Stone Floor: Go to a home improvement store i.e.; Home Depot or Lowes, and get a 12" square vinyl tile with a stone texture. They come in various shades of gray and tan. With a ball point pen, lay out the stones in a pattern you like, then using a x-acto knife cut through the top layer of vinyl about 1/32" on both sides of the layout line. This will give you two parallel cuts about 1/16" apart. Then peel up the 1/16" strip and you will find you have a gray line that looks just like the mortar between the stones. It takes a little practice but you end up with a stone floor that is smooth and flat and looks great. Another added plus is that the tiles are adhesive backed so you just peel off the backing paper and stick it in place. If your floor is larger than 12" square then match patterns on the edges of adjoining tiles and you can make a floor as large as you need.

Rik Pierce

Foam core: I have discovered that if you spray foam core with a clear acrylic spray, one or two good coats, and let dry thoroughly, you will not have any warping. It has worked wonderfully for me.

Shirley Medlock

Foam core: I've used foamcore without any warpage problems because I generally spray it on both sides with fake granite paint for a stucco effect. When assembling foamcore, I always strengthen the glue bond by simply sticking straight pins through the joins. The textured paint finish "disappears" the pinheads on the finished building.

Loretta Sniarowski

Foam core: I had a miniature shop years ago and built several structures from foamcore. I was inspired by a fellow named Garth Close who was the owner at that time of Handley House Miniatures in Texas. He had a booklet/plans for several very nice and very sizey houses built from foamcore, so I tried it. This was some twenty years ago--and the structures I built are still very sound. I can't recall all I did while constructing them, but I know they are painted inside and stuccoed outside in one case--and I don't recall any warpage problem. Mind you, this is 1/2 inch thick, not 1/4 inch. I know I used contact cement to glue them up. I would think that some of the glues today would work as well. I may have painted them after they were assembled. Can't recall for sure but believe I did.

My point is: don't give up on 1/2 inch foamcore. I don't know that I would use it for a large complex house, but it certainly works well for room boxes and wall hanging pieces and small houses. In the shop, we did do a few with foamcore as the basic room and then enclosed by a larger plywood box. It is easier to wire that way. You can always slip it out for maintenance.

Phyl in Kentucky

1/24th Components: Try http://www.halfscaleminis.com they have just about anything halfscale (24th) you might want, and if not on the website email Kathy Thomas (the owner) and she is sure to be able to help you. Also, you can get bricks from http://www.grandadstoys.co.uk and then http://www.richardstacey.com

Marja Lewthwaite

Farmhouse fireplace - these were often made from the big rocks taken out of the fields while plowing so I would say - use real stones! I've tried this and love the results but the finished piece is heavy so I wouldn't place it on a second floor - lol! We made a simple wood fireplace, glued on real rocks from the driveway, let them dry then filled in the seams with dry Waller’s mud. When that dried, we gray washed it to look like cement (acrylic gray & water to thin) and glued a wooden mantel on the top. When gluing on the rocks, you'll want to be sure they are flush with the top (so the mantel sits level) and the back (so it sits against your wall). We left the inside of the hearth plain wood and painted it black, placed some sticks for logs on the bottom then used a painted square of window screen as the fireplace screen.

Lauriel of Belara Beach Original Miniatures

Farmhouse fireplace: I think a fieldstone fireplace would look appropriate. I have been collecting pebbles around the yard for one of these and plan to adhere them with lightweight joint compound. Does this sound feasible or is there a better method?

Maria

How to add wonderful scale wood "graining" to cheap wood (like the kind of wood left over form dollhouse kits). This works great for furniture.

1. Paint the wood with a very light yellow (I used Cream Coat's Cornsilk yellow), try for at lest two coats.

2. Let dry completely for a day.

3. Pour on a few drops of any color wood stain, take a large, flat brush and lightly run down it (in the way you want the "grain" to go), when your done before it dries you can add wood knots and all sorts of wood swirls by VERY lightly using the same flat brush. I would suggest to study some real good wood and reproduce the wood swirls. It's easier than you think, just try if you mess up you can quickly go over the whole thing with the brush and try again.

