1/8" Plywood Kits!

[heidiiiii]

When I tackle punching out die cut kit pieces.....

I get a nice cool drink with ice..

I put something good on the tv..

I set up my tv table in front of the couch..

and I arm myself with sandpaper and a sharp X-acto knife..

Then I set to my work. You have to sometimes score the lines with the knife to make it easier..

It takes a bit longer but it is soooo worth it in the end..

You can fix those pieces that broke and no one will be able to tell the difference.

[grynche]

I was ready to reduce a couple of sheets of my Buttercup to kindling because I could not not not get the pieces to pop out. I padded the ends of my needlenose pliers with tape and used the pliers for extra leverage along the edges of the stuck pieces and that worked like a charm. The gingerbread trim came out perfectly, all the little trim bits as well.

[whippet-gal]

I like both - my Grosvenor Hall is MDF. It cost a lot (from DHE, in a sale) but the standard, & amount, of trim is exceptional, so I think it was worth the money. The shell went together so quickly & the whole thing could have been put together in a couple of weeks (I think I'm in my fourth year, cough, cough).

With the plywood kits I love the designs & really enjoy the challenge of building them. To create something beautiful, from a stack of plywood, is a work of art :welcome:

Jackie

[Esther]

I have quite a few of Greenleaf's diecut kits and some of RGT and Dura-Craft's MDF kits. I love the detail you get with Greenleaf's kits enough to put up with a few splinters (ok, more than "a few"). I do like to do a MDF kit once in a while (like now), to give me a break from the sanding and splinters, but when they're finished, they're so much HEAVIER to move or carry! I'll stick with the splinters and sanding...which is a good thing, since most of the dollhouse kits I have in boxes are Greenleaf and diecut.

[ilovecats]

It's both amazing and dismaying how quickly so many can jump on a bandwagon or up on a soapbox. I've bought and sold more Greenleaf kits than most on this forum could ever dream of. I like Greenleaft. I like most of their home designs. MY POINT WAS they should check the QUALITY of their plywood BEFORE using it to make a kit, would save many people a lot of needless frustraion. So while the title of the thread might be 'swearing off' perhaps 'swearing *&^%$#@ at' would be more apt!

I have noticed that you are very touchy and defense in many of your posts, which is why i don't usually respond to you, or even read your posts anymore. Whether you intend to come across that way, I don't know, it just may be your personality and you aren't aware of it. But just know that you do come across that way when you post, so people may respond to that. Maybe being aware of what you post before you post it may be the order of the day instead of defending your meaning after the fact. You would be alot less frustrated that way. :welcome:

[uppitycats]

It's both amazing and dismaying how quickly so many can jump on a bandwagon or up on a soapbox. I've bought and sold more Greenleaf kits than most on this forum could ever dream of. I like Greenleaft. I like most of their home designs. MY POINT WAS they should check the QUALITY of their plywood BEFORE using it to make a kit, would save many people a lot of needless frustraion. So while the title of the thread might be 'swearing off' perhaps 'swearing *&^%$#@ at' would be more apt!

Many of the Greenleaf houses are no longer being manufactured by Greenleaf, and folks are buying OLD kits on eBay (and elsewhere), so the kits are old, the wood is brittle. Sometimes it's been badly treated (the box on end, the boards warped, etc.). So some of the frustration comes -- not from NEW kits from Greenleaf, but OLD kits that have been badly treated.

Also, at least in my experience with Greenleaf -- they'll replace sheets. I'd bought my Garfield from Overstock -- not Greenleaf -- found one sheet that was impossible to cut properly (something to do with the wood fill), and Greenleaf replaced it -- for free, and quickly.

So in my view the issue is not Greenleaf's quality, as much as style of the houses, the method of construction, the "character" of the houses when completed. Many of the mdf houses look "clunky" to me. I know you consider yourself an expert and have already stated that the mdf houses "are more to scale", but they just don't look that way to me. And many folks here have noted that indeed the mdf houses are much harder to "bash", requiring more expertise and power tools than many of care to learn to use, or own.

