I pre-assembled the chimney and clamped it to dry. I also glued the front attic wall in place.
After staining, I inserted the staircases, which was surprisingly difficult. One staircase is longer than the other because the first floor has a higher ceiling than the second.
While everything dried, I continued stenciling and painting the front of the dollhouse. It's important to have the right paint consistency; if it's too thick, it’s hard to detail on wood. If it’s too runny, it can bleed under the stencil and create streaks. I didn’t stencil any parts before gluing them onto the dollhouse because I needed to ensure each part fit properly and that the patterns were straight.
I installed the pre-assembled chimney, which didn’t need stenciling since it has a nice brick pattern stamped into it. The roof also features a stamped shingle design. I installed the fireplaces but waited to glue on the mantles until both were in place to ensure they fit flush against the wall. I printed a brick pattern to cover the backs of the fireplaces so that any visible areas wouldn’t show wallpaper.
I stained and glued the exterior door trims for both doors. The dollhouse doesn’t include interior trim, so I will have to make that later. I also stenciled and glued the tops of the doors. I stained both porch roof pieces separately and then joined them on a flat surface in their intended position. After stenciling, I glued them to the dollhouse. They fit into wall slots and lock in place by sliding sideways, hanging naturally downward.
I used masking tape underneath the joint to check if my stenciled design came out right, and it did. Next, I stenciled the front attic wall, making sure to create a nice design since it’s a prominent part of the dollhouse exterior. I dry-fitted the attic window trim and marked its edges to center my design accurately. After staining and gluing on the attic window trim, my stenciling looked perfect around it because of my prior markings.
Finally, I added green leaves to the completed window boxes at the front of the dollhouse.
