News & Tips

Advice to New Dollhouse Owners

Building a dollhouse is a lot like a 3D jigsaw puzzle. There are many opportunities to make mistakes and taking your time will help to reduce mistakes. I have put together many kits and each is different. If mistakes are made, remember there are all sorts of ways to hide or fix them!

Before starting your kit read the instructions! Identifying the pieces of your dollhouse is important. Many pieces look the same but may differ by 1/4" or less. I usually mark my pieces with a name or number to correspond to the part list in the dollhouse directions. If any parts are missing, contact your local dollhouse store to obtain a replacement part. Most dollhouse kit manufacturers will replace missing or broken pieces free of charge. Have the name of the dollhouse, manufacturer, part number, name and size available when you call to order the missing or broken piece.

I generally work on the outside of the dollhouse before the inside. This may vary depending on the type of kit you have purchased. Some dollhouses have a slot and groove construction. It may be difficult to finish the inside of these dollhouses after construction due to tight small spaces that hands may not be able to get into. As you are reading the instructions, consider whether you will be able to get into the space after the shell is built. If you think you will have difficulty reaching a room, I recommend that you wallpaper and/or paint the inside before you assemble.

No matter what type of kit, I always paint the ceilings before I put the house together. Be sure you know which side is the floor and which is the ceiling before you paint, otherwise you will have a painted floor. Some kits come with pre-scored flooring. I have found that finishing these floors before assembly works well. If the house is already built, stain the floors before you wallpaper the walls.

Most directions recommend painting the pieces before assembly. If you assemble then paint, you will have to be precise in painting pieces to prevent getting another color paint on pieces that are not that color. You may be able to assemble the basic shell of the house then paint it all one color. The trim pieces should definitely be painted before they are glued in place.

Don't glue in the windows, doors or stairs until you have finished the inside decorating. It is much easier to wallpaper or paint without the windows/doors and stairs installed. If you want to put the windows and doors in place temporarily, use masking tape or a single spot of hot glue to hold in place. The hot glue can be melted later with a blow dryer to loosen the window.

Before finishing the inside determine if you plan to install lights now or later. Electricity can be installed at any time, but the type of electrical system installed will depend when it is installed. The tapewire electrical system must be installed before the inside is wallpapered. The hardwire system can be installed at anytime, by hiding the wires under the flooring or behind trim. I glue my flooring (carpet, hardwood or tile) onto posterboard and place it in the room. Then I put up the baseboard trim, glueing to the wall only (not the floor). This creates a channel so the flooring can be removed at any time to install the hardwire electricity. If the floor buckles or pops up a bit, I use double sided sticky tape to stick it down in the spots where the floor pops up. I don't put the tape all over, because I may want to remove the floor later to install or repair electricity. We do have a General Electric class available to help you decide which system you want to install. Check the Classes page for dates and times.

Before beginning to finish the inside, I recommend that you draw a sketch of your dollhouse, identifying what each room is (i.e., kitchen, bath, bedroom), and write out the room measurements (depth, width and height). This will help in determining the amount of wallpaper, trim, etc. that will be needed to finish the inside. Take this information with you to your dollhouse store when you are purchasing supplies. A small purse size photo album works well to keep this information in. After you have finished the inside, place scraps of the wallpaper and flooring in the photo album to use on buying trips. You will be able to match accessories to your decor. You can also put photos of the house construction and finished project in the photo album for show and tell.

When wallpapering start with the back wall and overlap a little on the side walls (about 1/4-1/2 inch), then do the side walls. I use scrap paper to make a pattern of the wall and then use the pattern to cut the wallpaper. If the windows/doors are not in place, make the pattern a whole sheet and don't worry about cutting out the window/door holes. After the wall paper has been placed and is dry, take a sharp razor blade or xacto knife and cut out the wallpaper from the window/door opening. If the windows/doors are glued in, make your pattern with the windows/door opening cut into the pattern. The paper on the side walls will go over the overlap of the back wallpaper. The overlapping helps keep any gaps from appearing in the corners. I usually calculate one piece of wallpaper for each wall, so 3 sheets for 3 walls. You don't want your eyes distracted with a seam in the middle of a wall. If you are installing wainscotting or you have a small room, you can sometimes squeeze by with two sheets depending upon the pattern. Wallpaper sheets are generally 18" x 11".

I put wallpaper paste on all types of wallpaper, including pre-pasted to make sure it sticks well to the wall. Priming the walls before putting the wallpaper on will allow for easier removal of the wallpaper in the future. To prevent yellowing of the wallpaper over time, spray each sheet with unscented hairspray 3 times on each side, drying in between applications. I hang my wallpaper on the clothesline to spray. Some wallpaper has a vinyl finish, spraying or sealing this wallpaper to prevent yellowing is not necessary. When putting on wallpaper paste, I use a 1" foam brush to put on a thin layer of paste. Be sure to cover the entire sheet with a thin layer of paste. Any bare spots may result in a bubble when the paper is on the wall. Place the pasted paper on the wall and slide into place. I use a dry paper towel to smooth out the paper starting at the top of the wall working down to the floor. Don't use anything wet to smooth out the paper, this may result in bubbling. If your paper does not go all the way to the ceiling or floor, don't fret. Any gaps can be covered with baseboard or crown moulding trim.

Have fun building your dollhouse, take breaks if you are frustrated. If you are at your wits end, get ahold of me and I can advise you on what to do or I can finish it for you. Don't hesitate to call if you have questions!!

Laura

© 1999-2007 This website is copyrighted and may not
be used without written consent of Laura of Dennis Way or the holder of the copyright.