Originally, I thought the siding on the dollhouse looked okay and wouldn’t have to be replaced. It had been made of clear plastic, painted white, cut up and then individually glued on. So, I cleaned the siding, glued down the parts sticking up, and then spray painted it white. Once dry, the back side of the house looked horrible. The parts glued down didn’t stay down, and somehow the painting brought out more imperfections. My idea to replace the missing slat with a cut piece of a 2 liter soda bottle was a bust. (too curly) The sides could have passed for okay, but I knew whatever I did to the back, it wouldn’t match the sides. I’m not doing this rehab to the standard of “good enough”, so I peeled off all the siding on the back and the sides, and then set about researching my alternatives.

I turned to the 2 Facebook dollhouse groups I am in. I narrowed their recommendations to upholstery tack or mini blinds. Since upholstery tack is paper, I decided to choose the blinds as I wasn’t sure how paper siding would hold up long term. I tried to use my staple gun to attach the blinds, but I think the spring has lost its push as the staple gun fired blanks. So, I decided to glue on the blinds, and I used Gorilla glue which didn’t work. Then I tried hot glue. Didn’t work. At one point, I asked God if he really wanted me to do this. But back to Facebook I went, where E6000 was the recommendation.

The cashier at Lowe’s was an older gentleman, and through his mask and the clear plastic shield, he asked what I was going to do with all that glue. Once I told him, he proceeded to tell me all about the dollhouses he had made. He didn’t use a kit, and he talked of gluing the roof shingles on one by one. I had found a kindred soul. Another customer got in line, so Dan and I had to move on. This brief encounter, which I believe is a divine sign I should continue on, was all it took to reignite my passion and encourage me to forge ahead.

Now armed with the glue and my drive, Dan and I turned the dollhouse face down. I glued two blinds down, then put on a heavy board with weights and let each section dry for at least 30 minutes before moving on to the next 2 blinds. Accounting for the overlap, each blind added 1/4 inch to the siding. So after several days and sessions, I have completed the back side of the dollhouse.

While I am very pleased with most of how this turned out, I am not pleased with the wavy bottom. I am not sure why this occurred. I did not notice any unevenness in the surface. I do know I was using a ton of glue at the beginning, so I began to apply the glue in much thinner coats. I’m not happy with “good enough”, but I can be happy with “excellence not perfection”, so that is how I am viewing this outcome. Once all is done and a location is found for the dollhouse, I may add some landscaping which could camouflage the waves.

My next steps are to add the siding to the sides, but first I have to go back to Lowes. I need more glue and another set of blinds. I’m good on enthusiasm though.