I also stained the dollhouse floors.
Afterwards, I applied wallpaper to the walls where the staircases will abutt. You must wallpaper these walls now or you can't access them later. You want your staircases against finished walls so everything will look nice and neat. It is very difficult to cut wallpaper around your staircase if you glue it on the wall before.
As the wallpaper dries, and it must be completely dry before you proceed, I began assembling the second floor staircase. I used the same logic of the first floor staircase process. I assembled all but the treads. Then after the glue was dry, I painted it the same sand color and let it dry while I stained the treads separately. Once they were dry, I glued them and the rails too. Then I left the entire assembly to dry.
I began wallpapering the bathroom while the other walls dried. I also punched out all of the post trims, banister rails, etc., to complete the staircase. You must mark each piece with a pencil to identify it easily. That is why I waited for all of the staircase pieces to be assembled before I began punching these out. I added a little decorative piece to the small squares of trim.
The wallpaper on the staircase walls was already dry enough to continue. Your wallpaper has to be completely dry before you begin putting the first floor staircase. Since the dollhouse and staircase is completely square, it fits perfectly, but that doesn’t mean it won't go in easily. This process will take time. Begin dry fitting the staircase to see how everything fits best. It can only go in one way, but it's best to know the exact positioning before actual placement. Keep trying until you find it.
Once I found it, I added glue to the bottom of the staircase only to prevent a mess and because it's not necessary to overdo it. This entire winding staircase assembly will be held together by the surrounding walls more than anything else. If you apply glue on areas of the staircase that abutt your walls, you will damage your wallpaper because this staircase must slide, shift and be put in place with extreme pressure.
You will need the mallet to tap the staircase assembly into place. This is why I stressed so much about allowing for the shell of the dollhouse and the staircase to be completely dry before beginning this process. If the glue wasn’t dry, the pressure would break it apart. Tap the staircase on all sides until it is resting in its proper place. Patience and muscle is key here. I only wallpapered the main side wall before putting in the staircase but not the other side. This is because the staircase has to be hammered in and the tabs will slide roughly against that wall. This can tear your wallpaper, so it's best to leave this part for later. There will be a lot of pressure and resistance. Keep going. If everything is glued tightly and left to dry, the dollhouse and the staircase will withstand the process. This staircase fit perfectly, with no gaps. As you can see, the staircase is under pressure from the two side walls, so it isn’t going anywhere. Even with less glue, it would take a lot to dismantle this staircase.
I put all of the trim around the staircase and glued the baseboard trim to the floors and walls for a firm fit. I used masking tape to clamp it tightly and added the decorative trim. I stained it the same as the rest of the trim.
I fit in the second floor staircase. This one does not require any pressure. It slides right in so remember to add glue to the bottom area and to the side that will rest against the wall.
I assembled the third floor railing. This is the easiest part of the entire staircase system.
While all of that dried, I began staining and painting all of the posts, rails and post caps. You have to do this little by little because all of it is labeled with pencil and requires the markings for identification. I began identifying all of the posts and leaned them up against their corresponding rails. This way I knew I wasn’t missing anything. Then I erased the marks and began staining. After they were dry, I glued them on.
Next - the railings. I identified all of the pieces and leaned them up against their corresponding sections, erased the marks, painted and glued them in place. The caps are self explanatory, they don’t need labeling.
After it is all complete, you have a perfect miniature winding staircase.
