Floors: I've not been doing minis for long but did do the floors on my dollshouse and am pleased with the result. Use a stain/wood dye to colour the floor (might be useful to try it out on a small sample first to test for colour) when dry, sand with fine glass paper/steel wool. Clean off all dust and use a good quality wax polish (Liberon is excellent but any good wax polish will do) rub in well with very fine steel wool, leave to dry again and repeat process of polishing.....You can use as many coats as you wish to achieve the desired effect. No doubt there are other methods but this worked well on the floors I did. Good luck,

Jacqui in Hampshire, UK

Choosing Paint Color Help: We went down to the Home Depot to purchase some paint and I found this neat program put out by Glidden paint company. It allows you to choose interior or exterior shots and you add color to the walls, ceilings, trim and furniture.
It cost about $5.99 plus tax. It does not have to be placed on your hard drive it runs from the CD.
I have problems choosing color that go together and this program seems like it will help. You might check it out. If you don't have The Home Depot you might check out other companies that handles Glidden paint they might carry it.

Sclarise

Tung Oil: Regarding the use of tung oil on mini wood products, it depends on the kind of finish you want to achieve. For furniture, I personally prefer Danish oil, such as Watco. To me, it seems to give a less sludgy look. Neither will give you a glossy sheen, so if you use either one and want a high gloss, I'd recommend using shellac afterwards. (Not polyurethane -- from what I understand, it's not compatible with oil products.) You might want to try experimenting with a variety of finishes on scraps of wood. Watco comes in smaller containers and shouldn't cost a whole lot. If you have a Woodcraft store in your area, they carry it. If not, they have a web site. I don't know if most garden-variety hardware stores would carry it.

Rosemary in Cleveland

Stucco: Although I used StuccoMate for the outside of my lighthouse, I really like using Skid-Tex as it is so durable. It's the stuff that you put in paint to use on steps, boats, etc, to keep the surface from being slick. You can mix in as much Skid-Tex to the paint as you want to get it the texture you want. It doesn't flake or rub off. It's great for textured ceilings!

Carole Pierce in TN

Finishing: Let's keep the finishing discussion going for a while. There are lots of cool methods people have developed in this area. We use a water stain which Pam loves and I use a first coat of lacquer sanding sealer then one or two top coats of satin lacquer thinned 1:1 and sprayed with an airbrush in a Badger spray booth that is vented outside by dryer hose. The lacquer dries fast enough that there is little dust problem and the finish is soft enough to rub easily and is reasonably repairable. I can control the pressure to spray really tiny things. An external mix Paasche air brush works fine and is easy to clean. I usually spray a couple times a week. In the really hot humid weather there can be blushing. I use a water trap in the air line to keep moisture out of the spray. We rub down between coats with Beartex gray which is a synthetic steel wool without the little particles of steel. Lacquer smells bad and is extremely flammable but it dries very quickly and has the advantage of dissolving into itself so you don't need the tack cloth most of the time. You can thin it down as much as you want. I use one nitrile glove, safety glasses and a carbon respirator when I spray. Sometimes I wear a Walkman too. Pretty scary, huh. Correction on tung oil: I was reminded that tung oil doesn't dry, itpolymerizes. I don't know why multiple coats sometimes don't get hard but this can happen. My source, Flexner, says it "turns white if left to cure in any thickness" and that "it is seldom used as a finish in its own right." It is used in many high quality varnishes.

Pete Boorum

Wood Finishes: For staining, I use Minwax exclusively. It is the most penetrating stain on the market, according to my husband who restores antiques. For a finish I use Deft spray. About three or four thin coats, sanding lightly in between with 600 grit sandpaper. (You can also find 1500 grit at an auto supply store). It gives what I would call "a hand-rubbed oil" finish. I spray whenever possible as it gets into the nooks and crannys better than brushing. Deft also gives a beautiful finish to walnut, cherry, etc., that doesn't need staining. Really brings out the beauty of the wood.

