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What are your favorite things to buy from the hardware store?


MotherOfEden

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Hello everyone! I need some advice! I was talking about my first house to a friend of mine and he was so excited about my new found love for miniatures that he just gave me a $40 gift card to Lowe’s. He said he’s been holding onto it forever and really wanted to contribute to my first dollhouse. I’ve already got most of The basics for my first kit. Any ideas what I should get? Ideas to treat my house to some luxury floors or wallpaper ( I’m not even really sure what materials I would get to do that), or maybe a suggestion on your favorite power or hand tool? Please help! 

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23 minutes ago, steiconi said:

A dremel-type tool, steel rulers and square, clamps, pliers and wire cutters, a big piece of plywood for a work table, utility knife and blades.

I think that's probably $100 or so right there...

Thank you! Great ideas! I was thinking about a small Dremel! I’m really looking forward to building my own panels, railings and molding. I’m also excited to build some furniture! 

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Some of the copper plumbing fittings make nice mini-size cookware.  Iron-on wood veneer can be split and cut into mini "boards" and laid as flooring.  I buy flat white interior latex paint (soap & water clean up) a quart at a time to use as primer as well as to mix with acrylic paints from the tubes to get custom paint colors.  I get my  Titebond wood glue at the hardware store.  Sandpaper, small diameter round and square wood dowels and the occasional sheet of 1/8" plywood for any major kit bashing I need to so.  Of course, the occasional tub of spackle or joint compound; these are pretty much my  usual purchases at the hardware store, although I have also run across useful hand tools like my mini hand drill/ pin vise, bench vise with magnetic padded grips, and 1" paintbrushes.

Edited by havanaholly
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Thank you!! I bought some iron on wood veneers today! It’s something I never would have thought of doing! I also found an old dollhouse at an antique store near my house and the owner told me how he made it for his daughter 20 some years ago but never got around to finishing it. He took me in the basement and gave me a huge box filled with furniture, scrap wood, stairs and carpet for almost free! It’s funny how my mind has changed from seeing old little things around the house as junk to something amazing I can us to build for my dollhouse! 

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Lowes has a great pair of miter snips for $19.99 - I can't live without them! So much quicker than a miter box for trim pieces. I also get my Dremel accessories from Lowes. In case you want to mount your house(s) to a plywood base, I also get that at Lowes (or Home Depot). They have precut boards, and also they usually have scrap wood leftover from other customers purchases.

As far as flooring and wallpaper - check the craft stores for scrapbook paper, soooo many options!

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Sometimes hardware stores will give you their out-of-date wallpaper books for minimal or no cost.  I find lock washers make excellent gas stove burners.  Paint sample chips make excellent tiles and table/ counter tops.

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7 hours ago, Katwastaken said:

...Wood filler seems to sand down the best...

Really?  I've had just the opposite experience.  The only wood filler I've successfully sanded as smooth as spackle is what I make from sawdust, stain and glue.

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Well that's interesting. I bought Elmer's interior carpenter wood filler. Just the natural coloured one. I will say the spackle is easier to spread out and fill in gaps with. 

I just cut out the little sections of wall in 3 of my Harrison bay windows and I have to fill all the gaps that made now. Maybe I'll do one in spackle and one in wood filler and test them side by side. Why not right?

 

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