To shellac or not....

[tunatoo]

Asked this question in my last post, guess it's not being seen. Was hoping to see if people here use the shellac/alcohol mix on all their wood pieces before assembly. I want to make sure I do this right being my first dollhouse project.

I'd appreciate hearing from people (even though I'm only a 'new' member). Thanks

[nuttiwebgal]

hey! ss no one got back to ya!

I do not do that shellac stuff.

I sand very little and I use spray kilz primer on the walls inside and out and I stain the floor.

others do other things...this is what I do.

now you have heard from me

I hope that is helpful some.

nutti :angry:

[tunatoo]

Thanks. I was reading an older post about walls and floors warping, so wanted to make sure I did this right. Would love to get some more YES or NO responses whether shellac is used, or just primer like you do.

[KathieB]

Hi, Gary,

As I've been reading the posts and archives since last summer, I've gotten the impression that most people do not use the alcohol/shellac sealer. If you do that, you still will want to put on a coat of primer for a nice base for painting or wallpapering. So, many people prime and seal at the same time with regular indoor latex primer.

The purpose of using any kind of sealer is to prevent the chemicals in the wood from leaching through the paint or paper.

Hope that helps.

[sarahnaylor]

Hi,

I am a new(ish) member too. I have not used shelac. I have often wondered if I am going to regret it in 10 years. I have my fingers crossed!! I seemed to do just fine without it.

Good luck!!

[CJEP]

I do not shellac either. I basically do what Nutti does. Hope that helps.

[Blondie]

I used no shellac. I just popped the pieces out of the sheets and started with the glue. I got to some parts that I realized should be primed/painted in advance before I continued--did that. But so far, all looks good. I have barely even sanded (crime). The only thing I advise as a fellow newbie (working on my first house) is DON'T USE A GLUE GUN LIKE THE DIRECTIONS SAY TO. I use Weldbond, but I hear Aileen's is great, too. I was worried so much about all the little cracks or places where a small bit of space was showing, but all of those things will be covered or fixed with time. Just have FUN!

(I am sooooooooooooooo amused at myself for giving advice, by the way.)

[uppitycats]

I'm sorry your question about shellac was missed, somehow! Folks here are usually VERY generous in their advice, especially to new folks just starting out.

I didn't shellac either. I did sand and prime everything before assembling it...being careful to NOT get paint along the edges that would be glued later. When I got to the floors, I did prime the bottom (ceiling of the floor below) and then apply several coats of varnish to the top that was to be the floor, so that it would look like a real hardwood floor (see my pics).

I hope this helps!

[KathieB]

I was worried so much about all the little cracks or places where a small bit of space was showing, but all of those things will be covered or fixed with time.

I've found that painter's caulk is marvelous for filling in odd cracks and crevices. It's soft, so you can take a bit on your fingertip and just smoosh it into the opening. It smooths out nicely, and when dry, it can be painted or wallpapered. And it has a bit of "give" to it, unlike joint compound or Spackle, so I don't worry about cracking if the joint shifts a bit while handling the house.

(I am sooooooooooooooo amused at myself for giving advice, by the way.)

That's what's wonderful about this forum. Even newbies (which we all were at one time!) gain experience quickly and can share it.

[tunatoo]

Thank you all SO much, for giving me some great advice AND for making me feel welcome here! It's nice to have support like this, especially for such an undertaking. Around the house, I usually do the projects myself instead of using contractors (swimming pool, deck, pergola...) but this little doll house scares me more than any of them! :yes:

Also, thanks for the GLUE GUN advice. That was going to be my tool of choice since it's fast drying without clamping, but maybe it's a little TOO fast on the drying! Once I see how the pieces are fitting together, I may still use it for some things. The little stuff may be better off with regular glue.

Thanks again. I'll be taking pictures along the way, so I'll try to post them.

[Steve_in_PA]

Any walls , etc. I usually primer first. It makes it a lot easier to paint. When I stain something like floors or trim, I usually put a polyurithane coat over the stain to seal it. It's best to paint before construction, but be sure to leave bare spots where the glue will go so that the pieces stick together. They now make a wood filler that takes stain & paint. This is better that the old type that would leave a light spot when you stain. I use this on most of my wood projects.

[lumberjacksgurl]

Now I am going to throw one more suggestion at you. As a tolle painter who has worked on wood for years I was taught to sand and seal. I was taught to use the satin finish water based clear varnish to do the sealing layer. I also use the same product to finish all my painted surfaces to protect them as well. Sanding is the real key though. Get a little saning biscuit at a painting store. Mine has literally lasted me years as you do not have to sand much and it does not do damage between paint layers like sandpaper can...just smooths out those imperfections.

I find this technique especially helpfull if I plan to use dark, deep paint colors as you do not have to fight over the white sealing layer of primer. I am new to dollhouses as well, working on my first, and some may disagree with me, but as an artist, this is how I have learned to work with wood and paint.

Happy dollhouse builing no matter whet technique you use!!! Everyone has great ideas and I often take a little of one and some of another.

JAck'sgurl

Oh I should clarify that the sanding biscuit is not a sanding block you find at the hardware store those are too coarse. Find an art supply fo a sanding buscuit, Mine are about 2 by 4 inches and a quarter inch thick and white. Hope that helps!

Jack'sgurl

[ouchouch]

I assembled the house first then primed. I used both white primer and primer with finish. Depending on how I wanted the interior and exterior finishes.

[havanaholly]

I replied to someone's shellac query. No, I used clear sanding sealer starting out, first one side of the plywood and then the other, letting each side dry flat to minimize warpage. Tracy suggested if I go ahead & assemble the house I probably wouldn't have a problem with warping, and Linda C suggested wood glues wood better to bare wood, and I had begun to scribe floorboards & nailholes directly into the plywood and to stain it; so now I prime what I'm going to paint or paper after the house is assembled. If I know I want to use a dark paint color I still use the clear sealer rather than white primer.

Hot glue becomes extremely brittle over time, expecially where you have temperature extremes. Carpenter's wood glue sticks wood to wood very well and that's what it's made for.