Foam: When joining two pieces of foam core glue together then use sewing pins to clamp it. Don't use the sewing pins with glass heads as when the project is dry you pull the pins out and if you use the glass head pins the glass head comes off.

Karen Hill

Cutting Foamcore: Use a sharp blade in a utility knife. Use a steel straight edge and make the cut three times. The first cut is a light score just through the top paper. The second cut a little deeper, the third cut deep enough to cut through the bottom paper. Make your cuts on a surface of matboard, cardboard or glass. Never on wood, carpet or countertop. You should end up with a perfect smooth edge. If your foamcore is 1/2 inch or more use more cuts to get through the board. Happy cutting.

Colette, North Carolina

Cutting Foamcore: you might want to try some saber saw blades from Sears. I bought some recently, but have not had the opportunity to use them yet. They are like knives - just a sharp edge, - no teeth and are made like a regular saber blade. They suggest using them on foam board and wall board. Real inexpensive - under two fingers! I have also cut the "board" with a hollow ground planer blade on the table saw, but even then there are some jaggies - more like fuzz to smooth out. I had fair luck with an emery board, but ran it lightly across the edge, working from top to bottom instead of running straight down the edge. I have had good luck sealing the edges with white glue. I spread a fairly thick, smooth coat on the edges, let it dry and sometimes come back with a second coat.

Lynn K. Kuhnert

Foamcore edges: The best way I have found of tidying the cut edges of foamcore is to glue a strip of light weigh card around the edge. use tacky glue, some craft clues will melt the polystyrene.

If you are clever when you cut the foamcore you can cut thru one layer of the paper and the foam in one place, then a little further along cut right thru the 3 layers. Then peel one layer of paper and the foam off the other paper and then fold that piece of paper up so you are covering the cut foam with the same paper that covers the rest of your foam core. This makes a really neat finish with only one cut edge (the other being a fold.

Sandra Monk

FOAMCORE TIPS: This is a good medium for someone with your unique challenges. You can relax, have a good time and throw away any cuts that do not please you. Don't be concerned about perfection, strive for satisfaction. Yes, you may apply your wallpaper and your flooring before you glue the box together. I would recommend that you leave a boarder that equals the width of the foam core you use. This is usually a 1/4" thick piece so you would leave a 1/4" uncovered edge on 3 sides of the floor and on two sides of the back panel to the room. I suggest you build a box just for fun. Don't worry about the size of anything. Just have a practice run to get the hang of working with the material. Be sure to use a very sharp X-Acto blade to make your cuts in the foam core. Change your blade often. Tacky glue is a good bond for this trial box. A metal edge ruler with a cork back will grip the surface of the foam core and make it easier to cut a straight line.

Make the first cut lightly, just to cut through the first layer of poster board. The second cut will cut through the foam. The third cut will cut the last piece of poster board. Cut two equal squares of foam core. These are the side walls. Two more pieces should be rectangular, 1/2" wider. These are the ceiling and floor. The last piece should be 1/2" wider than the original squares on the top as well as the bottom. This is the back wall. Pin them together with dressmaking pins to check the fit. Trim away any excess. Use a pencil to mark where your edges come together. This will make it easier to glue the wallpaper in place. Copy some printables from the web. Glue them in place for wallpaper and flooring. Add pre-painted strips of wood for baseboard, etc. Glue these in place before you assemble the box. Glue your decorated pieces together using the same dressmaker pins to hold them in place while they dry. Small strips of bass wood, pre-painted and trimmed to fit the exposed edges of the front of the box will give you a nice finish.

Congratulations! You've just made your first room box. Now you've mastered the skills necessary for a basic box. If you want to electrify a foam core box, I highly recommend the small strip lights that are available from many dollhouse companies.

Becky

More Faux Brick: I was just sitting here and checking out all the faux brick patterns on About.com and started wondering...wouldn't it be possible to print brick out on parchment paper and emboss it like they do greetings cards with the technique called "pergamano"? Seems like it would really be a raised pattern like the original and would look wonderful, esp. on the floor of a period home, possibly for the outside walls, too...can you imagine this on the walls of a castle? I can. One could also use it on a modern type dwelling since some people put brick around fireplaces, whether in the kitchen or wherever. Also, I have brick on one wall of the living room to give it a little extra "oomph". This would be fine on a floor or even perhaps on an inside wall. Some of those roomboxes that hang on the wall and have paper ppl, etc., may possibly benefit from this treatment, IMHO.

