Installation of the Second Floor Staircase and Finishing the Staircase Room
Unfortunately, I lost all the original photos for this post, so I can only share the finished images.
I started by priming the floor in a dark brown color to match the walnut-colored hardwood flooring I will be using. It's important to prime the floor in a color similar to the flooring to prevent any raw wood from showing through in corners or along edges.
Next, I wallpapered the entire room. Since this staircase only connects to one wall, I was able to finish it before installation. I decided to finish it in the same style as the first-floor staircase.
After wallpapering, I needed to do some touch-ups on the overhanging steps. I used spackle to fill any gaps and then touched up with stain and paint. Just like with walls, the area to be wallpapered must be primed. I didn’t have a large enough piece of wallpaper left, but matching the pattern for this small area was straightforward. I made sure that the overlapped seam faced the windows instead of the back of the dollhouse.
While the staircase wallpaper dried, I finished the edges of the staircase opening. One of these edges will become the top step, so it needs to be stained to match the staircase steps. It’s crucial to complete this before installing the staircase.
Once the wallpaper was dry, I installed the staircase. It required some effort; a mallet was necessary for fitting it properly. I applied glue only to the floor area and found that lining up the back tabs with their slots and then using a mallet on the top section made installation easier. It’s important that the staircase sits flush against the wall.
After securing the staircase, I moved on to installing the ceiling. To do this, I turned the dollhouse upside down. As with other rooms, I made a template for the ceiling and transferred that onto my ceiling paper for cutting. Tacky glue works well for attaching ceiling paper and is more cost-effective than expensive wallpaper paste.
Next, I began installing flooring using Greenleaf Dollhouses vinyl wood-look planks. The installation method is similar to real hardwood flooring - stagger your joints and keep your planks straight. Although this vinyl has a sticky back, I still used tacky glue for extra hold. Since there is no door at the opening of this room, I ran my planks through the walkway into the hall. Be aware that some adhesive may get on the front of your flooring during installation. You can clean this off once it’s dry using products like Goo Gone, mineral oil or by rubbing a pencil eraser on sticky spots until they are removed.
Trim work adds beauty to dollhouses, and I completed quite a bit in this room. Installing trim around certain areas can be tricky with the staircase already in place, but all areas remain accessible. I trimmed around all ceilings, bookcases, and floors. To fit baseboard trim along the right wall, I dry-fitted a section of railing against it but did not glue it yet. This prevents limiting space in the room and makes it easier to work on windows later. The railing can be installed later without any issues since it will still be accessible. I also trimmed the side of the staircase to match that of the first floor. Additionally, I added extra trim along the right wall opening between the second-floor baseboard trim and first-floor ceiling trim for a more finished appearance.
If you notice any wallpaper showing between baseboards and flooring, use a fine-tip brush to paint over those areas to match your flooring. Another room is complete!