[Petite Crafter]

Personally, I think all kits have their good, and their bad, components. Alot of it comes down to personal choice, as far as the style you want, the ease of building you want, authencity you want, and the decorating features you want.

Plywood is plywood. It will splinter when cut, no matter if it is a die-cut piece or cut on a table saw from a 3/4" piece. It is the nature of the plywood. If you seal the surfaces, score the lines with a sharp X-acto, you should have a nice piece of wood to work with.

Elmers makes a wonderful product they call wood puttyfor fine furniture. I love using it because it goes on so easily, smoothly, covers with a thin coat, sands beautifully, and takes finishes nicely. That takes care of any rough edges after some sanding.

I have no experience with mdf kits yet - I recently purchased my first from a thrift shop. But, I know just from the box, it is going to be a very heavy house.

I love the GreenLeaf kits, but that's my personal choice. I don't yet know about the rgt kit - I'll find out though! But, I do agree that the mdf, and other non-GreenLeaf kits are over-priced, and since being made of cheap mdf now, their prices should be coming down, but don't seem to be.

[birdmom]

I have to say yes to the part about non-greenleaf kits and overpricing. Greenleaf has great prices. My husband was looking at my HBS catalog and saw one RGT he kind of liked. He was surprised when he saw the price because it wasn't a huge house. He was like- isn't this MORE than the Garfield for a much smaller house...... :welcome:

[Minis On The Edge]

It had nothing to do with not being careful or a lack of style or grace. MDF board is quite bashable and in fact more realistic proportionately to the thickness of walls in a real house.

If you get out the ruler you'll see that the thick wood & MDF are NOT true to 1" scale not even the 1/2" walls are the true thickness in those kits . They are bashable if you use power tools which most people don't on average (Even I finally have moved up to a dremel but not for MANY years).

Tiffanie, stick with it. You'll love the end results.

Another tidbit some people may not know, Even MDF warp :welcome: I have a kit that I have had for 2 years that I am gonna build for a customer. 2 walls are warped. Now my question is, how do you UN warp MDF that thick?

[Minis On The Edge]

It's both amazing and dismaying how quickly so many can jump on a bandwagon or up on a soapbox. I've bought and sold more Greenleaf kits than most on this forum could ever dream of. I like Greenleaft. I like most of their home designs. MY POINT WAS they should check the QUALITY of their plywood BEFORE using it to make a kit, would save many people a lot of needless frustraion. So while the title of the thread might be 'swearing off' perhaps 'swearing *&^%$#@ at' would be more apt!

It's also unfair to say that Greenleaf are not checking the quaility of the kits. When you ship wood which is a Pourus item, it absorbs humidity as it is being shipped (or being stored in someones basement or attic or closet). Even when you lay REAL wood floors in your house, you are supposed to have those floors sit ideally for up to three weeks in the environment that you are going to install them because of the fact that it needs to be used to the climate it is being laid in (Wood expands and retract depending on humidity).

When the kits are going from climate to climate and being stored in many different temperatures other than the enviornment at the greenleaf factory, there is bound to be some sheets that are gonna look different from time to time than they were when they were first boxed. To say they are not checking the quality of the wood is just mindblowing to me. They would not have been in business this long if they were that careless. That's my honest opinion. This is spoken from a person who has sold & built MANY kits in my 13 years in business :welcome: .

[More Minis Dollhouses]

If you get out the ruler you'll see that the thick wood & MDF are NOT true to 1" scale not even the 1/2" walls are the true thickness in those kits . They are bashable if you use power tools which most people don't on average (Even I finally have moved up to a dremel but not for MANY years).

Tiffanie, stick with it. You'll love the end results.

Another tidbit some people may not know, Even MDF warp :welcome: I have a kit that I have had for 2 years that I am gonna build for a customer. 2 walls are warped. Now my question is, how do you UN warp MDF that thick?