Linda

Tips for Storing Wood: Since I live on 5 acres in the country, we do a lot of irrigating. PVC Pipe is a white rigid plastic pipe that comes in 12 foot lengths and assorted diameters. It can be found at any hardware store or Home Depot. I use the 1-1/2 inch diameter. Cut it in 18 inch sections, stand them on end and glue the sides together with PVC Cement to form a square cluster. I then wrap one strip of duct tape around the bunch to make it a secure unit.

Like this: OOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOO
OOOOOOOOOO

I set this unit on a piece of plywood on wheels and it rolls under my workbench. By looking down at the end cuts you can see what is stripwood and what are the various shapes of moldings. As I use it and it becomes too short for the 18 inch pipe, put those scraps in 3 different boxes: 1 is stripwood, 1 is moldings and the other is both that have been painted or stained and left from a project. It’s amazing what you can build from these scrap boxes.

Ruth

Storage for wood strip/moulding: For those who don't have ready access to PVC pipes I came up with a slightly less permanent version over the holidays. Having been inspired to clean up my workspace by all the mention on SS, I had a look around for something to keep as yet unused baseboards and mouldings upright and out of the way. There in the recycling pile were all those empty Christmas wrap and paper towel rolls along with quite a few Pringles "tins". I crammed them into an empty detergent box and used packing tape to hold everything together against the still attached upright lid. I now have different height tubes to hold anything long and thin and it tucks away in a small corner.

Dawn T / Toronto, On

stripwood storage: Ruths' idea of using PVC pipe for storing stripwood is a great one. I have done the same sort of set up, the only difference is that on the outside of of the bundle of tubes, I put some of varying heights - i.e. one 12" long, one 8" long, etc. and this is where my shorter stuff goes. Also, instead of PVC, I used some old mailing tubes that were different diameters and had the advantage of caps on the end. I have a rectangular shaped plastic container that came free with cat food that I put all my sheet wood in. It is about 4" wide so it holds the 3" sheets that are commonly sold. I put the wood in divided by type of wood, and by thicknesses. They stand on end so I can see what I have pretty easily. I keep the box pretty full, so I've never had a problem with warpage.

I also keep an old bucket near my saws to throw scraps into- sometimes I am able to salvage something out of it, but most often it is unusable and makes a great campfire at some point. It is hard sometimes to decide when you should save or pitch scraps- I tend to use almost everything, but if it is all just thrown into a box you aren't too likely to ever find it when you need it anyway.

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Slate floors: I have another way to use the artist medium Gesso (suggested by Anne I think for wall preparation). I used it to create slate floors for the kitchen in my kit-bashed Newport. I had added about 10 " to the side to create an elongated house which gave me room for a full kitchen. I wanted slate floors but wanted something to be textured (slate is smooth but has irregularities). I didn't want to use the real slate I had as it was too thick and out of scale. I had the black tape used by artists to create print lines (it comes in various widths from very wide to very thin - I used 1/16").I had originally gotten it to create lines on the windows (like for leaded windows) but used something else instead. This has a thickness to it though so made a grid on the floor with the tape extending; about 1/2" outside, then spread gesso over the floor. At this point you really don't have to worry about texturing - just get it evenly spread over the floor. You may have to do it twice as gesso tends to flatten out as it dries. Then I painted it a battleship grey and sponged various shades of grey over it to look mottled (real slate even has rust stains on it sometimes and comes in shades of grey, green and a maroonish red so here is lots to play with here). When it was dry to the touch I pulled up the strips of black tape (this tape is tough being made of some sort of plastic material) and it left the slightly rough irregular edges to the squares. I then coated it with a shiny finish (any gloss finish would work I think (I used gloss Liquitex because that's what I had on hand) and it looks like a well cared for waxed slate floor. It was great fun to do.

By the way, if anyone has a few slate shingles lying around (on the east coast you can find them fairly easily - - look for old buildings with slate roofs that are starting to come apart - you'll find whole shingles or pieces lying on the ground especially after a rain), break them up and use the pieces for wonderful foundations around your houses as a variation to brick or flagstones in your gardens.Slate is really tough stuff so get something to tilt it against (like when you want to break a stick). Use an old trusty hammer and go at it (a great way to get rid of old aggressions!). BUT BE SURE TO WEAR SAFETY GLASSES. I wouldn't want anyone to lose their eyesight or get hurt by flying bits of stone.

