock and paint or paper them and slide then between the baseboards and cornices to cover the wires. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatFord Posted August 28, 2019 Author Share Posted August 28, 2019 Thank you both. I'm thinking about doing a stucco interior. I'm not sure how that would work. I'll play around with some mat board and see how that looks. Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 I use the “floor method” for my houses. I’ll post the YouTube later. All of my tapewire is on the floor and/or under the baseboards. The ceiling lights have access to the tapewire from the floor above. My outlets are under the baseboards. However, I make sure that the floors will slide out if necessary and the baseboards are lightly glued with small dots. The most important thing is to apply shipping tape to every connection so that the EYELETS not BRADS can never move or corrode in a salty/humid environment. I don’t use false walls unless I plan on changing out the wallpaper regularly (like for a seasonal house) 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 Best YouTube for tapewire. I call it the floor method. https://www.dollhousestrainsandmore.com/pages/how-to-videos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimothyHH Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 I've found that illustration board works best for wallpaper templates. It's pretty thin but it can take glue/paint/wallpaper with minimal to no warping or seeping through to the other side. If something goes wrong it's not as traumatizing to remove it as pulling wallpaper directly off the walls (and if you're really careful you might be able to re-use the template, but I haven't had to go there... yet). You can also sand illustration board to get a perfect fit. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shareb Posted August 29, 2019 Share Posted August 29, 2019 I've done both. I used the round wire for my Pierce and cut grooves into the floors and walls to 'hide' the wire. On my Apothecary I used the round wire from the lights and soldered them all onto tapewire on the bottom of the building. I ran all the wires down the inside walls and out the bottom except for the attic. I ran those wires down the back wall through a downpipe. I panelled all the walls so every single wall has card covering the wood. Worked exceptionally well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KatFord Posted August 30, 2019 Author Share Posted August 30, 2019 Thanks for all the options! I'm not wallpapering, I'm planning on doing stucco. I'm toying with the floor method, Sable mentioned. I think that might work best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
miniaddicted Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 I usually use the floor method, but you generally have to run the tapewire up a wall to get to the 2nd floor, so there's that. And planning so that you can slide out the floor is key with this method, as @Sable says. Funny, over the years I forget what a pain it is not to be able to troubleshoot the wiring, and I'm now cursing my efforts to glue the baseboards in which apparently I thought my mini residents would need. Removing glued baseboards from wallpaper tends to make me spit out words that normally I only think! As for stucco, I have done that too, and honestly I haven't attempted yet to put in an outlet in those walls. I should back up and say that actually I do both the floor and just above baseboard...and those are what I have, in the past, put 'outlets' in, for lamps etc. I dunno why I do this extra, but its what I've done in my houses and to tell you the truth, as I look back, that part, just above the baseboard, has caused me more headaches. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted August 30, 2019 Share Posted August 30, 2019 I put the outlets in the baseboard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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