I primed it first. It has to be wallpapered all around because there’s no walls that go against it. Like I said before, I will be using two wallpaper patterns because each side of the staircase will face a different room. Dry fit the staircase in place so you know which side faces where and you don’t get your patterns mixed up.
I wallpapered it in sections and of course patching is unavoidable so try to use heavily patterned wallpaper so the patches are invisible.
I did the dining room side first and then moved on to the back side of the staircase since I have to wrap the paper around the edges here. Then I just continued wallpapering in sections.
The last thing I wallpapered was the inside of the tiny closet.
Now I have to hinge the door. I got a strip of chamois and glued one half of it to the interior of one side of the closet door opening. It's best to do this on the interior so the chamois is hidden even though it would be easier to do it on the exterior.
I glued the post caps while that dried. Remember to not put anything on the top posts yet. Only the middle one and the two bottom ones.
I also stained some basswood strips and trimmed the top edges of the wallpaper all around the staircase. It gives it a prettier transition between wallpaper and stringer.
I stained the closet door and put on the door knob. Open a hole with a nail on the area you want the door knob. Then hammer the door knob into that hole. Put a piece of cardboard between your hammer and door knob or you can end up damaging it.
I then glued the other half the chamois strip to the door in an opened position. If you do it in a close position you won't be able to open it later. It must be glued in the open position and make sure you don’t get glue on the edge between the door and the opening or it will be glued open permanently.
Now remember that chamois hinges are exclusively for display dollhouses. Since my dollhouse is for display only, this hinge will last as long as the dollhouse will and it was very easy to install.
I did not glue the staircase yet to the floor. I just positioned it there to see how it will look. Dry fitting is always a good practice so you can correct any problems ahead of time.