Ana

Masonite: For anyone who may not know, Masonite is a brand name for Tempered Hardboard (kind of like a high density fiberboard). To answer your question, it holds up pretty well. It is near impossible to wire (can't get brads or eyelets into it worth a darn - its too hard). It is usually on 1/8" thick, windows and doors are for 1/4" or 3/8" thick walls, typically.

Tom Berkner

Regarding Wood Movement: Solid wood moves with moisture content. In a heated house it will lose moisture and shrink a little, but not evenly. If you could see the growth rings on the end grain of a board they would be curved. As the wood dries out the growth rings tend to straighten. The only way to stop this is either to maintain the moisture content or capture the lumber by force. This is why dovetails on full scale pieces are marked and cut the same day the lumber is milled. This is also why it is proper to have the concave side of the rings on the outside faces of a box or drawer to keep the edges from pulling apart as the lumber dries. Solid wood is not like fabric.... You can make it flat by ironing it or training an elephant to dance on it, but, unless you stress the wood and damage the structure, it will reassume its original shape. It may stay flat for a while, but beware... unless you glue it or fasten it in some other manner it will almost always resume its bow. Why this doesn't always happens is one of those mysteries that makes woodworkers talk to themselves. Do what you can to straighten bows and warps in solid wood and plywood, but remember there are many, many horror stories in the full scale wood working world of the terrible things that have happened to projects when the builder ignored or didn't understand the principles of wood movement.

Pete Boorum, On Sebbins Pond, Bedf

Strips of wood. --model air plane shops carry balsa and basswood. Balsa comes in assorted sizes and lengths. when you cut it with the grain you can be exact but to cut it across the grain use a craft saw or cut a little larger and sand it down to size. air plane model shops sell these saws and miter boxes. basswood is harder to cut but sturdier.

To cover a seam when papering --molding of wood at the base, ceiling edge or chair rail cover up irregular edges. wooden coffee stirrer pre-stained or pre-painted work fine if you cannot fine any thing else.

Jane n Arkansas

Stonework: I made my own "stone" for the patio. It looks like the slabs of limestone they use in "real" landscaping. I made it by mixing plaster of Paris, glue, paint and water so that the mixture was a doughy texture. Then, I rolled it out between 2 sheets of waxed paper to about 1/8" thickness. I peeled off the top layer of waxed paper and let the mixture dry. Then, I broke it into pieces. To add more color and texture, I used several color washes in different hues of browns, and burgundy. I laid the pieces out on the "patio" to get an idea where I wanted them to fit and glued them in place with tacky glue.

So, tonight I needed to "grout" around the stones. Again, I used the same mixture as before, except I mixed it to the consistency of frosting. I started to smooth it on with a spatula - - but, alas, I ended up using my fingers! After being sure I had gotten it into every nook and cranny, I wiped off the excess with a wet towel. As a final step, I sprayed the whole thing - with the "grout" still wet - with a matte finish sealer. And,....surprise! It looks great. Very realistic.

Sloan

log cabin "chinks"--I just finished a small log cabin and had the same problem--daylight (and mini drafts)! As I started with an assembled kit, sealed in light wood with glue already in the cracks that would not"take" the furniture stain that I used on the rest of the exterior; I tried acrylic paints (bit of green and dark brown mixed) with some white glue and used coffee grounds "painted" into the chinks with a small brush fully loaded. It not only filled the cracks and covered the light spots, but gave a convincing look to the "mud". I took my finger after filling the cracks to smooth the stuff and remove excess from the logs. Any color that strayed was easily rubbed into the wood as it was close to the other stain in color. You could probably use spent tea, also--something to give it texture and covering quality. I was happy with the results. I am using oiled parchment on the one window, in a frame that will open "out" for a full view of the "lake and the mountains"--which are on a piece of oil painting cut from its frame and standing on a backdrop behind the cabin.

