Miniature Flooring: I have seen some hardwood floors on miniatures web sites, where the gaps between the wood strips are minuscule, but noticeable nonetheless. I recently installed the floor in my room box, and I found a solution. I used the flooring made up of 1/4" oak strips adhered to some type of backing, and I couldn’t stand the gaps. So... I used wood filler - the stainable type - to fill all the gaps. I used a putty knife to spread the filler all across the floor (going with the grain, of course). I then used the putty knife to remove as much excess as possible. After it dried completely, I sanded it completely smooth with various grits of sandpaper, and then stained it golden oak. I used three thick coats of polyurethane for the finish, and sanded with 0000 steel wool between coats. It looks great, there are no gaps, and the filler isn’t the least bit noticeable. If you plan on staining the floor a darker color, do a test first, to see how well the filler takes the stain, and if it would be noticeable.

Jonathan in Israel

Shellac: Minwax Polyurethane is NOT "the same thing as shellac." Shellac is alcohol-based and is thinned with denatured alcohol. Minwax Polyurethane is oil-based and is thinned with mineral spirits. For some strange reason sales people in paint departments will tell you they are the same thing. They are used for similar purposes but they are not the same thing at all.

SUSAN AT THE WRH

Shellac: For those that are looking for shellac. The person who was told that Minwax Polyurethane is the same as shellac was given totally wrong information. Shellac comes in two types; clear and orange. It is thinned with wood alcohol. If you're looking to use it as a sealer, start with a 50/50 mixture of shellac and alcohol. In a good paint store you should be able to buy both types. Use the clear, also called white. Polyurethane is very similar to varnish and is used to provide a final finish. It is usually available in both satin and glossy finish. Another good product for final finish is Deft which is very similar to polyurethane and is also available in both satin and glossy.

Garry Cosine

Shellac: Min-Wax is not shellac. Shellac is a natural product made from little bugs (don't laugh). Minwax is a plastic product that does not give you any thing like a shellac finish. If you want shellac try Constantine's at 1-800-223-8087. They will send you a catalog, too, if you ask.

Part number for a pint, clear SH308; Amber SH708. my catalog is a couple of years old but the price then was $5.45 for a pint. There are also other types of shellac in the catalog. Lots of other great stuff too.

Bill Hudson

Shellac: When the person at Home Depot said polyurethane is the same as shellac he probably meant that you can use it interchangeably with shellac. This may be true in most home improvement but it is not true in wood finishing. Think of it as using molasses to substitute for honey. They are both sweeteners but you won't get the same result. You can purchase amber shellac from any good woodworking catalog in dry form and mix it with denatured alcohol (ethanol). http://shop.woodcraft.com and search for shellac. You can also buy white (clear) shellac at a good paint or hardware store.

Pete Boorum

Staining End Grains: I will give you our tip on end grains, this is part of our talk at our theme luncheon at National NAME in Louisville in July. Sand the ends with fine grit sandpaper--220 or 280 grit. This way, less stain will soak in the wood. Another thing that you can do is apply a wash coat of the stain first, this will give less penetration of the stain. This can be a thinned down version of the finish or a wood conditioner. We use only Minwax products. Gel stains are SUPPOSED to work, we do not use those. This will work to reduce blotching also. Remember the trick is sanding!

Carroll H. Elmer

Nail Polish Use: This weekend I was working on a Mary Englebreight project and I painted several teapots in this style. These were the new resin teapots I purchased at National this summer. They were painted with standard acrylic paint and looked great. I was instructed to spray them with a gloss varnish for finishing. Being Sunday evening and not having any gloss varnish on hand, I painted them over with clear nail polish. They turned out just great, they look like porcelain teapots. Now being a Monday morning quarterback, I am wondering if in the future I will pay a price for using this. Does anyone in the group have any longterm experience with using nail polish

Lynne Summerhays

Nail Polish Use: Lynn asks if there will be problems with using clear nail polish as varnish on her teapots. I can't answer definitely but a commercial dollmaker I know used to coat the lips of her finished dolls with it to give them the gloss she wanted. I would assume that no problems resulted since she shared the information with me

