First Dollhouse - The Laurel

[katiemcc]

Hi all!

I'm new here. We received the Laurel for my 10yo daughter and are planning to start building ASAP. We are going to pick up a few things tomorrow that we need need to start building and am really glad that I looked here first! I've already found the forums here helpful (NO HOT GLUE! - even if the instructions say to use it) - my husband was right about that one!

I do have what are probably a couple of basic questions if you could help though. When do you prime the pieces for the outside of the house? I'm thinking before you start... Can you do it while the pieces are still in the sheets or after they are punched out? Do you prime the inside of the house before assembly or does that depend on the finish on the walls? We found some free online wallpaper and flooring that was printable... is this a good idea or is it worth it to buy the stuff available online? When do you paint the outside of the house (after all dry fitted and assembled or before)? According to the instructions the first thing you do on the Laurel is the windows and doors and frames so I'm assuming you paint the frames before you put in the windows... I still want to do those first, right? I read something about waiting and putting the windows in last (or do they just mean the windows and frames go in after all other painting is done?)? Is it more worthwhile to put the flooring and wallpaper on before final assembly or after? And, finally, my daughter wants to help - good with me - any suggestions on things that would be easy and good for her to help with and things I may want to take more of a lead on since they are a bit more difficult?

WOW! I said I had a few questions... that's quite a few! Thanks for all the advice - I'm sure I'll be back looking for more help, but am really excited about doing this with her. She keeps saying, "It's just like I'll have my own little house!"

Thanks so much for any and all help!

Katie

[THmini2]

Hi and welcome. I do all my painting, wallpapering etc after I build. I should say my husband builds. If you look at the house interiors on pictures or when you do a dry fit you can see if there are going to be places that will be difficult to get to after a build. That is one good reason to do a dry fit. The other is that you know where everything goes and if the pieces need sanding, etc. I let my husband build the houses (not the contests that I do though) as it is a nice hobby to share. We talk about all kinds of things as we work. Not saying that I don't help in the building as we discuss what we want to bash and with us on opposite shifts for now this is together time. We can slow life down a little. O.k. I am rambling. Some people do their painting and wallpapering as they build. It is a personal choice and sometimes it depends on the house. You can use printables, dollhouse wallpaper or scrapbook paper with a small print. I use all three. For flooring I have used dollhouse flooring, craft contact paper, skinny sticks, popscicle sticks and uphosery material and when we bought new furniture I mentioned dollhouses and the sales lady let me go through bags of discontinued fabric samples. So you can find mini uses for anything. Again welcome and ask any questions. There is never a dumb question. Someone always comes along with the answer. I know that I have learned alot from people on here. If you go down to the bottom of the page there is a part that says licesed to Greenleaf Dollhose kits. If you click on that you can sign up for the newsletter. It comes out once a month.

[RedDoorDollhouse]

I'm so excited for your family! The Laurel's one I've dreamed of building & the first house is so much fun.

You want to punch out the pieces first so you can sand down the edges to avoid splinters. I tend to lightly label each piece with a pencil & mark which sheet it was on & what piece it is. I think you can assemble the windows before or at the end but don't put them on until the end because you may need to paint the outside first.

I do all the interior stuff first because you'll never be able to measure & apply details once it's built. Most kits suggest this. It's a good idea especially if you decide to paint the interior because even tiny hands can't get a good paint job done in the little corners. You just measure where each wall or floor will land and pencil it off so each room has it's own paint or wall paper & the walls will hide the edges of the paper. I did crown molding on my last one and chair rails & they looked nice. I do the exterior last.