Xmas Carol

Foam Core: I built a 2 story dollhouse for my daughter over 20 years ago before I was ever into miniatures. It was a simplicity pattern that I used in conjunction with real good toys. That dollhouse lasted through her and countless # of friends playing with it over several years, and then when she grew out of it I took it over and put it in our living room and changed it and added to it over the next several years. Even added a 3rd floor to it. It held up beautifully. I also use foam core exclusively to build my room boxes.

Kathy

Wood hardener: I first asked about Minwax's wood hardener because someone mentioned using it when working with "found" wood like driftwood or interesting-shaped roots. But when I spoke to people at the Durham Wood Show Minwax stand, they said carvers used it to strengthen wood for carving fine details like feathers. I need something like that for my wooden peg dolls. I can make them down to about 1 1/4 inches high quite easily, but when I go below that, no matter what wood I try, the joints get very fragile. I'm down to about 1/64 inch thick wood for each piece. So the hardener might work. Apparently you mix it 50-50 with acetone. It's available at Home Depot. To save anyone else trying somewhere smaller, Home Hardware as a group don't carry it and won't order it.

Frances

IN PRAISE OF THE LOWLY YARDSTICK!!! Consider the poor thing. It gets left out in the weather, hung in the hot stuffy garage for years, propped behind the refrigerator, left lying on the cement blocks outside for weeks at a time, used to retrieve lost items from beneath the bed - fridge- couch- car..... it is a most versatile and under appreciated item in our house. Does it warp? no Does it twist and bend with moisture? no. Does it rot? no. How many years has it stood, silent and neglected without visible change?

It's made of wood my dearies.... excellent wood, Great wood! Thin pine usually, HOBBY WOOD!!!! I've been cutting and using yardsticks for years for mini building. . . all the qualities mentioned above are inherent in this often overlooked source of excellent wood for hobby builders. A saw and a handful of cheap yardsticks can make you a master of all you aspire to in the mini world. Windows, Doors, framing, furniture, plank floors, house trim, etc. I found a hundred of them at a yard sale for .05 each. Find THAT in a hobby store. A light sanding to take the numbers off and you have one of the finest quality hobby wood planks you can imagine.

They paint, sand, stain, glue and cut like a dream. . .

Judie - Daytona Beach, FL

Building With Foamcore: I have built a 3-story house with 1/2 inch foamcore, and it is very solid. It is finished with wooden clapboard siding, shingles, hardwood floors, etc. Even with all that weight, it is extremely sturdy. I used a couple of techniques which worked well for me. For gluing along the corner seams I used a product called "Glue Screws" that I found at K-Mart. I also used wide packing tape to be sure the seams were tight and there was a good even bond. In addition, after gluing, I used nails, about 2" long, dipped in white glue which were inserted every 4" or so. That probably wasn't necessary, but since this was my first effort I wanted to be extra-certain of stability.

The foamcore I buy is 20" x 30". Where I needed to join 2 pieces of foamcore side by side to make a larger "slab" (for my floor base and front of the house which is wider than 20") I used the Glue Screws along the edge, and then also used"biscuits" (similar to what Norm uses on "This Old House" all the time). I used thin pieces of wood (1/8" or so thick and about 1/2" wide x 1" long) and cut a slot into the edge of the foamcore with a razor knife. Then I squeezed glue into each slot and inserted the biscuit into one slot and slid the other piece up to it making sure the biscuit went into the slot. Do a dry-fit of this before messing with all the glue! Leave it flat until the glue dries, and you have a nice even sheet of foamcore, but in the larger size you need. You can also cover the seam with a nice wide piece of thin tape, like packing tape for added insurance.

Inside the house, the walls are 1/2" foam, too, but I did use a couple pieces of gator foam in a wall near the center on each floor, just because it is extra strong and I wanted to be sure nothing sagged. You can also use a structural beam of sorts (1/2 square or so) here and there if you can fit them someplace that won't be too obvious. I'm thrilled with the results and am working on another structure right now.

Karen Golomb

Free Flooring: The lumber yard gets some of their shipments in crates made with thin Luan ply. I was looking for something like that when my dog shredded a bathroom door, and the guys said they usually toss it and gave me a large, slightly damaged sheet. I was able to repair the door, and saved the shredded veneer. I cut strips on the band saw, staggered the planks, used wood filler with some lamp black in it, sanded it, and coated it with Minwax. It looks just like aged flooring and was not really too much work.

Jacqui Marlin