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1st Dollhouse - Christmas Gift for Daughter. . . .Need Help!!!


mgoklo

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Hello!

 

I am BRAND NEW to all of this, but I was more than thrilled when my daughter started asking for a dollhouse for Christmas months ago.  I don't know why I waited until now to do anything about it, but I just got the dollhouse and now. . . I need to get it ready.  I have it, it's all put together, just unfinished.  I want to have the outside painted and some of the inside done, possibly painted and/or wallpaper or flooring done.  The problem is, I am COMPLETELY clueless as to how to go about this.  YIKES!!!

 

I've been looking online everywhere and I'm starting to panic because I'm seeing SO many different ways of doing things.  I don't know anyone who has done this before so I thought I'd ask some experts.  ;)  Can anyone tell me how do I paint this thing??  Do I use latex paint or acrylic paint on the outside??  Same for the inside, what do I use??  I'm so confused!!  The only thing I got out of everything I found was to NOT use glossy paint unless I was putting that on the front door.  And, is this going to take forever??  Will I be able to get this done in time?  How long does stuff like this typically take?  I'm sorry for all the questions, I'm just so overwhelmed but need to start and don't know where to begin.

 

Thank you for ANY help you can give me!!!  I can't tell you how much I appreciate it!!  Have a great day, and THANK YOU!!!!  :)

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Welcome to the little family, Kelly.  It would have been better to join us back when you began to build the  kit, because we could have advised you to wait until you'd at least decorated the inside to install your windows & doors.  I prime with flat interior latex paint and I use the sample jars of interior latex paints from the hardware store to paint walls, trims and doors with, either flat or eggshell finish, rarely semi-gloss; gloss finish makes your dollhouse look like a toy.  Once you have the walls primed you can take your time painting or papering.  Give your daughter input; after all, it's going to be HER house; you can always build one for yourself later.

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Hi Kelly, welcome! How old is your daughter, and what dollhouse did you buy?

Time is short but as long as the house isn't too complicated, this is doable if you don't go overboard. Here's a dollhouse my parents and I gave my niece for Christmas when she was six: http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/?app=gallery&module=gallery&controller=browse&album=6088

I often use the sample tubs of Behr or Glidden paint that you can get at Home Depot for a few dollars, flat or eggshell. You can paint the interior walls or wallpaper them (scrapbook paper makes good wallpaper). For the Christmas house, my parents just used whatever leftover paint they had in the basement. (Some of it was semi-gloss but in my opinion it really doesn't matter for a child's dollhouse. Flat is actually more likely to get dinged up, so if it's going to be played with, flat might not be the best option.) For the floors, I think my dad stained them and applied a coat of polyurethane.

As Holly mentioned, if the windows haven't been installed yet it's easier to paint those separately before installation. If they are installed, put masking tape over the plastic when you paint them.

Shingling the roof is very time consuming, so I wouldn't do that if you want it finished in time for Christmas. Paint or stain the roof and you can shingle it later on if you want to.

 

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Kelly, welcome to the forum. No need to panic. Why don't you paint the outside of the house, including the roof. Shingling is time consuming. Sample colors from Walmart  and paint stores are usually an eggshell finish -- perfect. On the inside maybe stain the floors if you have time, and paint the ceilings white. Let your daughter help decide what colors will go on the walls. If she's very young, you may be surprised at her choices, but go with it. You can always paint or wallpaper over it as she gets older and wants to redecorate. :D  

If she's a bit older -- 6 or more -- you may want to give it to her unfinished on the outside as well and let her help with the paint choices and the actual painting. 

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Thank you all SO very very much for all the advice, I appreciate it SO MUCH!!!!  I now have a plan and I'm off to the store.  She has been talking for months about wanting a white dollhouse with black shutters and window boxes with flowers.  So, I do feel comfortable to at least get the outside painted.  And, excellent advice on the shingles, Emily!!  The woman I bought the dollhouse from told me the same thing.  Just paint the roof for now and the shingles could be a project my daughter and I could complete together.  :)  And, you're totally right about letting her help with the inside.  I don't need to rush this and have it all finished by Christmas.  She is going to LOVE helping decorate, I think I got so excited myself I just wanted to do everything all at once!!  Thank you for all the advice, I am so happy I came across this!!  

 

And, Emily, the house you and your parents gave your niece is absolutely ADORABLE!!!  What an incredible gift!!!  She must have flipped out, what a wonderful Christmas!!

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Kelly,, just a suggestion, but if you glue sheets of coarse sandpaper to sheets of construction paper, cut them into strips about 2" and cut the strips 1" apart and 1 3/4" up you will have strips of shingles that look like asbestos shingles.

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Part of the fun when I was young was getting things done room by room. My mom would decorate a room and surprise me - and I loved it. So don't stress the interior - it will be a nice project to do together. But doing the exterior would be a nice surprise for Christmas - good luck!

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