Ruth, Grass Valley, CA

House of Miniature kits: These are great kits Ellie. Just follow their instructions about finishing and you'll be very pleased with the results. I ordered their finishing kit and it's been a wonderful thing to have. Goes a long way. The things they recommend with the kits is very fine sandpaper and also a very fine steel wool. Those are easy to find in any shop that sells paint etc. The one thing I find that is invaluable in making sure things are square is Lego blocks. I use these all the time when making, sanding and putting together my wicker furniture.

Debi in Quesnel

Thanks to all...Thanks to all of you for your nice comments on the tile house. This really isn't a totally unique idea - I have seen some other mini scenes made from weird stuff (including eggs, tiles, tin cans, tree stumps, gift bags, and on and on....) and I bet we could turn almost anything into a cool scene. And I can't begin to tell you the times I have been inspired by the projects made by people on this digest. OK, everyone give yourself a big pat on the back!

Someone asked how I cut the openings - that was the hard part!!!! I cut the holes with a tile drill. I went around the opening and made a bunch of holes close to each other. Then I broke out the inside area with a hammer. Broke the tile in a few places, too.... But I wanted that rustic look so a few cracks didn't matter. I used a coarse file to smooth the openings. I wanted to use a tile saw I have, but it fits in a hacksaw and the throat depth wasn't enough to allow me to cut the openings that way.

Someone else asked how I distressed the wood on the Michael's hutch. It isn't actually distressed at all, but rather sponged painted to give it that blotchy look. The base coat just looked too flat and boring, and this doctored it up nicely.

Another person mentioned the cactus. That is made from some pod that I collected. My husband and son were with me and they are trained enough now that they don't even bat an eye when they see me picking up weird stuff. I don't know the name of it, but I bet someone on the list knows what it is. http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=345686&a=4165987&f=0 (link to tile house)

Bonnie Gibson - Tucson, Arizona

Testor's DullCote: I have found Testor's DullCote Spray to be a wonderful product to "undercoat" plastic/ceramic etc. minis before painting. It also takes the shine off of an item, so if you want to use the piece "as is" but don't want the shine, just spray it. I have spray-painted over it, and also used acrylics over it, and it has done the trick for me.

Deena in Miami

Tip for Attaching Drawer Pulls: I've never found an easy way to do this, considering how small the nails are, until last night. I tried Movable Miniatures Glue and it worked great. I dabbed just a little bit onto the pull, allowed the glue to partially dry, then after positioning it, I punched the nail holes using one of my most favorite tools (the wooden stick that looks like a cuticle remover with one large needle at one end and slanted at the other) and pushed in the nails after dipping the tips in the glue.

Theresa Thomas

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: I used the clear plastic tub in Brooke Tucker's Elegant Bath class. I was amazed at how well it turned out. When I painted the tub (my tub was beige) it did not look smooth on the inside, however when it dried the outside looked like glass. In the class we also did the clear plastic tile sheets for the tub enclosure and it looked exactly like ceramic tile although the grout was not white. I guess if you had the patience and a steady hand you could paint the grout lines white and then paint the tile.

Louise in MI

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: Grout; You can add the grout much like you do in real size - afterwards. You paint the plastic tiles from the back side so they look shiny from the front. Then you can use miniature grout or whip up some gryproc filler so it's nice and smooth (and yes, this can be tinted) and then wipe it on the top side. You wipe off the excess with a damp sponge. The tile sheets have inward lines that the grout sits right into. You want to do this in one application though as you don't want to scratch the plastic.

Debi in Quesnel

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: I took the Brooke Tucker class "Elegant Bath" and did it in red and white and it turned out very striking. It was the clear bathtub and sink set. I did mine in a marble finish to match the red and white tiles I used on floor. The red tiles had a black vein in them so I dabbed black on the underside of the bathtub/sink and then painted it lipstick red. It turned out very elegant. Every one who has seen it says " I wish I had a bathroom like that".

Jayleen in MT

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: As a person that gives class with MBS products as well as have it in the shop, I can tell you that the see thru items are a great product. You paint them on the reverse or you can apply a matching decal or something you've cut from your wallpaper first and just use acrylic paint to cover. Usually it takes 2 coats.

