Brackets
Installing the brackets can be challenging because they need to be spaced evenly. To make it easier, start by gluing the corner brackets first, then the middle ones, and work your way inward. It's best to install them all at once so the glue doesn't dry, allowing you to adjust their position for an even look.
As with other parts of the dollhouse, precise measurements aren't very helpful. I suggest eyeballing the brackets until they appear straight and evenly spaced. Stepping back from the dollhouse can give you a better perspective on how it looks.
I had many damaged brackets that couldn't be repaired, so I had to create my own. To do this, place a good bracket on top of a balsa wood strip that matches the kit's thickness (1/8" thick). Use this bracket as a template to cut out a new one from the balsa wood. A sharp craft knife, like an X-Acto, will easily cut through the softwood, allowing you to shape all the intricate corners of the bracket, although it won't be perfect yet. While holding the original bracket and your cut-out piece together, sand your new bracket until it matches the template. A fingernail file works best for this task. Balsa wood sands quickly and easily, so be gentle to avoid removing too much material. Keeping the original bracket against your new one helps prevent oversanding and preserves detail.
More than half of my brackets needed to be recreated, but you can't tell the difference between the kit ones and the ones I made. Using balsa wood in this way allows you to replace any missing or damaged pieces from your kit. I even had to make corner porch pieces because they were beyond repair as well.
