First time builder

[miss_maya]

I just won an auction for my first ever Dollhouse kit, and I'm officially squeaming to get started on it. I'm sure I'll have to wait a week or two, but I figured I would spend this time doing some research, asking questions, and learning from people who have experience.

One of my first questions, I guess, would be if I should glue everything together before painting the walls? The outside should obviously be done afterwards and it would seem easy to do, but what about the inside? I would imagine that painting ceiling corners in the room would be somewhat difficult.

Also, people keep referring to a "dry build". What is this, and why would you do a dry bulid before doing a ... "wet" (?) build, lol?

Also, the house I got is the Tiffani, and I've been told it's from greenleaf, and yet I can't seem to find too many pictures of it, or even referrence to it on this site. Has anyone heard of it or built it? It looks small, so I figured it would be a good first house to build.

Thanks everyone for any help!

[what2craftnow]

Sometimes the Tiffani is also boxed up as Santa's Workshop (I know, I used to have one and stupidly threw it away - I know, I know...I should be horse-whipped for that dumb moment, but that was years ago before I KNEW better)

Most people find it is easier to paint/wallpaper, etc. walls before assembling. Be prepared for some slight warping of the wood because any moisture applied to it, you will get some warp. Some people also make templates with cardstock and apply their wallpaper to the template, then use rubber cement or light glue to adhere to the walls.

Any time I have painted walls, I find it easier to do before assembly just because you may not always be able to get to all the angles after you assemble it.

It is always better to do a dry fit first simply to make sure all your pieces will go together as they should and you can "fix" any small problems before gluing..like making sure the tab and slots are sanded and will fit nice and tight.

Once things are glued together, it is much trickier to fix them.

I'm sure someone here has built this little house and will be able to give you some advice on it. You can check in the member's gallery and search for "Tiffani or Santa's Workshop"

Good luck with your project!!

Chris

[havanaholly]

the house...is the Tiffani...from greenleaf,...I can't seem to find too many pictures of it, or even referrence to it on this site.

That's because the kit has been discontinued. If there's interest I expect it may be rereleased someday, at least through the GL site store.

if I should glue everything together before painting the walls?

Starting out it might be easier, until you've built a few houses and worked out whatever you're most comfortable with. Chris' comments notwithstanding, warping isn't a problem. I generally do a certain amount of prep before final assembly, so when I stain or prime beforehand I mask the tabs so I don't get paint or stain on them, it seems to help with gluing. I personally wait until the house is together before painting or wallpapering the walls (unless I know I won't be able to get my hand in there after it's together), so I can do any cosmetic work with spackling compound on any gaps that might occur (rarely; in addition to glue I reinforce the corners with heavy-duty staples).

"dry build". What is this, and why would you do a dry bulid before doing a ... "wet" (?) build

This question has recently been asked as a separate topic, so you'll get more detailed info there, but a dry fit is assembling part or all of the kit without glue (I use masking tape &/ or clamps). I do this for several reasons: It helps me to see what areas I might have to decorate before assembling (with glue) because I won't be able to access it once built; the kit may want to show me where it wants its rooms and, most important, if the kit wants bashing I can more easily see what & how to do it if I have the shell together first in the dry fit. Finally, because sometimes the tabs might be a tad large, or the slots a mite tight, the dry fit allows you to find these potential assembly problems and do the trimming to achieve a more perfect fit. I promise you once the house is glued together is NOT the time you want to find out you installed parts backwards or upside down!

I would imagine that painting ceiling corners in the room would be somewhat difficult.

One of the areas I consistently decorate before assembly (except in the Magnolia, which I was requested to build straight from the box "as is" without any adornment, bashing, etc, for the bulding team blog; so I got to do everything after the fact!) is the floor/ ceiling pieces. If I want harwood floors I carefully measure and "draw" my boards by scribing them directly into the plywood piece with a steel straightedge and a scriber (my personal favorite is the back corner of my utility knife blade) and punch the nailholes into the ends of each "board" with a small awl, and then stain, sand & finally seal or otherwise treat them to get the effect I want. On the opposite side of the upper floors I prime and do whatever ceiling treatments I want (unless I want textured "plaster" or some other treatment better done once the house is built); again, masking the tabs.

I would suggest that, for reasons that might become obvious if you go ahead and do it that way, you not install your windows, doors or trims until AFTER you have finished the decorating. I lay the trims in place, trace around them and then use masking tape to cover where the trim will go until after I've done what I'm going to do with primer, paint, spackling compound or whatever. I also sand, fill (if needed), paint or stain the trims and frames before installing the acetate window panes. I don't care how rock-steady your hands are, it's hard enough to get the inserts in neatly without smearing glue; I have never been happy having to paint frames & trims with the panes in & having to get the paint off the acetate (my first rehab bas a Storybook Cottage that caused me many *magic* words to get repainted!).

In the final analysis, it's YOUR kit, and you build it however you feel most comfortable with. What "tips" you learn from he rest of us, WE most probably learned by trial & error.

