Shine
I applied a coat of satin varnish to all the siding, giving it a soft shine and helping to prevent fingerprints. Using a spotlight while applying the varnish ensures that no areas are missed. Avoid applying varnish to any surfaces other than the siding, as a shiny dollhouse can highlight imperfections. Additionally, do not varnish before finishing the dollhouse, as it may interfere with glue adhesion and cause components to fall off later.
Shingling
There are many Victorian shingle patterns available online for your dollhouse. I chose to use alternating rows of square and fishscale shingles. It’s easier to shingle before adding the dormers, as their installation afterward can disrupt the shingles. I got caught up in deciding on a color scheme for my dormers and installed them first, which made it challenging to cut shingles around them. Since the dormers were already in place, I didn’t create shingle templates for this dollhouse and had to apply the shingles directly to the roofs. Cutting angles can be tricky, so making templates could simplify the process.
I didn’t shingle the backs of the mansard roofs, except for the tower top, because narrow areas are difficult to shingle consistently. Small shingles can break or split if cut too small, and adding shingles in tight spaces can cause bulkiness, losing detail. The shingle patterns should align on every roof panel, but some panels may have slight variations due to how they sit. Dollhouses are not perfectly precise, so minor differences may occur. While these variations might be noticeable when applying precise measurements for shingle rows, they won’t be obvious to anyone viewing your dollhouse as a whole. Don’t stress about it; if you’ve made it this far in assembly, you’ve succeeded!
Spackle
As I’ve mentioned before, use spackle sparingly. This can be challenging for beginners but is a lesson learned quickly through experience. Remember that this is a dollhouse; most small gaps are not noticeable and don’t need spackling. Use spackle only for large gaps or repairs. Overusing spackle can lead to caking, which makes areas more visible rather than hiding them. Spackle needs to be sanded smooth, but it’s hard to sand very small or inaccessible areas effectively. You should only use spackle in specific areas: corner notches in all vertical trim (including mansard corner trim), edges between the flat roof and horizontal verge board, top and bottom of bay walls for sharp corner joints, inside edges of interior door frames, and any necessary repairs.
Avoid applying spackle on your dormers, especially inside. Use paint instead to conceal any exposed edges since dormers are small and focal points of the dollhouse; spackling them may reduce detail. If assembled correctly, there shouldn’t be significant gaps in your dormers.
Do not apply spackle to brackets or window sills; doing so can obscure detail. Only use spackle on these parts before lamination if there is damage. There’s no need for wood filler on your dormer tops unless there’s a large gap between the dormer roof and shingles. Aim for precise fitting of shingles to avoid noticeable gaps; if necessary, choose a darker shingle color to better conceal any wood filler. Always consider whether additional trim could address an area instead of using spackle.
Mishaps
I encountered several mistakes while working on this dollhouse. One issue was mistakenly adding the wrong top trim to the French Door; I had used one meant for a dormer. I carefully removed it with a chisel, filled in the area with spackle, sanded it smooth, repainted it, and then applied the correct trim. I also had to chisel off dowel trims from the bay wall joints because they appeared crooked when applied directly. Since dollhouses aren’t perfectly aligned, ensure your dowel trim is straight regardless of wall joint alignment. Use spackle to fill any gaps between walls and trim.
Back Cover
I cover this topic extensively in this post. For this dollhouse, I installed L channels along the top, right side, and bottom foundation. These channels serve as rails for the acrylic sheet to slide on. Because I created custom back edge trim, all L channels align perfectly. It’s crucial to keep your acrylic back cover in mind during assembly; uneven thickness in back edge trim will misalign channels and prevent a flat fit for the acrylic sheet. The acrylic sheet can slide left for easy removal when accessing the interior of the dollhouse. Once miniatures are in place, access is rarely needed since everything is visible through the clear sheet. This feature protects your display from pets or children and keeps valuable miniatures safe from theft while allowing visitors to enjoy your decorated dollhouse.
In the attic room, I placed square dowel trim against the back inner side of the Victorian roof trim and painted it dark brown so it wouldn’t clash with the overall look while creating hollow small holes. This trim creates a channel between itself and the ceiling edge of the tower room where I inserted the top edge of the acrylic sheet. The bottom edge rests on the flat roof of the dollhouse, holding it firmly in place without movement. Creating channels for your acrylic sheet is ideal; planning ahead and modifying assembly accordingly is well worth it. This feature gives your dollhouse a polished appearance as if the acrylic sheet were part of the kit itself while keeping miniatures clean and safe.
You can visit this dollhouse gallery here.