Thats a good point Tracy. MDF does warp and its almost near to impossible to get it unwarped. On my Sterling, the hinged panel that opens in the front, warped. Now there is a small gap on one side of the door when its closed. Its so annoying to look at but theres nothing I can do about it. I looked into it a little and the only way I can really fix it is by taking the entire door off and hinging it again a certain way that hides the warp. These same instructions for possibly warped wood on panel doors were given on my Strawberry Patch house but thankfully that one never warped. I dont plan to unhinge and try to fix it because its so hard to work with MDF that its not worth it. I know for sure my hinges will be destroyed if I attempt it.

[More Minis Dollhouses]

It's both amazing and dismaying how quickly so many can jump on a bandwagon or up on a soapbox. I've bought and sold more Greenleaf kits than most on this forum could ever dream of. I like Greenleaft. I like most of their home designs. MY POINT WAS they should check the QUALITY of their plywood BEFORE using it to make a kit, would save many people a lot of needless frustraion. So while the title of the thread might be 'swearing off' perhaps 'swearing *&^%$#@ at' would be more apt!

Friendly, I understood what your point was, my reply was just to share my experiences with MDF in general for the people that havent worked with it before. In reality both type of kits have their positives.

[corispice]

Sorry to chime in here, as I've only built one house -- which was MDF... but I am almost looking forward to building something out of lighter material...

WHY? because of wiring! Wiring MDF is a pain! I talked to the lady who owns the local dh store, and she agreed about the huge amount of expletives that trying to get those eyelets into the wood cause one to scream!

However, though you all have such lovely diecut houses, and they look supurb, I don't think my house looks like a toy at all. I agree that it seems like both houses have their pros and cons. I'm glad I started with MDF, Ihave an idea of how it all works now, and next time I'll be able to do whichever type of house with hopefully more ease! And if I choose a non RGT house, hopefully it won't weigh 60+ pounds!

Everyone has interesting points, though!

[Just One More]

When I complained on the forum about my recent Willow pieces being beyond salvaging, few even answered my posts for awhile. I was really upset. The only thing usable was the main pieces, walls, floors roof and surprisingly, the stairs. I called customer service and everything was taken care of. If a kit has problems over and above sanding and a little spackle and wood filler as this one had, customer service will take care of it. Sometimes you just get a bad kit, I don't know why. I agree GL houses have more interesting floor plans and are more affordable. The sanding is a pain and I usually say never again with each house but now that I know GL really stands behind their products, I'll keep building them. :welcome:

[Cricket]

There are pros and cons to just about everything, and I think no matter what there's going to be some frustration when the cons pop up. Nothing worth doing is gauranteed to be simple. :welcome:

As far as die-cut vs. MFD.. it's personal preference. Some will like working with one over the other, nothing wrong with that... In the end, you can still come out with a beautiful piece.

[Anna]

When I complained on the forum about my recent Willow pieces being beyond salvaging, few even answered my posts for awhile. I was really upset. The only thing usable was the main pieces, walls, floors roof and surprisingly, the stairs. I called customer service and everything was taken care of. If a kit has problems over and above sanding and a little spackle and wood filler as this one had, customer service will take care of it. Sometimes you just get a bad kit, I don't know why. I agree GL houses have more interesting floor plans and are more affordable. The sanding is a pain and I usually say never again with each house but now that I know GL really stands behind their products, I'll keep building them. :welcome:

Sorr you felt "left" out with not much response! I haven't made a willow myself but I know that at times the "never again" becomes a sort og good mantra for a while which will help you through the ups and downs with whatever that is causing you the troubles but when you look back at it the finished house/kit etc you have made despite it being a nuisance you can really be proud of what you have accomplished and somehow the "never again" part dissolves into thin air and you start dreaming up new projects.... A great customer support is a wonderful help in the build and that I know GL has in abundance! (like sending the replacement shingles way over to me and I had it around 4-5 days later)

Hugs

[Jokelly]

I've made both MDF and die-cut. Both have their advantages and disadvantages. I like the ease that MDF kits provide putting together, but the die-cut kits are light-weight, have lots of details and easier to bash like many here have stated. I love my Dura-craft Newport Cape, which is MDF, but it's soooo heavy. My RGT lighthouse is massive in weight, also, but I love it. I guess for me it depends on the kit. If I fall in love with it, like in the case of the lighthouse, I don't care what it's made of.

