Painting exteriors of houses

[Anya]

What paints do most of you use to paint doll house exteriors?

I was thinking of emulsion for the beacon hill. Nothing glossy as I think it can give a plastic effect.

Because I live in England I have never laid eyes on a house like Beacon Hill.

In real life where do you find these houses and are they made of wood?

What colours are the real ones usually painted in?

I want to live in one with my daughter and husband.

[LPCullen]

Hey Sunnyray! Everyone has different preferences for paint. I like semi-gloss paints, mostly because they clean easier. And, for some reason, I just don't like flat paints. I don't know how that works out where you are. Someone explained before what "emulsion" means, but I can't remember what that was.

I do not have a picture of a real life looking Beacon Hill house, but whenever I get stumped on a dollhouse I go around taking pictures of real houses for inspiration. Here are some links to some that I have taken if you would like to view them:

http://community.webshots.com/album/206628268msTmeR

http://community.webshots.com/album/239178977sPMxei

http://community.webshots.com/album/361847004BthqtW

[Nameless1]

"Emulsion" is the British term for what Americans call "latex."

I am devoted to little bottles of acrylic paint (also a form of latex paint), which dry flat. I don't know what you'd have as the equivalent, Sunnyray, but my brand loyalty is to Delta Ceramcoat because they say on the labels how opaque the paint is. It's very difficult to get an even, opaque color with a non-opaque paint. Anyway, you can use emulsion house paint just as readily, and for a Beacon Hill, you're probably better off buying at least a pint!

In real life where do you find these houses and are they made of wood?

Yup, they're made of wood! A Beacon Hill is loosely Queen Anne style (1880s-1890s). Some photos from San Francisco, where color schemes tended to be elaborate and loud, include:

--The "painted ladies" of postcard fame, looking surprisingly beige

--One of my personal favorites in maroon and green

--Some additional color schemes in the Haight

[Peggi]

Linda, I enjoyed looking at your inspiration pictures. I've not taken pictures but I have found myself looking at color schemes and looking extra close at ones with bay walls lately.

Sunnyray: I'm not much help on paint but I like Linda am planning on using a semi-gloss on the Lily (if it ever stops raining long enough or get some relief from the humidity here in GA so I can take it outside without fear of warping )

Peggi

[AllThingsMini]

I used either interior satin latex paint or acrylic paint with a coat of satin varnish on my house exteriors. Either way, I get great results.

[LPCullen]

Linda, I enjoyed looking at your inspiration pictures.  I've not taken pictures but I have found myself looking at color schemes and looking extra close at ones with bay walls lately.

Peggi

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Thanks Peggi! Glad you enjoyed the pictures!

[judithfa]

I use flat acrylic or latex paint. Sometimes I add a coat of clear semi-gloss if I am painting trim.

St Louis, Missouri had one built in the mid-19th century with a stone exterior, and I assume other non-wood exteriors existed.

[fov]

I used a flat paint on my Orchid and was not happy with the result. It just looks dull. (It's also a dark color, so that probably contributes to the problem.) On my Fairfield and Arthur I have used semi-gloss, and am happy with it.

[Anya]

I didn't know that you call emulsion paint latex in the U.S.

Calamari> I am a fan of acrylics too. I have never heard of the brand you mentioned. I might try their paints out. Thanks

LPCullen> I looked at the weblinks of those houses. They are gorgeous. I can't believe how big they are. How much do they cost to buy?

We don't get anything like that in England. I think the nicest houses over here are the tudor ones and cottages.

[LisaN]

sunnyray, it depends on the part of the united states that you live in. I live in the southern region, and mostly we have what we refer to as Queen Anne(late victorian) and homes that were built in the later half of the revolution or before the civil war....so I guess you could say Georgian or Federal would be big where I come from . In the 1880-s to the early 1900's they liked to make their homes showplaces....and the Beacon Hill kind of represents that.

I use paint from the OOps aisle at Home Depot--so semi gloss, or flat paint is ok. I also use acrylic paints too. depends on the look I am going for.

I love the English tudor and the cottages.........England has some beautiful architecture.

[judithfa]

In New England we have a lot of the earlier "Colonial" style (early Georgian) and a lot of the later Georgian / Federal style -- more elaborate and a more classical style.

I am a Georgian nut and love British Georgians and their American counterparts.

[wonderwizzy]

I

LPCullen> I looked at the weblinks of those houses. They are gorgeous. I can't believe how big they are. How much do they cost to buy?

We don't get anything like that in England. I think the nicest houses over here are the tudor ones and cottages.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Sunnyray, I married an American and the US Air Force kindly moved us to Oklahoma where houses can be bought with pocket money. We own a big 1930's house that we could never afford if we moved back to Berkshire! Plenty of room for displaying dollshouses plus my own art studio, but quite frankly it's a lot of cleaning too.... and it's a long way from my mum's house!

The BeaconHilly type houses I've seen on my travels have always had painted siding on them, but I am absolutely not suggesting that you struggle with siding when it won't make a beansworth of difference to how much you enjoy looking at the house.

Wizzy

[LPCullen]

LPCullen> I looked at the weblinks of those houses. They are gorgeous. I can't believe how big they are. How much do they cost to buy?

