How to Build a Fairfield Dollhouse
The Fairfield dollhouse is a Victorian kit made by Greenleaf. It's considered one of the company's most difficult kits to put together. The house has a tower, two fireplaces, and six rooms. It's a 1/2" scale dollhouse, meaning that every 1/2" is equal to one foot in real life. Therefore, it is smaller than typical dollhouses.
Due to its smaller size, it's more convenient to have in your home, but it's also trickier to build. You should always follow the included instructions carefully, but here are some more helpful tips on building your house.
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Things You'll Need
- Fairfield dollhouse kit
- Fine sandpaper
- Wallpaper for dollhouses
- Dollhouse flooring
- Paint
- Wood glue
- Hot glue
- Glue gun
Instructions
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The Fairfield is a "tab and slots" kit. Each section has been precut with either tabs or slots; the slotted pieces fit into the tabs.
First, separate all your pieces according to the instructions' diagrams. It is helpful to label each one as it labeled on the diagram; use pencil. -
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Sand the pieces of the rough edges. The house comes with rough-grade sandpaper; use your own fine paper on the smaller pieces so you don't accidentally damage them.
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Consider pre-painting or pre-wallpapering your walls and putting down flooring before you put the house together. Because the house is so small, it will be difficult to do once all the rooms are together. Also remember that some spaces will be completely inaccessible after the house is put together.
However, if you plan on adding wiring for lighting, you may need to add wallpaper and flooring after the house is complete and the wiring added.
You should definitely prepaint the windows' woodwork and trim before they are added onto the house.
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Follow the instructions to put the house together. Use a high-temperature glue gun or wood glue. If you use wood glue, you will need to use clamps and tape to hold your pieces together until they dry. If the tabs don't fit into the slots, you must sand until they fit. As you finish each level, make sure it's square.
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For the exterior, you can either paint it before you assemble it or paint it afterward. Add shingles and whatever trim you prefer.
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Tips & Warnings
Look on the Greenleaf forums to get help or more ideas for finishing your house. Have a dedicated space to work on the house. Decide on a color scheme before you begin the house.
Always make sure you have all the pieces to your kit before you get started. If you are missing a kit, call the manufacturer and they will send you the piece.