4. Let dry and seal with a high-gloss sealer. Or leave unsealed for a more rustic touch.

I hope your project turns out wonderful! I had great success with this, it was very easy!

Anna Hart

Woods:  'obeche' as I was told this was the same or very similar to basswood.

Balsa wood is too soft (although technically a hardwood) for making realistic furniture, etc;

Another wood is jelutong, which comes from the latex tree, it also has a fine grain, although I have had pieces with little holes through it where I suppose the latex milk runs.

Maureen in Hemel, UK

Floor Boards: We can get a hardwood board edging here that is wonderful for hardwood flooring - and very cheap too. If you buy a faced board from somewhere like Home Depot, the cut edges will look like the chipboard that the board is made of. The edges can be disguised by gluing or ironing on a precut wood strip - like veneer, but already cut into widths about 1 inch wide. Some stores may do this for you - but it is available by the roll here.

I buy the 1 inch strip, and cut it into two or three strips lengthwise depending on how wide I want my boards to be. I always buy the pre-glued variety, as the little dried glue droplets help stabilize the board and stop the veneer from splitting or cracking. If you cut short lengths at a time it cuts quite easily - I use scissors. Then I take a sheet of thick cardstock the size I want the floor to be, and lay strips of double sided tape all over - especially around the edges. Then lay the boards in whatever pattern you like - you could easily cut small rectangles and lay as a parquet floor if that took your fancy.

When the floor is complete, I iron it for extra stability, then put it under a flat weight to cool. Then, you need to sand and sand and sand until the floor is smooth - a bit of wood filler might be needed if there are any cracks between the boards. Finally polish or varnish as desired.The results can be beautiful, cheap - and real hardwood.

Lesley, South Africa

Forming acrylic plastic: While on a different search, I happened upon this site which has some very specific explanations about plastics and working with acrylics at home: http://www.acrylic-designs.com/plastic_FAQ's.htm   My eyes lit up when I saw it, and though I don't have any immediate plan for it myself, I am fairly sure that among these talented SS-ers there are several who will.  I checked the SS archives and couldn't scare up anything on the topic because "acrylic" is so often used in connection with "paint".  The writer on the above site doesn't include any warnings other than to wear gloves, but I can't help but imagine there will be fumes, as with the oven-baked clays, so please be careful.  I have seen acrylic sheets in various dimensions at the home centers.

Rosalind Perantie

Bricks: I rolled paper clay out thin (about 1/8" thick) and used the sawed off part of a disposable bristle brush that Rik provided at the class, and pounced it over the clay surface to give it a used and porous look. You can even gouge it a little here and there for a really used look. Then I used the little wooden thingy that Rik provided at the class to divide the clay into brick pieces. Of course you don't know what little wooden thingy I'm talking about. It's a thin wedge of wood with tapered edges. You can use the edge of a putty knife too. I was just too lazy to go out in the shop and look for it, LOL.

Now paper clay shrinks so I divided mine into rectangles,1/2" by 1", and they shrunk up okay for my immediate use. One day I will most likely experiment around until I get the right size raw, to shrink down to the right size dry. The trick is to divide the bricks first and let the clay dry, because as it dries, it separates at the cut edges.

I forgot one thing: it sticks so roll it out on a piece of glass, marble, or granite so that you can ease it up with a putty knife when its dry. The neatest thing is when it dries it shrinks like I said, and the bricks almost break themselves apart. Now that it is all dry you can apply you paints and washes, and Voila, you have some pretty nice bricks. I bet someone else has a better idea, but this worked for me.

Carol Wagner, Joshua Tree

Bricks: You could try using a thin slab of styrofoam (NOT the kind that has little "balls" in it) by scoring across it with a pencil, and then alternating vertical lines to look like bricks. Now paint across in a brick color. The scored section can be painted grey or left white.

