Cheverly Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 So I was just playing with Whitebrush because I'm considering putting in a double front door instead of a single, and I noticed a crack in that wall going from one end of the door opening to the frame. Then, in the middle of sheer panic, I noticed no fewer than EIGHT more cracks in the siding, in various places (but most are in the tower, I noticed)! Of course they all go entirely through to the other side. :weep: Stress fractures maybe? I'm not sure! It's mounted on a base and doesn't get banged around. I do know that some people have talked about this happening to Dura-Craft houses in the past, but in the instances I've read about it's generally been related to temperature changes. Whitebrush is inside my RL house, climate controlled, and not near a big window. So, what should I do to keep it from completely disintegrating? My plan was to run round wire after padding the walls with thin plywood, which I *think* would help the walls be more sturdy, but I don't know. I do know that I can't really finish out the house as long as there's the threat of cracking walls, right(??), otherwise the wallpaper could tear/wrinkle/who knows what. How do I repair the cracks that are visible now? I've got some wood filler, but it's sandy/lumpy and doesn't really fit in tiny cracks without being sanded out again when I'm trying to get it smooth. I'm seriously freaking out right about now. This is my DREAM dollhouse, the one I've planned for and thought about since I was 13! HELP!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Are the cracks separating where the sections of tongue & groove fit together? What about fudging it with spackling compound, which can be sanded smooth & flat when dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I have never had a house crack before. Can you take a couple of good photos? Is the house stressed on the base? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Yes, photos, please. I'm having a hard time imagining where cracks may be happening. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Pictures would really help. I haven't heard of this happening before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Yes, need pics. Did you nail the joints together or glue them? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheverly Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 I'll take pics tonight and post them. There are a lot of the cracks at the tongue and joint grooves, but I have some in the middle of the milled siding too. And the lowest crack is at the top of the door frame on the left side, headed toward the tower. The rest are higher up on the tower, so I don't know if it could be stressed at the base. I guess it's possible. And I need to verify that the base is level. I used wood glue to put the house together, but no nails... it isn't thick enough for that, the walls are only about 1/8". I checked my phone and it looks like the last pics I took of the house (including the doorway) were Nov. 1, and there were NO cracks. This got me to thinking... we had a huge cold front move in on the 11th, and it's been freezing outside since so I can come up with two possibilities: 1., the barometric pressure affected it some way, or 2., the heat in my RL house has dried out the wood. I think what I'll do is close the vent to my craft room and layer up my paint-splattered Alf shirt with a jacket and some sweat pants when I'm working. The only other suggestion I've found whilst searching the forum is to paint the house with Americana paint to keep the wood from drying out. I'll do that if I have to, but would like that as a last resort, to tell you the truth. The spackle compound is a great idea, Holly! Thank you. I'll be sure to check with the Home Depot guy to see if they have anything that remains fairly flexible too, maybe that will help with any "give" it needs to have to keep from re-cracking once it's repaired. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Paintable caulk ought to do the trick. You can smooth it with a wet fingertip, so no need to sand later, and it will remain somewhat flexible. You can get it in small tubes; no need to use a full size caulking gun. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 Cheverly, I use a vinyl spackling compound. I also like Kathie's suggestion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marysuewashere Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 This scares the heck out of me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 This scares the heck out of me! Don't let it bug you until you come up against it. Most of us haven't. You probably won't. If you do, there's a fix for it. There's always a fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rackey Posted November 18, 2014 Share Posted November 18, 2014 I have never had a house crack before. Can you take a couple of good photos? Is the house stressed on the base? When I first read this, I thought it said you never had a crack house before. Even though it would raise some eyebrows, I had to smile at the the thought of a miniature one of those. