Hi, PLEASE HELP ME:
I was told to contact you for answers to my questions, I hope you don't mind. This is the very first time I am building a dollhouse and its for my daughter for Christmas. I only just recv'd it yesterday but was hoping to get it a bit earlier so I could have it done for her Christmas morning - doesn't look like that's happening.With that said, I am trying to figure out the most efficent way to do this to at least have the shell done and then maybe we could do the rest (me and my daughter) together and it would be just as special.
I am very creative, always have been - but I have NEVER EVER done this before.
So, I am looking for some guidance and advice if you will.1- What is the best way to go about painting the inside and outside. What about the flooring, walls, trim, etc.
2- Should the shell be built first and then after that, do the flooring (carpet, wood, etc.) or do I put that all in/on before the house is actually assembled? am I supposed to carpet, paint and put flooring and molding on before or after I assemble the house. Or is there a way to only assemble some of it.
3- Where could I get the supplies I need in my home town?
4- Could you help me with a list of supplies so I can bring it to the store and just give it to one of the people so they can gather it up for me - again, I am trying to do this qucik without dong a bad job!
5- Any others suggestions would be appreciated!!!I know this is probably a pain, but I didn't want to purchase one that was already done because I thought it would be more special if I made it myself. PLEASE HELP, I WOULD BE FOREVER GRATEFUL!!!!!!
Hi, I don't know which house you have, so my advice will be generic instead of specific.
There are two types of construction used for most dollhouses -
Stacked construction has a foundation/floor, then a set of walls, then a floor, then more walls, etc - like cake layers. The Queen Anne, the Batrie houses, and Victoria's Choice are built like that. For stacked houses, most of the parts get painted before assembly.
Continuous construction (sometimes called balloon construction) with the outside walls continuous from the foundation to the roof. For continuous construction houses, I generally recommend building the house shell, then painting, then attaching everything else already painted or stained (so you're pre-painting details as the shell is under construction) The exception to that is milled plywood houses need the first coat of paint before handling and construction wear-and-tear wrecks the clapboard surface - for milled plywood, I paint the outside before I let anything touch it (resist the temptation to primp, fill, sand, or even rub your hand across the surface), and I paint the inside at the same time to keep the moisture as even as possible (milled plywood will always change shape with the moisture that comes from free air or paint, but it is flexible enough to respond to tape.. lots of tape, and nails when constructing).For all houses, I don't do anything to the inside until the outside is done. Even interior dividers should only be temporarily installed until you have had time to mess around with the interior and to plan your own personal layout. The only time I do anything in advance is if I want to score and stain the floors - that I do before construction (and I don't hesitate to install tile or other flooring right over the stained floor when that's what the interior plan calls for)
Touch the parts as you read the instructions all the way through. The time you spend reading and touching will pay you back
Follow the instructions.
Look at the instruction's. They may have a suggestion of supplies. Most of them will be available at hardware, building supply, or miniature stores
I hope this helps, if you need more, don't hesitate to ask, Best Wishes