I continued installing the half-timber trim on the exterior of the dollhouse. When working with half-timber trim made of multiple vertical and horizontal pieces, you may find that some pieces are too long or too short. For instance, the vertical trim on the tower or bays might be too long, depending on how well the roof fits. Similarly, the horizontal trim between the vertical pieces may be too short, creating gaps. If a piece is too long, simply cut it to fit. If it’s too short, you have a few options to fix it.
The recommended approach is to buy basswood strips of the same width and thickness as the dollhouse trim from a local craft store and cut them to the needed length. Alternatively, you can fill the gap with spackle or wood filler, allowing it to dry completely before sanding it smooth. Another option is to use an additional piece of trim to fill in the gap, then sand and spackle the joint for a seamless look. Lastly, you could paint the gap to match the trim, creating an optical illusion that hides it. For now, I chose to paint over the gap, but I may reconsider if it doesn’t effectively conceal the issue. So far, I’m pleased with how it looks and am having trouble locating any gaps, which is a positive sign.
I recommend installing the vertical trim first, followed by the horizontal trim. This method reduces confusion since you’ll be working with all pieces labeled #13 at once, minimizing errors. When installing vertical trim around bay and tower areas, attach the horizontal trim before the glue on the vertical pieces dries. This allows you to adjust the vertical trim for a better fit.
I also installed some window trim and shutters, as well as the balcony floor. I sealed up the slots for the floor tabs by cutting them off and gluing the edge of the floor directly onto the bottom edge of the door opening. This is fine because two brackets support the floor, which I also installed.
You may notice differences between the half-timber trim in the dollhouse box photo and in illustrations. The current version of this dollhouse does not include trim for the bottom of the front bay or left tower wall. You can create your own using basswood strips or leave it as is. I might make my own later but will decide that after finishing other tasks. Remember to add any custom trim last because it can affect how other parts fit together on your dollhouse.
