You have to install Partition #1 before you can install the first floor staircase. Because the shell is already rigid, it will be a little difficult to get the partition in so have your mallet with you in case you have to tap it into place.
The tab closest to the front wall, broke off on mines as I was trying to get the partition in. This is because the front wall is already glued in place with the second floor, giving no leeway whatsoever for the partition. That's okay if your tab breaks off as well. Just make sure you still line up the top edge of the partition to the slot. This is a common occurrence with these dollhouses because the assembly process does not take finishes into consideration. There will be areas of the dollhouse that are already glued and dried before more structure is added to it. This can cause a rigid structure that makes it very difficult to add more parts to it. In these cases, if you have to cut off tabs to make the parts fit, do so but only if no other solution is found.
Remember to run wood glue along all of the joints of this partition.
Finishing the rooms for these staircases can be very tricky. There will be a lot of inaccessible areas so planning what to finish first, before assembly is key. Let's begin with the first floor where we just installed the Partition #1. The partition must be completely dry before you proceed.
You then need to prime the walls and ceilings with a flat white paint. This will help lessen the acidity of the wood and prevent uneven wood hue from showing through your wallpaper. I am going to use tile paper in the foyer and kitchen, so I went ahead and primed the floors with white paint as well.
While the paint dries, I went back to the first floor staircase. I decided that I could do something special with the back of this staircase, which faces the kitchen once assembled. The kitchen is small but this back staircase is already jutting into it so, I cut out a door to make a broom closet under the stairs. I might as well put this under stairs space to some use.
I cut out the door with a craft knife, after I measured it with strip wood. This would have been easier to do before assembling the staircase but the knife went into the wood pretty well so it was not a big deal. The cut out door can be set aside because it will be hinged later to the door trim. I then stained the interior of the staircase because it will not be able to be finished once installed.
Keep in mind that doing this will further compromise space in the kitchen but the added detail will make the room unique and it's another architectural feature to add to an already lovely layout.
I put the staircase aside and returned to the already dry, primed foyer. I wallpapered the front wall and the sidewall that the staircase will go against. Do not wallpaper anything else. There is still a wall missing in this room.
Notice that I wallpapered the staircase wall, only up to where the staircase ends. Remember that this wall is half the foyer and half the kitchen. You don't want to wallpaper your kitchen area, unless your using the same wallpaper print for both rooms.
Because this is a staircase room, ceiling paper and flooring can not be installed until the staircase is in place. So, you will have to leave those finishes for later.
I dry fit this staircase assembly, into position, before I wallpapered the room, just to get a feel for how best to fit it. I can say that it goes in very easily, so you should have no issues with yours.
The staircase side, with the overhanging steps, will be visible from the foyer and living room. This kit does not have any special trim to add to it. You have to decide, before installation, how you want to finish it. You also have to make sure that you have done all of the touch ups necessary, including the use of spackle, along the overhanging steps. You will not be able to do detailed touch ups once the staircase is installed.
You can paint the staircase side, stain it, make your own trim, create inlays with stencils and spackle or wood pieces, etc. There are many choices as to what can be done with this exposed side. I will be wallpapering it, so I have to install the staircase before I can do this.
