My First List Of Questions

[LuvDylan&Holly]

Hi all. I just put up my thread on the introduction board, so I figured that I will jump in with my questions. Hopefully I will be such an expert someday that I can return the favor.

Gluing - I bought wood glue. Do I just put the glue inside the connecting slots, or do I place the glue along the entire piece of wood? I glued my support strip to the first floor of my Beacon Hill, but I put the glue along the entire strip. Not only was it difficult to hold together, but one side popped apart. Also, what do they mean by "glue permanently" and "glue lightly"? I understand the concept of some areas needing a little give, but I don't understand how something is glued lightly.

Stain - How many coats of stain do I need to put on my pieces? Do I need to place a coat of something else on top to give it a bit of a shine? And if I accidently stained my Beacon Hill porch, is it still possible to paint over it? (big oops on my part)

Floors - Do most of you stain the plywood and use that as your floors, or do you buy floors to place in the house? Do you buy the ready-made floors and cut them, or do you make them yourselves?

Sealer - I bought some Minwax sealer. The directions describe it as being similar to the shellac that the instructions recommend, but then it goes on to say that it is for use under polyurethane something or other. I would freak if I put that over the whole house, and then later found out I couldn't paint. Am I using the right thing?

Window treatments - I know this is jumping ahead, but do I need any special tools to install curtain rods?

You can probably tell that I'm entirely new not only to dollhouse making, but to woodwork in general. I can definitely use a dollhouse for dummies lesson here.

Stacey

[Shakyshaky]

As for glueing I glue the whole strip. If it says glue lightly then youonly glue on a couple of spots. ( don't glob) Use masking tape to help hold things in place.

You can paint over stain ( sand first ) but you can not stain over paint. How many coats depends on the color you want. If the first coat dosn't look dark enough do another. You will want to polyover it for shine. They also have a matte finish if you don't want shine.

I just stain the plywood for my floors. Holly had the idea to score them to look more like planks.

The sealer is not polly. It goes on before you paint or paper to keep the wood from comming through. Like primer. I am not sure if you can stain over it.

It depends on what you use for curtian rods. I used little eye hooks and dowles so I needed an awl to start the holes. It went much better that way.

have fun!

[nuttiwebgal]

Hi hun! so excited for you! Hubby LOL at me when I told him I was going to build a dollhouse myself!

who is LOL now?

I am going to answer your questions according to me...all who answer will have their own opinions

Gluing----I use and have alwaysed used Aileens Tacky Glue for all my miniature and other projects.

Im sure wood glue is fine! lots use it.

if the part says glue it means every where the wood peices meet each other.

I imagine if it says lightly glue it would mean a few dots of glue to hold in place. I like Aileens glue because it has some give to it when building...someone will tell you how wood glue is for this

I am not advertising for Aileens glue...it is just what I use.

stain--- you stain the wood till it the color you desire. one or more coats is up to what color you are trying to acheieve. to make it glossy I use polyurethane...and I like to use 2 or 3 coats with a paperbag rub between coats.

yes you can paint over stain...but from experience if its gonna be ligh paint over dark stain...a little primer might be needed.

floors---I stain the floors that come with my kits....I do this to protect the wood and I figure I can always cover it if I have too! (im a paint splatterer)

sealer---minwax...I have no idea

I do use kilz spray primer for my walls inside and out...I spray lightly...makes outside walls smooth for paint and inside walls smoother for wallpaper.

window treatments----I have glues lace and beading ribbons to popsicle sticks and than glue to the window

you can use lollipop sticks and round beads for curtain rods....lots of very creative stuff done around here.

I hoped I help a small bit! I wish I would have found this or any forum before building my first house

nutti

[Nameless1]

Gluing - I bought wood glue. Do I just put the glue inside the connecting slots, or do I place the glue along the entire piece of wood? I glued my support strip to the first floor of my Beacon Hill, but I put the glue along the entire strip. Not only was it difficult to hold together, but one side popped apart.