As far as printing wall paper vs buying I'd go with how good it looks. If your ink doesn't run from the modge podge (or whatever you use) and the Tacky glue doesn't bunch up the paper than use the printed ones and save money for furniture. I usually go to craft stores & get the card stock or use a sturdy wrapping paper as my wall paper. I've painted floors to look like wood as well as used craft sticks. Craft sticks look best but cutting the tips off is tedious & you'll need a good knife or strong scissors. Then I paint them & arrange them on diagonal or vary the lengths like a real wood floor. You can also get small class or ceramic tiles at most craft stores & do the kitchen or bathroom floors with that. Tiny stones are great too. I look for found objects (I did a kitchen floor in pennies) and scrap fabric or small pieces of things to make floors, curtains, upholster furniture and decorate the walls. You can do so many fun things & if you find the scraps or more inexpensive items at craft stores or anywhere you'll be able to save a lot of money. If you have a Daiso near you they often sell fund wrapping paper with Japanese printing (usually looks like newsprint) and they have doll house sized furniture for under $3 each! Great buy. I've gotten those sample fabric pieces and they can be used as area rugs, and larger fabric can be used as carpeting. I highly recommend Tacky glue & Modge Podge (open a window for this one it can be a little smelly). No nails or glue gun.

as far as your daughter helping she can do a lot. My preschool class built one of these together and they were 4 year olds. One girl loved doing the shingles. Your daughter's old enough to do all sorts of things & her smaller hands might be useful for the tiny pieces. Just ask her what she wants to work on & be careful of splinters.

You can see the photo of the inside of my first house. I built it for me niece two years ago. I painted the floor to look like boards. Feel free to look at the other photos I have on here. I'm not sure what they are right now since i haven't built a house in 6 months, but I'll update them. My last one sold at a charity auction for $500.

I wish yo guys luck, be patient & most of all have fun!

[Nileke]

All what Teresa said.

The Laurel is my first build too, by the way. I primed all house parts before assembly, but that's a matter of preference.

I also painted all interior walls prior to assembly. Paint is quite easy to touch up after the house is put together, see. Besides, all rooms got baseboards in my house. Still have to do the crown moulding.

Had I opted for wallpaper I would have papered the rooms after assembly.

One big mistake I made: I forgot to paint the inside of the door and window openings. All of them. Once you sandwiched your doors and windows there's no way to fix that. For the interior door openings I had to use a mirror to paint the inside.

The other big mistake was not to use a set square when I glued the second floor to the divider wall. In close-up it looked like a 90 degree angle, but not so when I took a few steps back and looked. In other words, when I was doing the wooden floors I eyeballed the angle and I didn't notice I was wrong because I was too close. Hence both second floor rooms sag a little, and it bothers me. It was pure luck that the attic floor turned out okay.

[havanaholly]

Welcome to the group, Katie; you might pop in over at the Newcomers' forum to introduce yourself to the gang.

I've built one or two Greenleaf kits, so perhaps I can help with some of your questions. In answer to your comment about the hot glue, I rehabilitated a Laurel that had originally been built with hot glue; the outside had been primed & painted, the inside had not been touched.

When do you prime the pieces for the outside of the house? I'm thinking before you start... Can you do it while the pieces are still in the sheets or after they are punched out? Do you prime the inside of the house before assembly or does that depend on the finish on the walls?

Put the house into dry fit first (put it together with masking tape and give yourself time to get acquainted with it). I make the mistake once, back when I still used sealer, of applying it to the pieces before punching them out; NEVER again! The sealer made the pieces swell and I forget how mini box-cutter knife blades I went through cutting out the pieces after they dried!

Depending on how difficult a place will be to get to after it's built, I prefer to prime after the house is together, but I have also primed the interior pieces before the build.

We found some free online wallpaper and flooring that was printable... is this a good idea or is it worth it to buy the stuff available online?

It's up to you. I use all sorts of things for wall & floor coverings, but so far not printies; buying ink's an issue for us. Check the archives here and at http://www.smallstuff-digest.com for good info on making, prepping & using printies. You'll want to seal them after printing, and protect them from UV light; fading over time has been an issue with some printers/ inks.

When do you paint the outside of the house (after all dry fitted and assembled or before)?

I paint the outside after I'm pretty much done with the inside, but before the roof goes on; again, I figure out what & when whilst it's in dry fit.

According to the instructions the first thing you do on the Laurel is the windows and doors and frames so I'm assuming you paint the frames before you put in the windows... I still want to do those first, right? I read something about waiting and putting the windows in last (or do they just mean the windows and frames go in after all other painting is done?)?

