nsmar4211 Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Hi everyone! Newbie to this forum here. I'm looking for some help with a dollhouse I rescued from a trash pile. It needs regluing in a bunch of areas, structural damage, missing accesories, missing shingles, etcetc. Someone obviously cared about it at one point, someone else took it over and did some horrible DIY stuff (cement + aquarium rocks for a deco on the outiside and part of the chimney, popsicle stick porch that molded....), and then a kid scribbled all over it. First, I'm curious if anyone knows the model of it, it's a slot and tab construction, pictures attached. I removed what was left of the wallpapering (bugs/heat/humidity/crayon/etc had done it in and someone had already pulled half of it off), as well as the "carpets" as they smelled horrible (think pee and mold). I used white vinegar diluted 50% with water to remove what was left of the paper, which on some walls worked great but on others not so well. There's one room that's particularly horrible (two different floor overlays torn up) but that's another post. So my second question, is there anything besides vinegar to try? I'm worried about soaking it too much, one floor is already delaminated to start with and some of the areas have strips of laminating missing. I'm going to move up to full strength vinegar next but curious about other options. The diluted stuff turns the glue whitish yellow but takes a long time to soak and kept drying before I could scrape the glue residue off. I live in Florida so its rather toasty right now in the garage where I'm working on it. I haven't decided what I want to do with it......keep? try to sell?. I'm broke so extra money would be a nice thing but I'm not sure it's worth anything. I toyed with painitng it with a layer of kilz like I did to the handmade plywood dollhouse tat's in my room now, but kilz is really thick and I'm also concerned the glue will show through. I tried a light sanding but not sure that's a doable with how thin the wood is. Any advice appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsmar4211 Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 Two more pictures Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 The house appears to be an Artply Franklin http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?app=gallery&image=22317 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 (edited) Here is one possibility. It's not the exact right one but might head you in the right direction. This picture is a Duracraft and they had a lot of similar models back in the day. They are no longer in business. There are several folks on the forum who have access to old catalogs that can help you for sure. Just have to wait for them to log in and see your request. Oops: looks like someone posted at the same time as me. Good call. Edited August 30, 2014 by Selkie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 There was some recent discussion of wallpaper removal here http://www.greenleafdollhouses.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=28628&page=230#entry583597 you may want to go back some to get to the beginning Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 sue, that is one diamond in the rough. If different kinds of glue were used to apply the papers, flooring, etc, you'll have to try different ways to remove it. If you have glue globs, perhaps it was built with hot glue? A blow dryer or heat gun will remove the old glue, but unless you want to disassemble the house and rebuild it properly with carpenter's wood glue, and possibly melt windows and doors that are already there, I would only do that as a last resort, if you wanted to do a total rebuild/ rehab. It's too bad you don't want to keep it, because it has fine "bones" and could, with lots of work, be made into something really fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsmar4211 Posted August 30, 2014 Author Share Posted August 30, 2014 WOW! You guys are fast and awesome . Minime, looks like you nailed it-you get the hugest Thank You's I can do!!!!! I thought it looked familiar, I must've seen a picture online of it way back when. 20lbs? Hrm doesn't feel that heavy. I have that thread open in a new tab to peruse next!! Selkie-That was pretty darn close! You get the second group of thank you's! Amazing you guys could just find models like that . Havanaholly-I have to be honest and admit I have never owned a hair dryer . Only time I even ever used one was to dry off a guinea pig .... I'm not sure it's hot glue since the vinegar did turn it paler and tacky-does hot glue act like that? The shell was indeed put together with carpenter's glue, so it would make sense that's what they'd use on the wallpaper/flooring. I'm going to try full strength vinegar and see what it does *crosses fingers*. Garage will smell like a salad LOL. I asked my carpenter relative how to remove carpenter's glue, and he seconded the vinegar...suggested a razor blade but a) I value my fingertips and b)the shell is awfully thin. I was wondering if it was some sort of "other" type glue....relative said probably not because an epoxy wouldn't react and a white glue/wallpaper paste would've been a lot easier to remove.... will update after the full strength experiement. Note to self, find the gloves... Yea.....I am more and more seriously considering saving it. I only picked it up for the furniture that was still in it and told myself NO KEEPING. But I feel like someone somewhere cared about this thing....and it could be a fun (am I nuts) project. The bigger point is that it has more rooms than my current one , which is crowded (the attic "bedroom" is half piles o stuff ahaha). My dollhouse tastes runto the "sense of humour" style and this dollhouse is a little severe for that but then again, maybe not, maybe that's in my head based on the current condition. The biggest obstacles to keeping it are a)space and B) time. Space could be rectified by rehoming the current one but I just finsihed painting it threeeeee coats of Kilz and finally got the furniture back in it *sniffle*. Time, well, time just ticks along . Money of course is an issue but then again could I ever buy one like it for what I could maybe get out of it....probably not. Can some tell the proper etiqueete here for questions? Is it better to do a new thread for every individual question or is that board hogging? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Hi Pam, and :welcome: to the forum! One way to deal with rough walls is to smooth a skim coat of Spackle or joint compound on them. A light touch with sandpaper when it's fully dry and a thin coat of gesso to seal and you'll be set to finish with either wallpaper or paint. If you're having a problem with the diluted vinegar drying out, try applying a sponge soaked with the solution held in place for several minutes. It won't dry out as quickly as an application of liquid alone. Gravity will keep it in place on the floor; for the walls, hold it in place with canned goods or a clamp or whatever works. FYI, you can thin Kilz with water, but it won't smooth out the lumps and tracks made by the glue. It makes the most sense to keep all of the questions/comments regarding a particular house in a single thread. Much easier to find the info when someone comes searching on down the line or when you want to refer back to an earlier post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 I have had good luck removing softened carpenter's glue with a metal putty knife and a smallish hammer, gently used. