Newbie here, so these may be dumb questions!

[JustBarbara]

I have two questions.

First, how do I know which side of the wood is the front and which is the back?  

Second, how exactly do you prepare a piece?  Sanding just the rough parts, getting rid of any splinters?  I have a cute little Buttercup kit, and I’ve never built a dollhouse before (but have wanted to for oh about 60 of my 65 years).  

I expected everything to be included in the kit, but reading some of your posts and all the ways to be creative with shingles, windows, etc. I realize that wasn’t realistic.

[FurMama]

Welcome! Not dumb questions at all. To me the easiest way to tell is do a dry fit of the kit. (Putting the shell and maybe some interior walls temporarily together with painters tape) The way the pieces fit eachother with the tabs and slots will show you outside/inside. I sand and fill crevices with wood putty as I go along. Others have different methods. You can also use sawdust mixed with a bit of glue instead of the putty for filler. You can make a very nice house with the kit contents or replace with other doors, windows, railings etc... it's all up to you. Many of us find the house tells us what it wants. Enjoy!!!

[LeeB]

When you look at the sheet of plywood, you can tell the front because it has the outlines of the pieces punched into it from that side with little grooves or depressions along the cuts. The back is flatter and often the cuts are not as easily visible. When I punch out the pieces, I usually mark them with a pencil to identify the sheet number they came from as well as the letter or number of each individual piece. I usually sand the edges to get rid of rough edges and splinters and after the dry fit, may need to go back and do more sanding or trimming with a craft knife or xacto to help tabs and slots fit better or adjust other alignment issues.

[havanaholly]

Welcome to the little family, Barbara.  A question is never dumb if you don't know the answer.

To tell the front side of the wood, look at the corners of the wood sheets; there's a number punched into the wood that if it reads forward, tht's the front side of the wood.  It's usually nicer and smoother than the other side.  When you do the dry fit you will find out how much you need to sand or shave those tabs & slots to get things to fit together perfectly.  It's OK to leave it in dry fit while you and the kit have your conversation about how it wandts to look nd whether it wants to be a cute little shop or a fairy cottage ; I've also seen the Buttercup as a little chapel.  Long ago there used to be a website of all the ways the Buttercup had been built and tweaked.

[JustBarbara]

Thank you all for your help and the warm welcome!  So I think I will sand the edges and remove splinters, then dry fit, right?  And then take it apart and is that when you would paint, wallpaper, stain the floor or things like that?

In the (very poor) instructions that came with the kit, it said to use a hot glue gun except on the shingles; is that a good idea?  I found better instructions online with drawings!

I’m sure I will have many many more questions as I go along, and excited about this project!

[havanaholly]

Unless you want to watch your house slowly fall apart over time, do NOT use the hot glue gun!  Use a good carpenter;s wood glue, such as Titebond.  When the house is in dry fit you can decide which parts you can prep/ decorate ahead of time, or as you build, or when it's otherwise done.  Do wait to install doors and windows and their trims until you have figured your decor and at least primed and painted or papered; getting paint off of those plastic inserts is not easy nor always successful.