Not only do they have 1/12 but 1/2 scale also in the see through. You can also get tiles to really have the look you want in a variety of sizes. Other than the toilet and pedestal sink, you have to sink the pieces into a base of some kind.

I've also been thinking of doing a bathroom with a red bath and black and white checked floor but never have the time. Good luck with your project.

Deanna

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: Model Builder Supply does have fabulous clear bathroom tubs, sinks and toilets. I've done a few and they are fun. Very easy. You can even marbleize or paint a floral design on them before painting on the main colour. If you'd like to see some done up, I have some on the Gallery page of my web site. http://www.embraceables.com They have nice faucets too and everything is a very good price. Also, have you ever seen Brooke Tuckers Elegant Bath? You can see that on her web site. She uses their components too.

Debi in Quesnel

Clear Bathtub/Bathroom Set: Yeah the possibilities sure are endless...What about a red tub with naked ladies or men painted on the sides as if you are seeing the person through the tub? You could probably do it by putting a doll in the tub and draw on the outside with washable marker what you see and then reverse paint it from there...or if the tub is up against a wall and you can only see one side reduce one of those naked lady/men paintings, paint around it for the color of the tub and glue it in. Good for a gag in a number of scenes I can think of.

Carolyn

Nail Heads: Well, I can offer you two methods, a quick and a slow one:
The quick one: Take gold paint and a piece of wire. Dip the wire in the paint and make little 'nail heads' on your chair.

The slow one: Take brass nails with a round head in a very small size. Drill little holes in your chair. Cut the heads of the nails and glue them into the drilled holes. I did this once with pinheads. The cutting was done with the pin and the tool in a clear plastic bag. This is to avoid danger and you are also able to collect your little nail heads.
Oh my, my mind is warming up and comes with other possible methods; I've never tried this one:

- -Take a piece of very small ribbon in a solid color and a golden thread. Sew the thread through the ribbon and make little knots at the surface. I think this might work as well!
- -You can also use these little golden balls that are stuck on the small decals Indian women wear on their forehead.
- -Or buy a package of golden holeless beads and glue them on your chair.

Marjon de Haas (The Netherlands)

Nail Heads: I have used gold/brass colored paint before to simulate nail heads. Just get a bead on the tip of your brush and barely touch it to the spot, so that it leaves a raised bead rather than a flat brushstroke. Practice on some paper first. For non-brass you can use any color paint, brown, grey, black. For recessed nail heads, you can use a sharp-pointed tool to make a tiny indent, and then again use paint for a nail head (the tension of the paint droplet will cover over the hole and look like a barely-raised nail head). You can also simply use a fine marker to dot on nail heads (that's how I do floorboards, before staining). I just used this technique to attach the fancy doorknobs I got to dress up my super-cheap kit. The wood of the door is simply to thin to use real nails, but the doorknob plates have nail holes, which looked odd left unfilled once I glued the plates in place (I colored the area behind the keyholes with a marker first so they look like holes). So I used a brass color paint as described above, and it looks just like there are nails there.

Graceanne

Painting Plastic: anyone who wants to paint on plastic - spray the item with a very light coat of Testors Dull Cote first, and then you can brush on acrylics or spray paint! Use a very light hand with your spraying - it will puddle and drip if you are not careful. This stuff will also take the "shine" off of plastic, which is very helpful if you want to use something plastic (or ceramic) look more realistic. Most arts & crafts stores sell it; you can get it at Michael's.

Deena

Aging wood: Just a reminder for those of you trying to make something look old..... yard sale or thrift stores often sell bags of used blush makeup (the powder kind) cheap.... get it! Brushed on wood it makes wonderful smudged aged wood... rub it in and it's as if a hundred years have gone by, dirty finger prints on woodwork and doors, stains in sinks and worn areas on floors also come alive with this stuff. . The only odd thing is a broken down haunted house that smells like Avon etc. . delightful fragrance sometimes, completely at odds with the appearance. .

Judie