If you want a challange, built the Dura-craft Shenandoah (the pine version, not MDF). All those pine strips are a bear to line up and glue. Then getting the walls alligned and assembled brings out a colorful vocabulary for your lips. It was my most difficult kit so far, but I think it's also my favorite. But then they're all my favorites.

[Wolfie]

I wish to apologize for my unwarranted remarks about RGT dollhouses. They do have some beautiful homes and they are not for children. I was under an awful lot of stress yesterday and I should not have said what I did. I hope you guys forgive me.

Wolfie

[Minis On The Edge]

You know we love you and we know you love us too :welcome: No harm done. You are so sweet to apologize.

[ilovecats]

I wish to apologize for my unwarranted remarks about RGT dollhouses. They do have some beautiful homes and they are not for children. I was under an awful lot of stress yesterday and I should not have said what I did. I hope you guys forgive me.

Wolfie

Big hug My RGT houses forgive you B) :welcome:

[Hallowell]

Big hugs to Gina I love the Greenleaf and Corona kits, but I also love the thickness of the walls of RGT and other kit makers. What I do to compensate for wall thickness is cover the inside walls of my greenleaf kits with foamcore, it creates a wonderful smooth surface and you can wallpaper these panels and install them after the house is built. I love Greenleaf and any other company that cares enough to produce these little houses for our enjoyment. B) Big hugs to everyone out there. :welcome:

[Elsbeth]

In the end, I prefer the lightweight greenleaf/die cut houses - I like how easily they move (I'm always amazed that the box arrives and is sooo freakin' heavy and later on I'm practically twirling a built Glencroft around on my index finger like a globetrotter) via one person (no need to call my husband in to help me move it - which only serves to remind everyone that I have too many houses).

ANYWAY...

what i love MORE than either 1/8th or MDF kits is...

buying someone else's dollhouse. Usually a house that that belonged to a collector, which for some reason, their family is selling.

I LOVE finding, inheriting, stumbling upon, and/or rescuing other people's houses. Often loaded with extras.

Less sanding involved, more decorating and more delight in seeing their polished floors, their working doors, and all the little touches that someone puts into the house. After building some kits, I truly appreciate all the work that goes into these finished houses.

I must say - when I see a greenleaf/die cut house for a bargain price on craigslist, I am even more delighted because

a)I know I will be able to carry it myself,

B)I appreciate how difficult they are to put together, so I love it when someone else does it

and

c)they have very charming architectural details I can't seem to find in the heavier kit houses.

With that said, I DO have plans to build the McKinley and the Willow.

Unless I see them on craigslist...ha!!

I like this discussion - and I'm glad we had it.

[Missymew]

I was ready to reduce a couple of sheets of my Buttercup to kindling because I could not not not get the pieces to pop out. I padded the ends of my needlenose pliers with tape and used the pliers for extra leverage along the edges of the stuck pieces and that worked like a charm. The gingerbread trim came out perfectly, all the little trim bits as well.

Great tip idea! Thank you. I know that one day I'll run into a kit where the pieces won't pop out so easily for me.

-Susanne

[Hallowell]

I'm like you Jenn, I love to refurbish the old houses and give them new life.

[Kitten]

Thanks everyone for your input!

I didn't intend for this to become a heated debate, but I did learn a lot reading through the responses.

I worked some on the Magnolia today, and had a easier time with the non-trim/window casing pieces. I've glued the ones that came apart and once they dry I will see if they need spackle. If so I'll apply it and see what happens.

I will say that Greenleaf has wonderful customer service, because I received a very nice message from Dean (thanks again, Dean) regarding this issue. So that made me feel a lot less frustrated.

Anywho, I'll be posting pictures this weekend of my progress on the Magnolia. I'm making it a very cozy French Country cottage and have some wonderful plans for it.