[THmini2]

Good advice everyone. I also want to put in DO NOT USE HOT GLUE to put the house together. It will break down (hot glue) over time and you sure don't want your house coming apart after all the work you put into it.

I also paint afterward as I am not sure how to do corners, ect if you wallpaper as you build. But having said that I can see that you may have to do that first if your working on a house where it would be hard to reach the walls after it's built. Most of the time I use a template to make a pattern for the wallpaper, sometimes I glue that paper to the template and attach it to the walls. I leave about a 1/4th inch extra on the sides were walls meet. Then use the extra to glue to the next wall. Let says you start on the right wall. Leave a 1/4-1/2" extra on the back corner use it to go neatly onto the back wall. Then to do the back wall cut your wallpaper the size of the wall plus the extra, start at the corner going over the extra from the first piece glue it in and use the extra to go around the left hand wall. Cut the paper for the last wall the exact size and glue in. Now that I read it over it probably as clear as mud. But this will give you neat corners. If you glue your paper to a template (I use card stock from the scrapbook section of the craft store) just cut the paper larger then the template on the corner sides. I also use regular scrapbook paper with small designs for wallpaper. I have found that there are alot of nice patterns and it a nice weight. This way of papering is the same way that we put paper in our real life homes.

There are so many different things from craft and fabric stores that you can use in the dollhouse. Lace for curtain, and other window treatments, also for bed skirts. Upholstery material for carpets(I usually find them on the discount shelves - remnants). Pictures from magazines or even better pictures from Home party catalogs for pictures on your walls (Home Interior Party books). If you have a dollar tree I found some bookmarks that have pictures of flowers framed in gold frames with another frame below it that has words in it like friends, love, hope, ect. on them. They are just the right size for mini walls when cut off the bookmark. Dollar stores are good places to look for things you can use. Also thrift shops. Goodwill, St Vincents, ect. Ribbon can be used for chair rails, the top of the walls, ect. I use it like a chair rail if i use two different pattern of wallpapers on the wall. It just makes it look nice and I can't cut a staight line to save my life so it hides my mistakes. LOL.

Oh yeah I don't put the windows in until after I paint or wallpaper. Wallpaper over the window openings and cut out after the glue dries. Not everyone does this but it works for me, much easier then all the measuring, ect that you would have to do if you cut out the windows holes in the paper before you paper.

Anyway that is some of the things I do. I use alot of ideas from the people on here as we are always learning and have made our mistakes. Ask any questions you have and someone will have the answers. I learn something every day on this board.

[miss_maya]

Wow! Thanks so much everyone for all the helpful hints! I love the idea from havanaholly about marking into the wood floors to make it look like hardwood. And all the helpful hints about dry buliding, wallpapering and everything is so good to know!

Thank you all so much!

[Shakyshaky]

HI and welcome! I have done the Tiffani. It's my Elf Bakery in my gallery. You may want to do the dormer parts before you glue the roof on. Trust me it is not fun to paint/paper those afterward.

[ChildhoodRevisited]

I am also building my first house. (It's in the gallery called "The Arthur".) I have learned alot while doing it and the next time there are things I would do differently. While it is not as perfect as some of the seasoned builders, I am enjoying it and I'm sure my techniques will improve with time. (I have another kit, The Tennyson, in a box just waiting. Mentally I have already started putting it together)

I do agree with not putting the trim on until you have finished both the exterior and interior finishes. The trim helps cover any rough edges and painting it before hand eliminates any mistakes on the house. I used siding and painted that too before I put it on. I painted my trims with craft acrylic paints then sprayed them with a clear acrylic to give them more of a glossy look.

I used Aleenes Tacky glue and had good luck with that. It sets quickly. I did use a glue gun on the roof tiles.

Besides a couple of mini clamps, I also found that office binder clips work really well. You can get them in different sizes so they can fit into small spaces.

Painters masking tape is a great help too. On my floors, I taped off every other floor board and painted it with a combination of colors, then after it dried, taped off the painted part, and painted the rest.

Good luck, and as I am newbie to this forum, I have found that the members are great at helping with any questions and giving ideas.

[havanaholly]

I have another kit, The Tennyson, in a box just waiting. Mentally I have already started putting it together

Rhonda, the Tennyson is talking to you, telling you what it wants & otherwise chatting you up. It's perfectly OK to talk back to it.

[chesterfieldzoo]

You should spend some time browsing past threads. There are tons of wonderful tips and hints. Also spend 5 or 6 hours a day looking at members albums for ideas (LOL!!!)

Welcome. Dollhouses are fun, so don't worry if you make a mistake - someone here will be able to help you fix it.

[miss_maya]

Thank you all again for your kind and very helpful comments.

MY FURNITURE ARRIVED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my, my head is honestly spinning! I ordered this huge lot of wooden mini furniture on ebay and they all just arrived. WHOA! I'll be able to furnish multiple rooms, and everything is in excellent condition and perfect for what I need. I'll try and take some pics over the weekend. Now, I just need one of the houses to arrive! lol