First, sorry to my RSS and email followers for the random quote yesterday. I was under the impression that those types of posts would not be sent out like regular posts…working on fixing that.
How about a long overdue update on our second house? (If you’re new here, renovating one house isn’t enough for me. I also renovate miniature houses, and today’s post is an update on my current project: a 2′ tall fisherman’s cottage.)
Exposing wood walls and studs would be a lot easier if you actually had wood walls and studs… Here is what I want:
What I have however, is wallpapered plywood. Which makes me think this is one renovation job that would be easier in real life than in miniature. So, I am building fake wood paneling and 2 x 4s.
The process starts with making cardstock templates of each wall and ceiling, then gluing wood strips (sold as dollhouse siding) to the templates. Here are the supplies needed (not pictured: glue and wine).
Then adding “2 x 4s” to look like exposed studs. Tedious, but fun. The 2 x 4s will only go on exterior walls, because adding them to all the walls alone would take until May. Here is the dry fitting:
Then all will be painted white.
However, there are a couple issues… The wood strips are so thin that they are absorbing the glue like little sponges, and curling (and the same will be true for paint). This could probably be fixed with spray glue and spray paint, but it’s 2 degrees outside right now and I don’t want to spray that nasty stuff inside.
I’ve been stacking books on top of the walls so they’ll dry flat, but within 30 minutes of taking the books off, the walls curl right back up.
Anyone have tips to keep glued objects from curling?
To get a picture of where I’m trying to go with my mini fisherman’s cottage, here is my inspiration board:
Abbe PB
January 23, 2014 at 10:25 amHow long are you leaving the books stacked on top of the walls? If you’ve only been letting them sit until the glue “should” be dry, try leaving it overnight or even for a good 24-48 hours. That gives plenty of time for ALL of the moisture to completely evaporate and leave it flat.
Of course, the other problem will be painting, which unfortunately I don’t have any ideas for. I’d definitely try a small paint roller for good coverage without a heavy layer, and maybe some wax paper between the walls and a heavy weight. Either way, good luck – it looks amazing, I can’t wait to see more progress!
Christina
January 24, 2014 at 10:45 amAhh, apparently it hasn’t been long enough, 24 hours should be easy enough if I can remain patient. 🙂
Thank you for the tips Abbe!
Leena
January 24, 2014 at 12:06 pmIf you would not have glued the strips already I would have suggested that you could try painting both sides of the strip. When the paint dries it could dry more evenly. I’ve heard about this trick, but I have no idea if it works for such a slim pieces of wood.
Christina
January 24, 2014 at 3:53 pmWow, I never would have thought of that! I’ve only done one room…there are still 9 to go! I’ll definitely try it for the next one.
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January 24, 2014 at 3:56 pmI love your two inspiration pictures. I hop you’ll find a solution for your “curling walls”; I’m thinking, but I have no clue what to do!