Today, I started installing the bay in the kitchen and living room. I'm not concerned about the gaps between the bay walls because I can address those later.
While the bays dried, I worked on the staircase closet in the bathroom. I stained the underside of the stairs since it’s visible inside the closet. I also added a small trim piece to the bottom step to cover a gap. Now, I'm ready to wallpaper the closet. The only wall that needs wallpaper is the one under the staircase, opposite the door. I dry-fitted a piece of wallpaper for the bathroom until I got the right shape. The angle of the staircase was tricky, but I finally made it work. Once it was in place, I glued on the back of the staircase, which fit perfectly. I clamped it and let it dry for a bit.
While that dried, I moved on to painting the front exterior of the dollhouse, starting with the porch and its roof. I applied one coat of paint, sanded it lightly, and then added a second coat. I didn’t need spackle because the siding will cover any gaps between the porch and the dollhouse wall.
As that dried, I returned to the interior to prime the bedroom and bathroom. The back wall of the staircase was dry enough to remove the clamps, and I used an instruction sheet to protect the floors while priming, with no drips. Next, I wallpapered both the bedroom and bathroom. I plan to continue wallpapering and finishing both floors before moving on to the roof and third floor. Once dry, the wallpaper mucilage will harden, adding sturdiness to the dollhouse.
I turned the dollhouse in different directions to prime the first floor and painted the ceiling as well. I spackled the tab slots on it and painted a second coat. While waiting for the wallpaper to dry, I painted the entire foundation of the dollhouse, spackled it, and applied another coat. I decided not to side the living room bay; instead, I painted it, filled in any gaps with spackle, and painted again since they weren't large enough for skewers. I also installed the cellar windows.
I put in the attic walls so they would be dry by tomorrow. My suggestion is to slide them into their slots away from the dollhouse first before tapping them into place with a hammer/mallet. Then, position all tabs over their respective slots on the third floor and tap them in securely; this step is crucial for avoiding issues with the roof later on. I reinforced everything with wood glue on the exterior, which will be hidden by the mansard roof.
Finally, I glued on the back walls but did not wallpaper their interiors; instead, I painted them in a color that matches the dollhouse so they won’t appear stark white. These walls are only visible if you look closely through the windows; otherwise, they remain hidden.