Susan at the white Rabbits House

Nail Polish Use: My understanding is that nail polish will eventually yellow. Plus, it is not made for long-term use. IMO, seems like it would be better to use a product that wasn't specifically formulated for temporary usage to varnish something, just in case, if one wanted it to look good for a long time

Lynette in WNC

Nail Polish Use: I thought I would add my $0.02 to the pot. I have used colorless nail polish as a lacquer finish on some bowls I made from bakers clay and they shine like real varnish. The nail polish went on top of acrylic paint. No problems

Dr Bob Delrat Beach, FL

Plaster moldings: This would be very authentic for Victorian architecture. Many of the "wood" cornices and such were "wood grained" plaster. For miniatures, Hydrocal is finer and retains more detail than ordinary plaster of Paris. In the USA it is usually available through model railroad suppliers. Look into purchasing in quantity - it is much more affordable than the small bags which are simply repackaged and marked up ridiculously.

For molds, RTV works well if poured carefully over patterns well coated with mold release. Everybody has their own favorites so check your local art supply and (again) look at commercial quantities as a possible way of saving over the long run though most RTV does have a relatively short shelf life even unmixed.

For my plaster moldings, I "paint" the first layer into the molds to assure no surface bubbles, pour about half way and then add a strip of precut gauze for added strength before pouring the remainder. Slightly overfill the molds and then sandpaper away the excess after all is very-very thoroughly cured. Do not use wood or metal stiffeners as the widely different coefficients of climatic expansion and recession will cause cracking and separation with time.

Installing plaster cornices (for example) I usually glue to the wood shell or right over wallpaper with Elmer's white glue. Cope and overlap/underlap at corners rather than mitering. Paint AFTER all is in place but allow at least a month of cure time after casting prior to any glue or paint.

Mel K. Las Vegas

Plaster moldings: I think Fimo or air-dry clay would be better for the method I use: Roll out your clay into a long flat strip; in scale. On a piece of scrap wood, draw your design for the molding (remember your design will be reproduced backwards). Paint the surface of the wood with Elmers glue and place string, or thread on the penciled design. What we are making is a stamp. When the glue dries the thread or string will be raised and firmly held in place. Now press the design into the Fimo or air dry clay. If the strip of molding is too long for the oven you use. (in the case of Fimo), use a sharp razor and cut it into sections. These can be glued together later.That is how I make molding with a repeat design.

Dr. Bob, Delray Beach, FL

Plaster mouldings: I happened to flip past the Christopher Lowell show and they were doing this with cake bags and tips. Not for minis of course but they used something that looked a lot like spackle in the frosting bag.

Karyn Zabrouski

Plaster moldings: When I was in Fine Arts we had a design project where we each made a length of our own plaster moldings which were then cut up to form design elements. We had to cut out a metal template of the profile of the plaster molding we wanted. A large batch of plaster was mixed, when it reach a workable consistency it was spread out on a long table. We then ran the metal template over the plaster to form the molding. Once partially dry we cut the plaster on a band saw. This was how old plaster moldings were made. I have never tried something like this on a miniature scale but I don't see why the same process couldn't be used. It was sort of like extruding but with only half the design. Extruding is what you are doing when squeezing out a design from your pastry bag. It can also be done with clay or fimo in an extruder from a ceramic or crafts store. This is also a good way to make moldings. Many potters use large extruders with their own designs to make the handles of pots and various trims for their work, the same principles work in miniature.

If you find metal designs, jewelry forms or make designs of fimo, clay or carve in plaster, that you would like for molding you can cover them with quite a few layers of latex rubber. Letting each layer dry. Mix up a batch of mold plaster as it is stronger than plaster of Paris. You can buy mold plaster in a ceramic shop. Mix up a quantity of the plaster and pour it into the latex mold, knock it on the table to release any air bubbles. When it sets up remove it from the mold.

My favorite way to make plaster like trims is with sculpy that I press into plaster molds I have made. Remove the sculpy forms and bake them. The white sculpy looks very much like plaster and can be stained with oil paints or painted with acrylic paints.

