Debra Michelle Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Hi Everyone, I'm very excited - my first dollhouse ever arrived this weekend, and now I have a bunch of questions on how to get started. I have a 1981 Pierce and I appear to have all the pieces and directions. I've noticed that a lot of people on here don't like glue guns, but my directions say to use a glue gun - What should I do? Use a glue gun or something else? I was also thinking of siding it with clapboards, but I've read that this may be difficult because of the windows. And would you recommend using the Pierce working windows set? Thank you for your help!! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
darrellandmelissa Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Do NOT use a glue gun. That is how I got my Garfield. The lady put most of it together with a glue gun and was very unhappy with the results so she offered it on freecycle befor tossing it out in the trash. Use wood glue and clamps. Melissa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Michelle Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 Thank you Melissa!! I'll return the glue gun to the store and pick up some wood glue. -Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaimieMarvon Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 And would you recommend using the Pierce working windows set? Hi Debra- I am working on The Garfield and recently got the working windows. I have dry fitted them, but not installed them yet. They will be the very last thing I do, after the interior wallpaper or paint and just before puttig the furniture in. You have time to think about if you really want them. I chose them becasue this will be the only dollhouse I build and I wanted to go "all out". I put electricity in it as well. They just add a little more ambiance to the house, making it look a little more functional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Michelle Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 Thanks Jaime! I think I'll go with the working windows as this will be the only dollhouse I build for a few years. I think I'll just add to this one with a barn or gazebo. Thank you for your help!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Welcome, Debra Michelle, I think we had a discussion on the "old" forum (see archives) about why the instructions say to use a glue gun, that the old glue guns held a higher temp & therefore the gluesticks melted at a higher temperature, however I noticed kits put together back then using hot glue still looked like they were falling apart (we're talking sitting in a storefront window, here). Hopefully if the enstructions ever get revised that's one of the corrections to be made, along with sealing with shellac & alcohol (any sanding sealer is good, unless you want to stain first, or primer is perfectly OK). I have done siding two ways, tracing around the window trim onto the house's exterior & trimming the siding strips so the window trim will fit within the cutout area, and applying the window trim over the siding; both look OK if you're careful. You can mount the window trim temporarily to apply the siding, then remove the trim to paint/ stain/ finish it. In any event, finish your window trims before applying any of the acetate "glazing" inserts and apply them after the rest of the decorating's done, and I think you'll be happier with the results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPCullen Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Welcome Debbie! I see everyone else has already hit on the glue issue, so I won't respond on that one. I will say, WOW! You got a Pierce! That's a very pretty house! Can't wait to see pictures of what you do with it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilovecats Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Congrats on your house! This is a very pretty house and it will be exciting to see your progress! margarita Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted April 4, 2006 Share Posted April 4, 2006 Hi Debra Michelle! Welcome to the forum and congratulations on getting a Pierce. It's a sweet house and you'll have a wonderful time building it. It was the first house I bought too. (if you want to see pictures of it, you can go go my gallery here by clicking on the link under my avatar or pictures of the construction process in my webshots gallery which is the link under my signature) The windows upgrades are really nice and while the windows in the kit are nice, there are millions of tiny pieces for them. I think the most time consuming part of building the Pierce was the windows, so if you're of a mind to get the windows upgrades, it would definitely make the building go faster. And the upgrades are just gorgeous and working windows in the Pierce will only add to it's beauty and charm. So, what decor plans do you have for it? Have you picked out your colors yet? Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Michelle Posted April 5, 2006 Author Share Posted April 5, 2006 Thank you everyone for all of your suggestions!! It is a big help. I'm going to start working on the foundation tonight. I will be sure to post pictures of my progress. Your Pierce is beautiful Deb!! I've ordered the working windows and the curved staircase from miniatures.com. I'm going to stay with the victorian style, but I haven't yet nailed down all of my wallpaper choices. I'm going to do the outside in yellow and white. I wanted that for my real house, but hubby overrode that because we live in the woods and he thought natural would be better. So my dollhouse will be my "dream house". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted April 5, 2006 Share Posted April 5, 2006 So my dollhouse will be my "dream house". I'm all excited for you! If there were ever a dream house, it would be the Pierce. Your plans for it sound beautiful. The yellow and white will be so airy and elegant with the victorian decor. And the staircase couldn't be more perfect if it were custom made for the Pierce. Wait till you get you hands on it.........the wood is silky smooth and it has a beautiful grain. You're going to love building this house. It has so many "ooohhh.....aaaahhhh" moments hidden away to surprise you while you're building it. You'll have lots of times when you sit back and look at something you've just finished and smile with delight. Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evervescent Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 How exciting...the Pierce! This is my first house and the one that I'm still working on 20 years later. I think I'm about close to finishing it. ;-) Mine has the working windows and the clapboard siding. Plus an upgrade on the front door over what came in the kit was a must. I toyed around with getting a curved staircase, but focused on trying to re-work the stairs that came with it. I'm not sure it I like the stairs when I put them in or not. Both ways have their benefits. Enjoy. Its really a great house to put together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Michelle Posted April 7, 2006 Author Share Posted April 7, 2006 Oh gosh - hopefully I'll have mine done before twenty years - I can't have it sitting on the dining room table that long! I am a little worried though - it took me over two hours to get the foundations pieces out of the sheets on Wednesday night. My working windows arrived yesterday, now I'm just waiting on the sidding and my staircase - which is what I purchased for 50% off. I can't wait for the weekend - to have two full days to work on it - I'm so excited for 5 pm today!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted April 7, 2006 Share Posted April 7, 2006 I'm going to start working on the foundation tonight. I will be sure to post pictures of my progress. I can't wait to see the pictures!! Congratualtions on getting such a WONDERFUL Dream house! According to many people who took a poll for greenleaf that have built this house, the time spent to build this house is 12 - 13 hours (Decorating and painting and electrification NOT included in this time frame). Of course some people work faster and some work a little slower. I post this just to encourage you along and if you are one of those people that work better with a timeframe in front of them (Like me), then this sheet may be helpful. This house has a romantic beauty about it. I can't wait to see yours for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Michelle Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 Thanks Tracy! It is nice to have an idea of how long it will take. I've painted all of my foundation pieces, I just need to "dement" my rocks on. I bought the brown flagstones from HBS to put on the foundation. Those have been settng for a couple of days with just the glue. I'm taking two days off next week so I'm going to put the foundation together with the first floor and building the walls. I'll be sure to post some pictures next week. I haven't had as much time as I would have wanted lately. Hubby and I are going to Sturbridge Village this weekend, so I'm hoping for some more ideas - I've also been looking for dollhouse shops on the way to Mass from Maine - does anyone know of any good ones that wouldn't be too far out of the way from Sturbridge?? Oops...I meant "cement" not "dement" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deb Posted April 21, 2006 Share Posted April 21, 2006 Oops...I meant "cement" not "dement" <giggling> It sounded right to me the first time. I've "demented" a few minis. The flagstones on the foundation sound lovely! What a great idea! Deb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debra Michelle Posted April 21, 2006 Author Share Posted April 21, 2006 I kind of thought that "demented" was true to building my foundation. Your website is great Deb!! I hope that my Pierce comes out as beautiful as yours did - it's gorgeous!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris1 Posted May 23, 2006 Share Posted May 23, 2006 Hi, Debbie! I'd like to congratulate you. I got a Pierce dollhouse in 1987. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doogster Posted May 24, 2006 Share Posted May 24, 2006 I reinforced the Garfield's foundation with polyurethane glue, I used yellow glue for assembly, then when that dried I flipped the whole thing, wet the interior joints with a spray bottle and squirted a THIN bead of the poly along the joint, messy, smelly, but tasty. Anyway, that foundation turned as solid as a rock. Hot glue guns should be illegal. They provide nothing other than instant gratification. They make messy joints that inevitably fail in a few years. BTW, for any end to end butt joints, don't know if there are any on the Pierce, there is on the Garfield foundation, polyurethane glue is definitely the way to go. The first thing you do on the Garf is glue the 2 flat lower parts of the foundation together, they butt. Polyurethane is THE BEST glue for this type of joint, bar none. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladybug324 Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 Oh crap! I followed the instructions that came with the Pierce and used a hot glue gun on my base. And I've been using the shellac to seal. If these instructions are outdated/don't work, shouldn't Greenleaf update? What should I do? What's wrong with shellac? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 There is nothing wrong with shellac it's just those of us who have built Ohh let's say TOO many dollhouses skip this step and prime everything (With spray paint sometimes) after we assemble it because it's faster and you won't have to worry about warpage because the glue is already set and things are already in place Don't worry too mch about the hot glue either. If you got a utillity knief, you'll find out really fast why we don't recommend it now a days. Just slice in the joints and loosen it. USE A NEW BLADE so you won't cut yourself and cut AWAY from your person (You don't want to know why I know this ) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladybug324 Posted August 14, 2006 Share Posted August 14, 2006 thanks! actually i didn't even have to do that! after a tiny bit of wiggling it fell apart very easily. i tried to peel off the glue from the edges, then sanded it down a bit. i just used a wood glue now and it's clamped with masking tape. hopefully it won't fall apart this time! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LynnieEP Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 Ladybug, the instructions for the Pierce have not been updated since the 80's. I still had my original ones and compared them with the ones in the kit I bought last summer. I used a glue gun on my first Pierce but I sold it so I can't say if it had damaging effects or not. My guess is that it did given all the professional advice that I've read since joining the forum. I was about to buy shellac to seal the stairway in mine but perhaps I should re-think that one. With the Pierce I am working on now I'm using nothing but wood glue. It takes longer to dry but I'm confident that it is worth the effort. I use duck tape, weights, paint cans, C-clamps, whatever I can find to hold things together until the glue dries. It really would be nice if the instructions were updated. Probably worth a shot dropping Greenleaf an email asking if this is something they plan to do. Sorry I couldn't have been more help. Lynne Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Minis On The Edge Posted August 17, 2006 Share Posted August 17, 2006 after a tiny bit of wiggling it fell apart very easily. i tried to peel off the glue from the edges, then sanded it down a bit. Great! I am glad It came apart for you easily. THAT is why you DON'T want to build your house suing only hot glue :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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