I painted the bottom roof trim light brown today. Once it dried, I glued on the dark brown roof trim over it. The binder clips worked well for holding everything tightly in place.
While that dried, I slid in the roof. I didn’t paint the roof beforehand because doing so would have made it difficult to fit into place. Paint causes wood to swell, which would have caused a tight fit. However, you still need a mallet to secure the tabs.
While waiting for the roof to dry, I prepared the back edge trim for the second floor. I didn’t glue the back edges to my floors when instructed because they would have interfered with wallpapering. Now that the second floor is finished, I can attach that trim, which I clamped in place with masking tape.
Next, I glued on the back tower support and a small wall that was missing in the corner of the third floor. Although the instructions didn't require this yet, I had already installed the mansard roof support because I had built this dollhouse before. If you're unsure, follow the instructions carefully.
I painted the roof top and, while it dried, painted and glued the chimney trim. I also painted and glued on the roof trim using binder clips as clamps. Since the wallpaper is finished on both sides, I decorated, stained, and glued on the bedroom door. Then, I turned the dollhouse upside down to paint the third-floor ceiling and prime the walls. I spackled all visible slots on the ceilings and painted them.
The last step is to prepare the mansard roof panels. I traced them on paper for later shingling and started wallpapering the third floor while things dried thoroughly. These roof panels are easy to curve because they are thin wood with cardboard backing, which prevents breakage. They come pre-curved in the right direction when removed from their sheets. However, they fit tightly between the top roof and base trim, creating a lot of pressure that could lift up your roof if not glued properly. To make fitting easier, I trimmed the tops of the panels with scissors to reduce strain. I dry-fitted each one to determine how much trimming was necessary for a snug fit without damaging the dollhouse. Once I achieved the perfect fit, I applied glue and taped the roofs in place according to the instructions.
You cannot place two panels next to each other at once because that makes clamping difficult. I primarily used masking tape to clamp them down but found creative solutions where tape wouldn’t work. Around the chimney, I used two rolls of mounting tape to hold things down while using masking tape as clamps. If you have pins, use those instead. For clamping at the tower corner, I inserted a small box of box cutter blades between the panel and tower support beam. A glue stick helped apply pressure at the top edge as well. If you lack pins, look for household items that can serve as clamps; I used binder clips through a window to secure part of the roof. If you notice small gaps on your panels, don’t worry; they will be covered by shingles later.
Now, I need to let everything dry thoroughly before removing the clamps and gluing on the front trims.
