MichelleG Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 ok,, Am I losing my mind? When I went to glue the 2nd floor walls onto the second floor.. umm the tabs from the top of the 1st floor are kinda in the way. I had to pretty much sand them right off and just tape the walls together really good until the glue dries.. and gaps, oh my goodness. Who designed these things anyway.. I've got a bone to pick w/ him/her!! Does anyone know what I'm talking about? Well, atleast I've got the house going up.. it's starting to look like a house!! I just hope it's glued good enough and is going to be sturdy enough .. I'm gonna need to put it on it's side and upside down for wiring and wallpapering.. I hope it doesn't fall apart!!!! and... Spackle or woodfiller,, which one works best for filling gaps???? thanks, Michelle Working on my Tennyson. Will post pics as soon as I get another camera.. this week maybe!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 One of the primary functions of the dry fit is so we can adjust the tabs to fit into the slots and sand/ shave them so they don't interfere. Once that's done quite often the gaps are taken care of. Spackle or woodfiller is entirely up to you and which one works better for you. I personally have less lumps & bumps with spackle and it trims & sands flatter & smoother for me than wood putty, but that's me. I invested in a heavy-duty stapler & staples to reinforce the corners of the house because I'm constantly flipping it around to decorate it and standing it on its roof is about the only way to finish the ceilings. The staples probably aren't necessary, I also flipped my houses around before I began to use the stapler, I just started using it when I began selling houses to people for their kids to play with. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uppitycats Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 I'm thinking that if you had to sand the tabs off *completely* that maybe you've got a part or two not in the right place? I've had to trim them down some, but never off completely! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleG Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 Rut- Roh!!! See.. I dry fit the first floor only.. thought to myself.. yeah.. it'll all fit together just fine.. hmmm... see what I get for not listening?????? Good grief! I'll try the woodfiller I already bought,,, If it doesn't work out.... another trip to the hardware store! My order came from Ernie's! 3 days earlier than expected!! I like that! lighting,, wallpaper..etc... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolfie Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 Sounds to me like you've got the ceiling for the 1st floor upside down or something........perhaps that is why the tabs aren't fitting correctly. Believe me I've done that once or twice myself - especially when I'm tired as anything and just want to finish something and I do it without thinking it through. Wolfie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 I dry fit the first floor onlyOops. Seriously, only one of the purposes of the dry-fit is to get an overall view of how the house looks when it's together. Even more important is to make sure you have understood the instructions. One of the side "benies" of scribing & staining my floors whilst they're still in the plywood sheets is that I tend to get them right side up during the dry-fit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 ok,, Am I losing my mind? When I went to glue the 2nd floor walls onto the second floor.. umm the tabs from the top of the 1st floor are kinda in the way. I had to pretty much sand them right off If you mean they stick up above the floor I know what you mean, I just cut them off at floor level. I also had to cut a little off the bottom of the second wall tabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleG Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 THANKYOU Pam!!! Then you know what I'm talking about.. Gee.. I thought I was going crazy! The tabs on the top of the first floor walls and partition.. well.. they have to come up thru the slot on the second floor.. so how the heck does the second floor walls.. bottom tabls supposed to fit into the floor if there's already a tab sticking up?? Gee wiz... So I had to sand them all down. It worked.. Thank God I have a dremel. Now I'm doing the bay windows and they aren't fitting very well.. gonna need lots of strong glue and woodfiller for sure!! Still haven't received that tracing in the mail. I did make a partition for the first floor w/ that foam core.. boy that stuff is a biotch to cut.. it buckled and puckered.. Uggh.. but I'm happy with it.. cause instead of that small doorway.. I made a big opening in the middle, so the living room and kitchen will be more open to each other. I'll still need the roof part.. and this time I'll get some thin plywood .. but I've got enough to work on right now.. no hurry. Back to sanding and priming more pieces! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 If you mean that both tabs have to fit into the same slot, I've only had that happen on a Dura-Craft kit (don't recall which one) and the slots were wide enough to accommodate both tabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleG Posted October 15, 2007 Author Share Posted October 15, 2007 I'm also keeping in mind that this dollhouse is about 15 yrs old.. kinda warped tooo!!! It's a challenge for sure! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
minime Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 The tabs on the first floor walls have an opening to let the second floor walls fit inside. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
heidiiiii Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 My Kozbro house was like that. The slot was big enough to accomodate 1st and 2nd floor tabs. I just had to shave a bit off to get it to fit right in. BUt if you can fix it..it`s all good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SallyG Posted October 15, 2007 Share Posted October 15, 2007 I did make a partition for the first floor w/ that foam core.. boy that stuff is a biotch to cut.. it buckled and puckered.. If your foamcore did not cut neatly it's because your cutting tool is not sharp enough. I cut foamcore with a foamcore cutter...a nifty little tool I found at Lowes....but you do have to change blades fairly frequently to keep them extra sharp!! If you use an X-acto knife you get a good cut as well....but again, sharpness of the blade is crucial!!! If in doubt, put in a fresh blade!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleG Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 My dollhouse budget is pretty much tapped out. If I spend any more money on my new hobby ... we won't be eating! I'm gonna need a 2nd job! This is so much more involved than I thought it would be. Not complaining,, I'm having a good time here. lol. My X acto knife!! why the heck didn't I think about that? And I just bought a new package of blades. Sheesh! I must've put the wall in upside down.. lol. the forked tab wasn't on top. omg. lol I just wanna get this one finished,, so I can buy a new kit with all nice new unwarped pieces. Also thinking about the donation idea. Donating a house to children at Christmas time. We have an organization here that donates to needy families, and I'd love to get involved. As a single mother, I know how it is to scrimp and save to get your little one's gifts for under the tree. And . I don't know a little girl who wouldn't just love to see a dollhouse under the tree Christmas morning! Michelle Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
havanaholly Posted October 16, 2007 Share Posted October 16, 2007 I must've put the wall in upside down..I've even blogged when I did that with a piece in the Glencroft, fortunately I didn't install the wainscot until AFTER I fixed it right-side up... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichelleG Posted October 16, 2007 Author Share Posted October 16, 2007 If I'm going to goof up then this is the dh to do it with, seeing how it's so old and dried up and warped. I must say, I'm doing a pretty good job with what I have to work from. This is my first dh and I'll learn from it, so that hopefully the next one will be easier and come out w/ less imperfections. I went to the thrift shop today and found a couple items. a nice little round crocheted doily that'll make a nice table cloth, a little glass jar w/ a cork top, two little baskets I can fold my towels an put in..or for magazines, a nice piece of white cotten fabric, and.... a minaturist magazine from 1980. It has a pattern to make a bed coverlet that's embroidered. I'm gonna give it a try. Funny, all the advertisements in the mag.. don't have a website address. No internet back in 1980!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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