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheverly Posted November 19, 2014 Author Share Posted November 19, 2014 Maureen, I think I've read somewhere that someone did a meth lab! This scares the heck out of me! Mary Sue, don't let it scare you too badly. I mean, it stinks, to be sure, but I got some info today that makes me feel a teensy bit better. Don't let it bug you until you come up against it. Most of us haven't. You probably won't. If you do, there's a fix for it. There's always a fix. I don't want a fix! I want a preventative! Sigh. But I guess I'm a day late and a dollar short. So, here's where I am: I called Miniature Designs in Atlanta today, and talked to Ken, their main builder. When I explained what was going on, he told me that Dura-Craft, and MY house in particular, was known for this issue. Partly because of the size, I suppose, and then because of the way the house is constructed and the pine that it is made from is notorious for warping. His solution was to assemble the house with a NON-water based glue. Again, too late for that, of course, but maybe this info will help someone else. So, to prevent this from happening any more than it already has, he suggested to apply illustration board (similar to mat board, I think, only a bit thicker) using something like Omni-Stick or Quick Grab. Since I'm hard-wiring the house, he said I should tape the wires down first, and then glue the illustration board down. I asked about using the plywood instead, and he said it would work although he didn't know if I could find 1/8" wood (I can, though it may be more expensive in the long run). I think that's the route I'm going to go. I don't care (too much) about the plywood being more expensive, but I do like the idea of routing wires in the plywood so I only have to rip out wallpaper (as opposed to having to rip out insanely glued illustration board) if my wires fail at some point in the future. Here are the pictures. The picture with just the pink wall is one section of the tower with two cracks, neither of which are in the seams of the tongue and groove. If y'all have any other suggestions, I would be more than happy to hear them. Holly, Ken also said that the spackling compound would work as long as I don't do it until after I shore up the walls on the interior (otherwise the spackle could crack too), so much thanks again for the suggestion. I appreciate all of you!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dalesq Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 Those look like cracks in the clapboard siding. Is it milled? Do the cracks go all the way through the walls to the inside? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheverly Posted November 19, 2014 Author Share Posted November 19, 2014 Yes, it's milled, and yes, they go all the way through. Some of the cracks are at the joints, but the two on the tower are just in a piece of the siding, not the join. Of course the walls are super thin, but it's pretty disconcerting anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sable Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 I feel so sad for you. It's the extra work though that makes these houses so precious to us. We just want them perfect. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 It looks fixable with spackle (or caulk) and another coat of paint when it dries. I would definitely be sick that happened after all that work. You could make wall templates to cover your wiring and attach your baseboard just to the floor and your cornices just to the ceiling and then you could slip your template behind them for removal to troubleshoot the electric later on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheverly Posted November 19, 2014 Author Share Posted November 19, 2014 Thank you, Sable and Holly. I really truly appreciate your empathy. BUT, I am NOT letting this challenge take over my house. I have a plan, and I'm going to forge ahead and do my best to fix it as soon as I can to prevent any more cracks. And, when I'm done, it'll be that much more awesome because of the extra care I'll have to invest. This house really means a lot to me (which sort of feels silly to say, but I know y'all understand), so I'm willing to do what I have to in order to arrive at the end result I've visualized since I was little. Thanks again, so, so much to all of you for listening and offering advice!!! :hug: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marysuewashere Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 We do understand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesterfieldzoo Posted November 19, 2014 Share Posted November 19, 2014 That is a beautiful house. I think luann plywood comes in 1/8 inch and not hugely expensive. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roxxie2 Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Yikes! After all that work I feel awful this is happening to you! Holly is the Spackle expert but I agree I have used it before. I wish you luck in fixing the problem. I wish I was more helpful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kgreenstreet Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 That is a beautiful house. I think luann plywood comes in 1/8 inch and not hugely expensive. I have used lauan to reinforce the base, floors & walls of Dura-craft kits. It takes stain well also. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheverly Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 I'd never even heard of it before. I've just been going to Michael's and getting a couple of sheets of their baltic birch plywood that's 1/8 x 12 x 24 for $3.99 each. I just checked Lowes.com and they have a sheet of the lauan for $7.93 that's 3/16 x 2' x 4'... MUCH better deal. Duh!! Thanks, you guys! What would I do without you (aside from spend too much money, of course)? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheverly Posted November 20, 2014 Author Share Posted November 20, 2014 Actually not that much cheaper, and it is obvious I must increase my morning coffee intake. But at least it'll be nice having bigger sheets to work with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KathieB Posted November 20, 2014 Share Posted November 20, 2014 Actually not that much cheaper, and it is obvious I must increase my morning coffee intake. But at least it'll be nice having bigger sheets to work with. Did you spill your coffee on your calculator? Mine says that 12"x24" (2 sq ft) @ $4 is $2/sq foot and 4'x2' ( 8 sq ft) @ $8 is $1/sq ft 50% savings is significant in my book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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