This roof has a support beam that doubles as a planter in the attic. I really did not read the instructions on how to assemble the roof so I'm not sure if this beam goes on before roof assembly or after but I can tell you that my roof was assembled so straight that the beam fit right under it, in place, without a struggle and only a slight pressure to lift it a little. That is why it's super important to make sure that all of your tabs are in their slots and your joints are tight together.
Assemble the beam according to the instructions. Again, they have pretty good illustrations for this step. Clamp and let dry.
I stained the beam and planter to match the dollhouse and then I glued it in place when it dried.
The beam has top trim but I decided to not use it. It just made it look awkward at the top so I left it as is. The roof sits nicely on it so I didn't see a need for the trim. I glued some moss into the planter area. I went to the floral section of the craft store and found some very tiny red flowers. I decided to glue them around the moss and complete the planter.
I decided to use stainable wood filler to fill in the exposed slots on the floor.
This is purely based on personal taste. Some people would never leave exposed tabs on the floor and will hide them as I've done in this dollhouse but I personally do not do this to my own dollhouses often. I prefer to see the tabs in the attic. It just gives the dollhouse that "hand made" feel. I usually just sand the tab area so it's flush and smooth to the rest of the floor and then stain the floor and leave them as is. Since this is not going to be my dollhouse, though, and the majority of people do not want to see them, I decided to hide them.
If you used a floor covering, you do not have to worry about exposed tabs but if you stained the dollhouses own floors, then you have to decide how you want to cover them up. I used stainable wood filler but some people like to use sawdust mixed with a little glue instead. Stainable wood filler is controversial because even though it says "stainable" it's not always easy to stain. It tends to soak up the stain and become a lighter patch on the floor. Since I used faux stain, I was able to cover it up very well. The picture in the bottom shows it after it was just put on so it's still visible as I haven't stained it yet.
Apply the wood filler over the tab you want to hide and then let it dry for 24 hours. Sand it smooth and then stain it. If you're using the faux stain like I am, make sure that you add more paint than varnish to the mixture so you get better coverage.