Foundations always do that. It helps to get little blocks of wood (craft store, woodworking aisle) the same depth as the foundation and glue them just short of the corners underneath, so that they provide a little extra backing to attach and square up the strips that hold up the foundation. A line of hot glue inside the foundation also helps hold the strips while they dry properly.

Otherwise, yes, glue the whole edge, not just the tabs and slots. Blue painter's tape is also your friend for holding joins in place while they dry.

Sealer - I bought some Minwax sealer. The directions describe it as being similar to the shellac that the instructions recommend, but then it goes on to say that it is for use under polyurethane something or other. I would freak if I put that over the whole house, and then later found out I couldn't paint. Am I using the right thing?

If you're sure you're going to paint, wallpaper, or side a surface, you can just use primer paint and not worry about shellac.

Stain - Do I need to place a coat of something else on top to give it a bit of a shine?

Stain is matte, so you need to put a gloss finish on top to get a shine. There are big cans in the woodworking department, small jars in the acrylic paint aisle, and spray cans in the spray paint aisle (if you have the floor out separate).

[heidiiiii]

Lots of ppl in here told me that I could use lil dowels and buy lil wooden beads with the hole in it. I am doing that and then I am going to paint them gold. Then make the curtains. I think I will use some mini hooks to hold them up so I can change the curtains if I want.

[Annette]

Window treatments - I know this is jumping ahead, but do I need any special tools to install curtain rods?

I built valance boxes from pieces of scrap wood and painted them to match the room, put a little piece of wood with a 'v' in it on the sides to hold the rod and attached it to the wall. Then I got little dowels for the curtain rods made my curtains and put them in though the top of the box, that way I can change them when I want.

Annette

[havanaholly]

Gluing - I bought wood glue. Do I just put the glue inside the connecting slots, or do I place the glue along the entire piece of wood? I glued my support strip to the first floor of my Beacon Hill, but I put the glue along the entire strip. Not only was it difficult to hold together, but one side popped apart. Also, what do they mean by "glue permanently" and "glue lightly"? I understand the concept of some areas needing a little give, but I don't understand how something is glued lightly.

In addition to masking tape or blue painter's tape you can make a gluing jig from a piece of scrap masonite or other countertop material (sink cutout works great) and Legos, or even cut down two sides of a copier paper box, lay waxed paper on the bottom and you can line up the pieces you want to glue square. Spring-type wooden clothespins make el cheapest clamps, although I'm really partial to the plastic clamps with wiggly jaws that look like a little child used his brightest crayons to color.

Gluing "permanently" vs "lightly" has been answered.

I have a preference for gluing wood to wood with carpenter's wood glue (the tan "stainable" stuff isn't really), but I use plain ol' white all-purpose for the acetate window inserts and for "light" gluing.

Floors - Do most of you stain the plywood and use that as your floors, or do you buy floors to place in the house? Do you buy the ready-made floors and cut them, or do you make them yourselves?

Yes. I'm the Holly who scribes "floorboards" & "nails" into the kit wood before staining to make hardwood floors, but I have also laid floors (Dura-Craft kits came with flooring strips) including using our Tracy's method & I split the siding strips & used them. I have the flooring sheets, but haven't used them yet.

Sealer - I bought some Minwax sealer. The directions describe it as being similar to the shellac that the instructions recommend, but then it goes on to say that it is for use under polyurethane something or other. I would freak if I put that over the whole house, and then later found out I couldn't paint. Am I using the right thing?

I use clear sanding sealer unless I'm going to stain, and then I'll use sealer over the stain if I want a glossy floor. If I know I want to paint, paper or go for "stone", "brick" or "stucco", I just give it a coat of white primer (I use interior latex paint). I have been known to go back and look at my beautifully stained, sealed, polished floor and taken the sanding block to it and darkened the stain, but it's such a PIA that I don't always seal my stained floors.

Window treatments - I know this is jumping ahead, but do I need any special tools to install curtain rods?