I don't even look at windows & doors until after the build! Ain't no way I could stain/ prime & paint the trims without ruining the acetate inserts (do use clear-drying tacky glue to install those, BTW). Also I hinge the doors with chamois strips and I want all the interior & exterior decorating DONE before I get to that part. I do a lot of masking where the trim goes, until after the exterior is done.

Is it more worthwhile to put the flooring and wallpaper on before final assembly or after?

One of the purposes of the dry fit is to work out what's accessible after the build and what you had better work on first. If I'm going to scribe floorboards directly into the wood I do that after the dry fit, before the build. If I'm going to apply flooring I do it after the build, usually on a template (like I did with the 1:24 lasercut Lighthouse).

And, finally, my daughter wants to help - good with me - any suggestions on things that would be easy and good for her to help with and things I may want to take more of a lead on since they are a bit more difficult?

Depends on your daughter's age, skill level & attention-span. The Laurel is an easy, straightforward build. Do you want to do any bashing? (I put an extra wall in the one I did):

The stairs are easier to do if you make yourselves a gluing jig; you can do this with a copier-paper box lid, waxed paper & clothespins/ clamps. The two of you have lots of fun, ask all the questions you want to, and share pictures of your build!

[Wolfie]

Hello and welcome to the forum!

[LLyn M.]

Hello Katie and welcome to the forum!!! You and your daughter are in for some good solid FUN!! I'm still working on my Laurel/primerose,and if I had to do it over again-

I would paint the porch before I put on the roof(and the porch railings) also I would have NOT glued down my back roof section..in case something might stick out of the attic.Ha! Also someone already mentioned it but dry fit everything and use lots of masking tape(a miniature's friend) Anyhow,welcome!!

[Monica_the_haunted]

Hi Katie, and to the group!

I would paint and wallpaper/stucco everything before assembly. It's just too hard to get in those small places after.

Also, the edges of everything need to be clean and free of any other substance before you glue structural pieces together.

Ie; you can't expect stuccoed edges that have been glued to other walls to actually support the structure. Best is wood glued to wood.

I hope that made sense.

[sparklepuppies]

Hello, and welcome! You will have so much great fun with this kit and your daughter!

Everyone has given great advice already. I like to prime after I punch the pieces, but before assembly, because the parts are flat and that's easier for me. Also, then I don't have to worry about getting it on the floor and ceilings. But be sure NOT to prime any places you will want to stain, like the floor. Many of the kits have nice wood for the floor that looks good just stained and polyurethaned. Or like Holly mentioned, scored first to look like planks. That will save some money and effort on buying flooring. I have wallpapered both before and after the build, and even though it's a bit more difficult, I think I still like doing it after so I can cover the corners, unless it is in an unaccessible spot. But it's your preference, do what works best for you. Oh, and definately do any work on the windows last! It is much easier to paint and/or paper without window frames in the way!

As far as things your daughter can do, she can most definately paint, and maybe even stain (but I would get the water-based stain). She can help punch out the large pieces, the small ones may be a bit difficult. She can also maybe help glue a little, but certainly can help with more hands holding things together and applying tape to clamp the pieces while drying. My 6-year old niece got a kick out of helping me paint the window trim pieces on the house I built for her.

Have fun, and ask any questions you may have! And when you have 5 posts, you can open an album to show us pictures of your progress!

[katiemcc]

Thank you so much for the welcome and all the information. I am making a list and heading off to the store to get some supplies that we need. She's so excited to start. We've been looking at pictures of other houses and she totally changed her color scheme for the outside, but is very excited! She'll probably change it again when we get to the store and actually buy paint. It's fun and we haven't even started yet... can't wait to start!

Katie

[havanaholly]

On the one I rehabbed I had the trellis from the Magnolia kit I used on that big, blank wall. If I were to build the kit myself I think I'd cut a window in that wall upstairs.

[katiemcc]

That sounds like a neat thing to do.. not sure that I'm up for modifications quite yet though! I'll see how I feel when I get to that part of the building. Started sanding and working on the first steps yesterday. Good news, by some miracle I have no splinters yet - I'm sure that won't last long! And, she picked colors - this was really hard for her - she likes many different ones and changed it again when we got to the store to buy the paint! Can't wait to start putting it together more!

Katie