Smiley House Sans Stairs

I debated about removing the staircases, but not very long. Painting, wallpapering, flooring around staircases can be very difficult. The first couple tugs suggested that I might not want to remove the staircases as they felt like they would be nearly impossible to remove without destroying something.

I decided to give my metal putty knife a try to see if I could get it under the base of the first floor staircase. Success! With a little wiggling and pushing, the bottom of the staircase came loose. Next I slid the knife along the wall up the stairs to see if there were any obstacles.
By that I mean "glue." Fortunately, the glue that remained was fairly brittle and put up little resistance. The top of the staircase was a little more of a challenge.
Again, cautiously pressing between the floor and top step eventually separated them. I was able to remove both sets of stairs and the railings along the top without any damage.

It is important to note that occasionally the glue might be more resilient and require more coaxing. In that case, I recommend you get your hairdryer and apply a little heat. Direct the heat toward the glued area, making sure that the metal putty knife gets some of that heat as well. Then just continue to press and move the putty knife between the connected areas until they come apart. Don't force! Just slowly and patiently work the putty knife along the area.

Now it will be much easier to prime and wallpaper the walls along the staircases. The idea of cutting the wallpaper to fit against each stair was not something I wanted to do. It is much easier to wallpaper an entire wall rather than fit around steps.

Smiley House is Coming Along!

Ok, I just can't wait until the entire house is cleaned and primed. It never ceases to amaze me how a little cleaning and priming can transform a tired old dollhouse. I still have a long way to go, but I just had to share the difference already. A couple rooms still require wallpaper removal, but I've applied a coat of primer to those walls (and ceilings) that were ready. The old wood and a couple water stains are still showing through in a few spots, so I'm sure I'll apply another coat in those areas. I certainly don't want the discoloration showing through the beautiful new wallpaper that is going to be installed!

This is one of those times when I want to tell everyone that has an old dollhouse sitting in the attic or basement (or heaven forbid, garage). Take it out, breath new life into it! Give it to your grandchild, neighbor's kid, niece or nephew, donate it to your church or community auction. Someone, somewhere, somehow spent hours (and I'll bet highly enjoyable time) building and decorating that dollhouse once upon a time. Don't let it sit alone in a corner to deteriorate. Share the joy it will bring! Building, remodeling, giving is so rewarding!

I digress...

back to the Smiley renovation!

Introduction to Dollhouse Renovations

Welcome to our new blog...Dollhouse Renovations. It is our hope that through this blog, we will keep you posted on the ins and outs of dollhouse renovation. Maybe you (and I) will learn a few tricks to remodeling along the way through discussions and interactions to my progress. I'll share with you the trials, tribulations, challenges and successes that I encounter from start to finish.

While I have done many renovations over the years, this is the first time that I've decided to document the process. I usually forget to take before pictures, making it difficult to remember where I started. It is so very important to note that each and every house that I have done has presented its own list of obsticles and discoveries. Since no two dollhouses are exactly alike, each has been a learning experience. They have all given me some form of satisfaction upon completion. Whether it was my personal opinion of the completed project, the apparent delight in the eyes of the owner or recipient, or just the fact that I completed the task, I have enjoyed every journey.

I hope you'll join my journey and maybe even add a comment or two!