Viola

Brick slips in UK: Standard bricks in UK are 9" x 3". Richard Stacey supplies slips cut from real bricks (mini-sized 3/4" x 1/4" x 1/16") richardstacey@easthampnett.freeserve.co.uk (Fax/phone: +441243 533132 http://www.richardstacey.com He sells at fairs and through shops - not sure if he sells direct. I think that they are available from http://www.JoJays.com and http://www.maplestreet.co.uk Both supply worldwide.

The product is a delight to work with - easy to 'cut' and (I think) looks wonderful - after all they're real bricks!!

One of his styles / colours can be seen on the Flower Shop - took nearly 2000 slips to cover this wall hanging 1/2 house (front and 2 sides). Pictures at: http://www.picturetrail.com (view album = mini-jane)

Jane, Warwickshire, UK

bricks and stone: On making bricks: I have used Das terra cotta air-drying clay. I roll it between two sheets of wax paper. Score lines using the edge of a steel rule. When leather dry it can be cut with scissors. It takes paint washing well for color variation and can be stippled for texture. I have also taken scored wood (very thin, maybe 1/32) and broken apart the strips. Painted them, snipped and glued individual bricks. These can be seen on my Colonial farmhouse at http://www.picturetrail.com/l.b.lee on the brick piers holding up the front porch pillars as well as the bedroom and study fireplaces. Then look at the stone piers under the brick ones. For these, I used the Rik Pierce techniques. Shape paper clay, stipple with a pouncing stiff bristled stencil brush and then paint wash. Both products are available at Joann.

Linda in Leroy, OH

Bricks: Here is my method for making bricks. I use Das terra cotta air dry clay. I run a small amount through the pasta machine to the thickness desired. On a sheet of paper I have drawn a whole sheet of bricks the desired size. I put a heavy clear plastic over this. The piece of clay is laid on this. I take a long straight sharp edge and line it up with my lines of bricks and slightly indent the clay. When this is partially dry I break it apart and turn it over to dry as the edges seem to dry first. When completely dry I glue the brick to the surface to be bricked after drawing lines to insure accuracy. When this is dry, I spray with a sealer. Then I mix water putty and apply as mortar, wiping off the excess gently with a wet paper towel. When this is thoroughly dry, dry brush with various colors.

Juanita in Missouri

Creasing lead tape: I think you could crease your tape more smoothly by running an old blade down the middle to "encourage" it to fold where you want it. You don't want to cut it all the way through, but depending upon your tape, you may have to experiment with how much encouragement is needed.

Dani, in Bradshaw, MD

Flat part of Mansard Roof: my childhood neighbors' house was mansard. The flat part was tar paper, which can be faked easily with heavy-weight black sandpaper.  Other options are metal (which would have ridges where the sheets were crimped together, and probably wasn't preferable on a flat roof) or rubber.   My current house has a flat rubber roof over the laundry room; it looks like a big heavy duty black tarp glued into place.

Loretta_Sniarowski

Mansard roof suggestions: the Foxhall Manor has a large mansard roof and I shingled the sloping edges and used Fleckstone paint in a charcoal for the flat part - looks like a flat roof that was tarred and had stones put on top which is how many flat roofs are done.   I think it looks great as it is in scale and blends well with the black modern shingles I used on the slopes.  Of course, my house is contemporary and if you are doing an older time period, I don't know if the tar and stone idea would work for that.  The paint is that granite look spray stuff and I don't know if it is available in your area.

Jo from the Poconos

Mansard roof:  In a Bluette Meloney class with mansard roof, the flat part was covered with black sandpaper, with molding strips around it, you could also use those little metal decorative strips, that look like small fences only much shorter, don't know what to call them, obviously. They give it a very ginger-bready look. Just cut four of them to butt up with each other.

Molly Cromwell