supernat Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Hi everyone! Getting started on my first kit and when I opened it (it's from 1992) I found the wood to be incredibly dry, almost like wafer cookies. Before popping out the pieces and getting everything together, what is the best way to strengthen/preserve this wood so I can get something lovely to come together? I've been recommended to use polyurethane but I've never used it before, and I don't know if I can paint acrylic or use joint compound over it. Help is appreciated! many thanks! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qubanqtee Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Im of no help to you but I dont think polyurethane is the answer since you likely wouldn't be able to paint over it. Im sure someone will chime in shortly to help ....my only thought wood be a conditioner of some sort. Many of us run into this problem because of old kits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernat Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 1 hour ago, Qubanqtee said: Im of no help to you but I dont think polyurethane is the answer since you likely wouldn't be able to paint over it. Im sure someone will chime in shortly to help ....my only thought wood be a conditioner of some sort. Many of us run into this problem because of old kits. That's still good to know! I was googling about polyurethane and how I would need to prime it and it seemed like a lot. I just want the wood to be sealed to avoid warping and protect this wood. It's like I'm going to break a cookie! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Are you planning on staining any of the wood? If so, paint or poly will prevent the stain from soaking in..... When I remove a piece and it is crumbly (I have found this to be mainly the small trim pieces) I use some tacky glue on the edges. I smear it on with my fingers so I can fill in the wafers , then clamp it with a clothes pin to dry. The wood is laminated meaning that thin pieces of wood are glued on top of each other to the desired thickness......The glue is drying out between the pieces and that is why is is crumbling. Before I paint those tiny pieces, I smear spackle over the glue and let it dry. Then I sand it and I can get a nice edge.....If the piece completely breaks you can recreate with some basswood sticks etc. Are you mainly having problems with the trim pieces? What kit is it? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Natasha, you can paint or prime over clear matte finish sanding sealer. Go ahead and stain the pieces you want to stain before sealing the sheets and when the first side is dry turn the sheet over and seal the back to stabilize the wood. The sealer may cause the wood to swell and you may need to use a STURDY utility knife and lots of new, SHARP blades to get the pieces out. I advise staining before attempting removal, as the glue Carrie suggests will prevent the stain from soaking into the wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernat Posted January 28, 2021 Author Share Posted January 28, 2021 58 minutes ago, Mid-life madness said: Are you planning on staining any of the wood? If so, paint or poly will prevent the stain from soaking in..... When I remove a piece and it is crumbly (I have found this to be mainly the small trim pieces) I use some tacky glue on the edges. I smear it on with my fingers so I can fill in the wafers , then clamp it with a clothes pin to dry. The wood is laminated meaning that thin pieces of wood are glued on top of each other to the desired thickness......The glue is drying out between the pieces and that is why is is crumbling. Before I paint those tiny pieces, I smear spackle over the glue and let it dry. Then I sand it and I can get a nice edge.....If the piece completely breaks you can recreate with some basswood sticks etc. Are you mainly having problems with the trim pieces? What kit is it? 10 minutes ago, havanaholly said: Natasha, you can paint or prime over clear matte finish sanding sealer. Go ahead and stain the pieces you want to stain before sealing the sheets and when the first side is dry turn the sheet over and seal the back to stabilize the wood. The sealer may cause the wood to swell and you may need to use a STURDY utility knife and lots of new, SHARP blades to get the pieces out. I advise staining before attempting removal, as the glue Carrie suggests will prevent the stain from soaking into the wood. Thank you! I'm not staining any pieces (it's not something I have any desire to at this time). I ended up with Zinsser SealCoat and the Zinsser Bulls Eye 1-2-3 water based primer after speaking with the guy at Ace Hardware about the pros and cons of polycrylic. I have fresh blades and wood glue, although I will also need to pick up wood filler (I forgot that today. Instead of spackle, I have joint compound, but I'm sure that will be quite fine unless there's a specific reason for spackle instead? Thank you! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Qubanqtee Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 that Zinsser stuff is awesome 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Lately I have switched to joint compound instead of spackle; I have yet to find any difference in results. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mid-life madness Posted January 28, 2021 Share Posted January 28, 2021 Good luck Natasha. What kit is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernat Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 14 hours ago, Mid-life madness said: Good luck Natasha. What kit is it? Thank you! I'm excited! I'm trying to figure out the theme - thinking about a witch's shop. It's a DuraCraft Ashley kit I got off ebay! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted January 29, 2021 Share Posted January 29, 2021 Natasha, if your house is too shy to start a conversation, invite it. I quit getting kits that don't speak to me, and have divested myself of the ones that stopped. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernat Posted January 29, 2021 Author Share Posted January 29, 2021 1 hour ago, havanaholly said: Natasha, if your house is too shy to start a conversation, invite it. I quit getting kits that don't speak to me, and have divested myself of the ones that stopped. What a great approach! I currently am still working on my very first one made of foam board, and I set it down for MONTHS. Granted, I got some of these kits in my excitement, but I think part of it too is that it can help me feel not so precious about something. I'm looking at this particular one as a way to experiment. It won't be promised as a gift, but something for me to really experiment with. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AmandaJC Posted January 31, 2021 Share Posted January 31, 2021 On 1/29/2021 at 8:52 AM, havanaholly said: Natasha, if your house is too shy to start a conversation, invite it. I quit getting kits that don't speak to me, and have divested myself of the ones that stopped. I love this. It is so true! I've been sitting with my fixer-upper for a few days and it is slowly opening up. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinyroomartist Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 Hi Natasha! How is your house coming along? I have a very dry house that I just acquired (an original Washington!) and the answers to the question you asked may help me, too. My house is assembled and I am concerned that if I take it apart to renovate, it might crumble in places. It is holding together pretty well as is. Were you able to put your house together successfully? I hope so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
supernat Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 On 2/28/2021 at 1:07 AM, Tinyroomartist said: Hi Natasha! How is your house coming along? I have a very dry house that I just acquired (an original Washington!) and the answers to the question you asked may help me, too. My house is assembled and I am concerned that if I take it apart to renovate, it might crumble in places. It is holding together pretty well as is. Were you able to put your house together successfully? I hope so! Hi! It's coming along alright! I have the first floor mostly put together - Clamps are definitely a must! One of my walls didn't quite align correctly even though I taped. Not a big deal but frustrating. So I used Zinsser SealCoat https://www.rustoleum.com/en/product-catalog/consumer-brands/zinsser/interior-wood-finishes/sealcoat-universal-sanding-sealer Make sure your area is ventilated. I did all one side first, then went back to the first piece and did the other side to help minimize any warping. It definitely helped dealing with any splinter issues when I popped them out. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tinyroomartist Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 2 hours ago, supernat said: Hi! It's coming along alright! I have the first floor mostly put together - Clamps are definitely a must! One of my walls didn't quite align correctly even though I taped. Not a big deal but frustrating. So I used Zinsser SealCoat https://www.rustoleum.com/en/product-catalog/consumer-brands/zinsser/interior-wood-finishes/sealcoat-universal-sanding-sealer Make sure your area is ventilated. I did all one side first, then went back to the first piece and did the other side to help minimize any warping. It definitely helped dealing with any splinter issues when I popped them out. Hi there! I am lucky enough to have several houses - two kit rehabs and one Melissa and Doug castle. There is another I hope to work on once the pandemic relents (my mom and I want to work on it together) which is a decades old kit still in its box (a Victoria / Bobbi cottage.) That is the one which needs Zissner, yes? If I understood Holly correctly, my rehabs need primer, not Zissner. My Washington is so dry it is breaking when I attempt to disassemble it (it is already built, not a kit.) Will get clamps and Zissner before attempting the Bobbi kit and I am sure you will hear from me. Glad your project is going well and am hoping you will post photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 If your wood is so dry it's brittle, a good clear sanding sealer might help. You can always put a coat of primer over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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