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 Spraying Kilz will work wonders. I really agree with Joint Compounding and sanding all the walls. However, I live in South Florida and you want to be really sure the joint compound is dry before applying gesso or another primer. The humidity in my garage this time of year is pointless for drying anything. Bring items inside to dry, if you can. This helps avoid warping. Avoid water based glues on large surfaces, for example, applying siding. With our humidity use liquid nails for larger applications. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted August 30, 2014 Share Posted August 30, 2014 When all else fails, I use Xylene to remove old glue. This must be done outside and with gloves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsmar4211 Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 Worked on the walls/floors for an hour with straight vinegar. It does take the glue off..........slowly.....and I did not listen to myself and wear gloves. Well, I know what my hands will look like in 40 years now! Yea, here in South Florida the 80% humidity is year round. Dry? Dry? What's this dry you speak of? Except my grass LOL. So as I was chiseling this horrible flooring stuff off with a screw driver very very carefully, I got to thinking.......instead of killing myself getting the walls flat, I could just remove all the old paper (which the vinegar does) and then fake it. My first self built dollhouse , I had taken cardboard and trimmed it to size and sealed/wallpapered (with scrapbook paper) the card board...then I used double sided tape to hold it against the wall. That way as I changed my mind I just changed the cardboard....it would e rather tedious to do for 9 rooms but then again so is scraping glue off walls! I think I've read about people using foamboard for that too, but that's awfully thick (how do you hide the edges). Not to mention spackle and paint isnt cheap anymore . And the amount of spackle I'd need to use to flatten all the walls would double the weight of the poor thing LOL Somehow I have a feeling I'm going to end up keeping this one and rehoming the other one....... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Where are you in south Florida? Do you belong to a miniatures group? We may have an opening in our Boca Raton NAME group. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsmar4211 Posted August 31, 2014 Author Share Posted August 31, 2014 I'm up north of you, in Port St. Lucie. Not in a miniatures group, I'm afraid my finances and vehicle won't allow for any far away club memberships right now . Sounds like fun though! I remember doing a mini exchance for an online group...helped reaffirm I'm not the only crazy person out there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Selkie Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 I think Gina aka MoreMinis, is in PSL or surrounding vicinity. A trip to visit her would be priceless. Here is her building blog. It is a fantastic place to sift through info. You could use the Personal Messenger system here (upper right corner drop down menu has the selection or hover over a members name and select to PM them.) She also has a messaging contact system on her MoreMinis blog. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted August 31, 2014 Share Posted August 31, 2014 Isn't Alice Zinn also in Port St Lucie? I enjoy her work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsmar4211 Posted September 1, 2014 Author Share Posted September 1, 2014 Will contact both of them, might be able to find out more about a possible visit-Thank you! . Has anyone tried Goof Off for glue? Wondering if it'd soak into the wood and be impossible to get out.........the idea of removable walls is looking better and better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L Swearengin Posted September 1, 2014 Share Posted September 1, 2014 WHY would anyone throw away such a beauty? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muriel Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 Yup, definitely have to keep it! It is a wonderful house, lovely big rooms and enough of them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CheckMouse Posted September 2, 2014 Share Posted September 2, 2014 What a treasure, Sue. Glad you rescued it And welcome to the Forum :welcome: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsmar4211 Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 LOL Looks like it's mine now. Well, I'm letting it dry for a few days while I figure out the next step. Still need to the the floor off two more rooms, one I think maybe hopeless without destroying the shell but the other is just slow and tedious. And straight vinegar makes you smell yummy...... Then I'll be asking more advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Sue, the Laurel I rehabbed had little ceramic tiles glued to part of one of the floors and when DH & I got done getting them off the floor was ful of gouges. I spackled over them, sanded it all smooth and did the downstairs floors with the Greenleaf self adhesive floor tiles and floorboards; I also recycled the surviving ceramic tiles... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nsmar4211 Posted September 3, 2014 Author Share Posted September 3, 2014 Holly, WOW.......when I get more time I"m looking at more pictures from that project! . Wish these were ceramic but they're wood tiles that splinter apart and take up the top layer LOL. What type of spackle did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Holly, WOW.......when I get more time I"m looking at more pictures from that project! . Wish these were ceramic but they're wood tiles that splinter apart and take up the top layer LOL. What type of spackle did you use? Dap lightweight vinyl spackle in the little red, white and black tub. Learning KathieB's trick, I lay a small piece of waxed paper or plastic bag over the top before I hammer the lid back on; keeps the stuff fresher for longer. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted September 3, 2014 Share Posted September 3, 2014 Dap lightweight vinyl spackle in the little red, white and black tub. Learning KathieB's trick, I lay a small piece of waxed paper or plastic bag over the top before I hammer the lid back on; keeps the stuff fresher for longer. To clarify, press the plastic or waxed paper down on the surface of the product, not just over the top of the container. The idea is to keep air (and microbes) away from the surface, where they love to flourish in icky black & green colonies. The same trick works to keep ice crystals from forming on the top of leftover ice cream when it's returned to the freezer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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