We don't get anything like that in England. I think the nicest houses over here are the tudor ones and cottages.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You mean the real houses? It depends on where you are. If you are in the City, an arm and a leg--probably around $250,000-$500,000. Out in the country, a little different and a large house that size is going to run anywhere from $100,000-$250,000, depending on where it is.

I too would like to have an old (real) house. That's one of hubby's and my dreams--to find an old farmhouse on a minimum of 10 acres of land and restore the house.

[nuttiwebgal]

I guess I take the houses in our town for granted.

I live in Carthage Mo and most of the town part of it was built during the civil war years. my bgf lives in a house that predates the civil war by 15-20 yrs

my own home is about 90yrs old.

we do not live in the fancy homes but there are alot of them here... most are Historical landmarks.

now if you are talking about some of the big beautiful houses that Linda and her DH have built...you can find some on E-bay.

happy building!

nutti

[nikki]

I used either interior satin latex paint or acrylic paint with a coat of satin varnish on my house exteriors.  Either way, I get great results.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Marie, is that what you used on you Lafayette?, the finish is beautiful on it. Is that just paint or stucco or something else textured? Very pretty, my daughter loves pink! and the gray is very nice with it.

n

[Nameless1]

The squid is so enjoying the discussion of inexpensive housing... here in San Francisco, the real-life equivalent of a Beacon Hill would start at over $1,000,000. The closest match I can find in the real estate listings is along the lines of $4,200,000. Housing prices in the U.S. vary a lot by region, with property on the two coasts costing a lot more than in the middle.

[fov]

I was going to post but Calamari beat me to it. $500,000 gets you a "fixer upper" around here. Nice victorians in this area go for a million or more. (That's why I live out my fantasies with dollhouses instead!) B)

[Nameless1]

B) You'll note my fantasies never get any larger than four-room cottages... for Nico and Fuzz to own that Berkeley-style Arthur, they'd have to have inherited it. Before I redid the half-scale lighthouse keeper's cottage as a shop, the official story was that Ingrid had paid $350,000 for her 1-1/2 room cottage in someone's back yard.

[LPCullen]

(That's why I live out my fantasies with dollhouses instead!)  B)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yup! That's me too Emily! Can't afford what they want to sell, don't want something new, so I just get it in miniature!

[AllThingsMini]

Yeah, I have to agree with that in regards to ME too. I would give my two front teeth (literally) for a house like my Gothic Villa or Tudor. But since my pockets aren't nearly big enough, I choose to live out my dreams on a miniature scale. I finish and decorate them as "I" would do if I were living in them. I'm also finding that my tastes in decorating have change drastically since getting deep into making my own miniatures. I'm finding that different periods and architectural styles appeal to me more now that didn't appeal to me before. Hmmm... B)

[nuttiwebgal]

back to the subject of painting exteriors....

tonight I was needing to do something on my Glencroft and it had to be paint at least the living room wall which houses my fireplaces and bookshelf.

no stucco...spackling did not make me happy...and I dont want to go spend money on textured paint.....so I made my own

DH had some pool filter sand which is very fine and I added it to my can of white laytex paint.

HAPPY!!

I am soo loving how it looks on the outside of my Glencroft.

nutti B)

[Margot]

I finally took the Arthur out of the box and sanded a few of the pieces so there is no turning back now! I wanted something a little different for the exterior and looking around at RL houses decided there aren't too many choices. Someone on Small Stuff said they used the spray on stone finish. I bought a can and tested on scrap. I kinda like it! I got the green and there are white and black specks. I think the key to this stuff is really shake the can. The label says 1 minute and I think they really mean 1 minute.

Has anyone else ever tried this. I think the effect will be very interesting.

Margot

[LisaN]

houses go for that much in San Francisco??????And I thought Northern Va was the worst because condo apartments were going for $400,000 & UP! ;)

Just recovering a little from the shock of how much a house like that costs--in the South a house like the Beacon Hill might run upwards between $300,000, depending on what part of the state you choose---if it has alot of land, it might be that much, or a little more, but in the city the property taxes alone would make your hair curl.

I find that living out my mini dreams satisfies any dream also....cottages, shops, fantasy, etc. And the project gets done without alot of building permits and big costs--those are saved for the mini furnishings!

[nikki]

Nutti! Very nice!! I think i may use that technique on my first project - the pierce.. I really wanted stucco, but have seen so many problems with it, that I decided it wasn't worth taking the chance on my first project.. But this.. the sand the paint, I can do!

Thank you Thank You!!!

I'll eb sure to send YOU and personal pic. when I reach that stage ;) ... after I put it together :lol: ....after I get it

n

[Nameless1]

houses go for that much in San Francisco??????And I thought Northern Va was the worst because condo apartments were going for $400,000 & UP!

Oh yeah! Here's the latest on the region's average selling price. With the exception of a small number of smaller condos and lofts, anything within the city is above that $630,000.

The absolute positive best deal we could get on buying a 1-BR condo (945 sq ft) in our present tourist-friendly slum is $349,000, and that's for a fixer-upper. That doesn't include a parking space, either. (Yes, we brag about how ridiculously expensive it is to live here -- it's like Arizonans gloating about how it's 114 degrees out.)