My shell is completely dry now, as are the doors I assembled yesterday.
I applied the first coat of paint to the exterior of the bay walls. I plan to glue the doorknobs onto both doors while they are still off the dollhouse. If you're not using jewelry beads, you'll likely need to tap the knobs into place. This is difficult to do once the door is attached, so make sure to install the knobs before placing the door in position.
To attach the knobs, first mark where you want them on the door. The rule of thumb is three inches up from the bottom of the door. Use a nail to create a hole at each mark; this will make it easier to tap in the knob. A hammer is necessary for this task; a rubber mallet won't work. After making nail holes on both sides, position a knob over one hole and tap it in. You can place a piece of cardboard between your hammer and the knob to avoid breaking it.
Once you've secured one knob, you might wonder how to attach the second one without damaging the first. Simply rest the door on top of a roll of masking tape so that the first knob isn't touching any surface while you work on the other side. Remember to offset the second knob slightly since the door is too thin for both knobs to be placed directly back-to-back. The best approach is to position it to the side of the first knob, rather than above or below, as this will keep it visually aligned when you look at the inserted door from the sides.
I also primed all the walls. It's easier if you turn your dollhouse on its side or upside down, but be cautious not to confuse a floor with a ceiling and accidentally paint where you don't want it. Use any light-colored paint for priming. After priming, I painted the ceilings and stained the floors. Once everything is dry, it's time to wallpaper.
While building this dollhouse was straightforward, wallpapering is quite challenging due to undefined rooms and many twists and turns. The bays are particularly difficult to wallpaper. I recommend using a heavily patterned print for tricky rooms and avoiding solids, lines, murals, or stripes. A scattered pattern will help with matching and patching in all those nooks and crannies, especially since you'll need to turn wallpaper over edges.
Start with the bay when wallpapering a room that has one. This allows you to work outward toward the other walls, which is especially helpful if you can't wallpaper the bay before assembly, as is the case with this model. I used stripes in the hallway, which may not have been ideal but it was my only available pattern. Fortunately, I managed to patch it up where the door goes. There will also be a staircase in front, and any breaks in the floors can help divert attention from that area.
Take your time, use good-quality glue, and plan carefully. Keep in mind that two partition walls still need to be installed, so you'll need extra wallpaper for them to match their respective rooms. Luckily, these rooms are small, and one side of each has only half a wall instead of a full one. Three sheets of each pattern worked well for me.