Jean Day

Plaster moulding and cake decorator bags; I found these posts really interesting. Karyn had mentioned seeing them on the Christopher Lowell show. This process really CAN be used with miniatures, in a lot of ways. In my haunted mansion, the frame for the haunted mirror, was piped through a one sided "jag" tip, and a small leaf tip. Afterwards, it was stained, antiqued, and sealed. Even on close examination, people have mistaken it for carved wood.

I'm really easily bored with plain types of exterior mouldings, (and many of mine, do not even traditionally exist, they have more of a fantasy type feel), but the Palladian window frames, and the circular exterior window frames were all embellished, directly onto the bare wood kit pieces of the Buttercup, (with a cake decorating bag, and fine tips). When they dried, they were painted, antiqued, and finished off. It's amazing the detail you can add, with a steady hand. And it really holds up (talking about drywall here, again). Doesn't split, or crack, or shrink. For the "plaster ceilings" in my dollhouse, I always loved those finely swirled designs. (Bit of a drama queen, I like heavy ornate detail...) I did the same thing on each ceiling surface, piping the drywall out with a jagged "ribbon" tip, took a long time, but it looks good. Again, applying it on the bare wood, no prep...nothing. Not one piece of any of the three full length ceiling pieces have ever chipped or split. When I taught cake decorating classes ( full size and mini) for the mini cakes, I advised the use standard freezer bags and latex caulk. Same premise, just cut a tiny hole in the tip, and proceed with your border and swags. You can get a lot of interesting effects. (For really pretty fairy wings...you can pipe out your outline, and inner "feather" or "butterfly" detail ...with the caulk onto wax paper, let it dry, and layer the inside design with envirotex. Give it a day or so to sit, and peel it off. They're amazing.) Anybody bored with casting in molds, might want to give the icing bag trick a try. Allows you a lot of freedom for self expression.

I use a product (actually a 4.5 gallon bucket did all the siding, ceilings.. all of the stuff for the Haunted Dollhouse) the bucket was about ten dollars. Bought it at Home Depot, it's called "Lightweight All Purpose Joint Compound" made by "Sheetrock" brand. But it's industrial drywall. I'm sure any brand would do!

Sherise

Removing the shine: for the lady who asked about taking the shine off inexpensive furniture. I have done some of mine with a couple of very thin coats of watered down pva. That took the shine off then i painted over the top of that and then sealed the item

Sharon

Laugh & Learn: I found this amusing website recently and, although it's written tongue-in-cheek(at least I assume so), there are some fabulous tips on aging miniatures that I've never seen before.   Be sure to read through it all, not only for the humor, but for the terrific tips: http://www.tackyliving.com/crafts/carGarden1.html   Miniature Car Garden She also has a link on her home page for a website that offers candy favorites from the 50's and 60's (Chuckles, Smith Brothers licorice cough   drops, button candy, Necco's, Pop Rocks, etc.).

Pam

Catalog site: http://www.mackenzie-childs.com   which if you're not familiar with the company, is rather like Mary Engelbreit on steroids -- and incredibly pricey, too.   Very whimsical, multi-patterned painted finishes, chunky shapes.  It all looks like it should be miniature anyway! Folks like me who enjoy customizing cheap wood furniture and Michaels hutches will particularly like the faux paint ideas for the armoires and tables.

Loretta.Sniarowski

Southwest Room box: I did make a Southwest Room box using Styrofoam as the structure. I used spackling paste for the stucco, Red Devil brand is very light texture and easy to work with. The first coat is the hardest to get to stick to the Styrofoam, but after that it is pretty simple. You just apply the spackle, let it dry thoroughly, sand it and apply another coat. It is a time consuming process but gives wonderful results. My 1" scale room has a smooth stucco finish and my 1/2 " has a rough textured stucco finish. I think I applied about 12 coats, on the smooth finish, but they thin and sanded. I applied several coats of my finished paint color as well. The stucco will absorb the paint. Feel free to e-mail me if you would like more info.

Lillie in Texas

Southwest House/Stucco/Styrofoam: If you will apply a thin coat of white glue to the styrofoam, foamcore or insulation foam, the spackle will grab on immediately and the work goes much quicker. .

Susan Wise