An awl or pin vise is great for starting holes. Tiny little brass screw-eyes are available and work great for holding curtain rods or drapery tiebacks. I have used dowels to hang pocket drapes and glued them inside painted wooden cornices, I have also glued the dowels for hanging cafe curtains inside the window frame. I plan to try my hand at jabot & swag cornices one of these days and just glue them to the window frame.

As you read the posts and blogs & gallery comments you'll see how some of us handled some of these issues. My approach is to try out ideas on scraps and if I like them, use them.

[Peggi]

Like Nutti, I use Aileens tacky glue for most of my glueing needs.

I've used dowels for curtain rods and I've used parts of old wire coat hangers for rods. There is a great tutorial in the gallery section on making valances, which I made for the Lily but put up with velcro so if I decided to change them later.

I've used all sorts of clamps, as far as I'm concerned you can't have enough clamps or masking tape.

[Minis On The Edge]

Everyone gave you wonderful suggestions and I just want to say again to HAVE FUN!! And WELCOME to the forum!! Along the way you will come up with new ways that work best for you too and don't be afraid to do it differently .

Live on the edge baby!

I want some of you all's tool boxes! They sound like they got the BEST stuff in it (Mine is packed away and I can't find Nuthin'

[havanaholly]

I want some of you all's tool boxes!

Which one? I think I'm up to seven, but you can't have my big 7-drawer rolling toolbox, it was my Christmas gift last year.

Actually next to thrift stores my very favorite place to shop is the hardware store. After my eye appointment this AM we went to our local Ace hardware store in Quincy and I finally found my own nice, stubby flathead screwdriver so DH will quit taking his back just before I need to change utility knife blades.

[doogster]

After my eye appointment this AM we went to our local Ace hardware store

Go to the acrylic section in Ace and you'll find small bottles with a long fine needle, perfect for applying solvent cement, or even CA. What has that got to do with mini making you ask? Chrysnbon kits are styrene, and if you want to make even a remotely decent job of constructing them tube glue (especially the non toxic crud from HBS, hey I Emailed Ernie so he only has himself to blame) is right out. Tube glue is amateur level stuff at best. If it's plastic, and you want it to actually look good, solvent is the way to go. Methylene chloride. Ambroid ProWeld or Tenax 7R.

[Deb]

I want some of you all's tool boxes! They sound like they got the BEST stuff in it (Mine is packed away and I can't find Nuthin'

:lol:

Tracy dear, I'm absolutely certain that you have no need of a tool box. The more I see of your work, the more I'm sure that you just have magic fingers. You lay your hands on a kit and it magically turns into a work of art.

I love all my tools, but I *really* love my tool box. It's a machinist chest made of cherry wood that Bruce got me last year.

I also scribe my floors, then stain them. Then it's a week long process of varnish/sand/varnish/sand/varnish/sand/varnish. I do looooooooooove those glossy floors!

Stacy, when you start working on your drapes, you may want to consider making a pleater. With a pleater and some liquid starch, you can make beautiful and elegant draperies that go wonderfully well with the valance Peggi mentioned.

Deb

[havanaholly]

You can make a pleater from bamboo skewers, glue them onto a piece of plywood, I think David does this. I used to run a loose gathering stitch along the top & bottom of my hemmed drapes and spray the beejee out of them with starch, gather them tightly and steam press the pleats in. Peggi sent me what looks like currogated plastic, I haven't tried it yet (I will for the McKinley livingroom), but I believe she has.

[Minis On The Edge]

Tracy dear, I'm absolutely certain that you have no need of a tool box. The more I see of your work, the more I'm sure that you just have magic fingers. You lay your hands on a kit and it magically turns into a work of art. biggrin.gif

Ohhh How I wish this was true! You are so sweet I have found myself needing my tool box. My mitre saw has walked away :lol: (That's what the family says, they "say" they did not pack it away....)

How is a girl supposed to work without her tools