If All Else Fails.......

READ THE DIRECTIONS!!! I started installing the stairs this morning. I am replacing all of the thick treads with ones cut from bass wood. Somehow the plywood that comes in the Greenleaf kits just doesn't do it for me. I like wood to look like wood where it shows.

I am using the risers that came with the kit because they will be painted anyway. The first thing I had to do was to install the stringers. One side of the stringers in the living room was part of a piece of the foundation strip along the base. The other one, further in, was not installed yet. OOPS!!!! I missed that part in the directions.......Soooooo......I had to take the keyhole saw to the piece. There was no way to install it after the wall was glued in place. I missed that part of the directions totally. Hey! Whatever gets the job done! I cut it apart at the wall line and then glued the two pieces in separately.

I should have known better. How many years have I been putting dollhouses together? Let's just say a looooong time and leave it at that. I discovered that one of the walls of the left bay didn't stay stuck. I had to re glue it. It is a rough one to clamp. The wood warped a bit and it popped. I have it fixed now.

I dry fitted the roof on another section and found what I suspected there. The center partition wall is also warped. It easily goes back to straight when I put it into the roof slots so that is not a worry. I store all kits flat to keep them from warping......Somehow there are always a few pieces that are just plain bad to begin with.

Anyway, back to the stairs. I decided that the risers were going to be painted charcoal gray. Did that. Then the walls wanted to be the same color in the stairwell. I want it to be dark and dreary looking.

This photo almost looks blue. Nope. Stupid camera refused to make the walls the right color. I took several photos. They all came out this way. You will just have to take my word for it. They are charcoal.

While putting the stairs together, I found the interesting nook under the first landing. I think that there is going to have to be an opening somewhere so that Steampunk man can hide things in there. Also, the bookcase is way too deep. I am thinking hiding place behind there too.

Here you see the new steps that I am making for the stairway. I cut them, using the original stair treads for patterns. They are stained with English Chestnut Minwax stain. It's a new color to me. I still need to varnish the steps and glue them in. They are just dry fitted for now.

While I had the stain out, I went ahead and stained the body of the bath box in the same color. It will still get a bit more trim. I will probably put a small water tank at the left of the tub. It will probably be an oblong oval shape to fit the area.

I am not sure that I like that large window right beside the tub. It may become smaller before things are done.

I feel like I actually accomplished something today. I need to go back and keep up the momentum. If I sit here longer I will probably start searching Steampunk sites again. Not a good thing. I am on a roll.

See you tomorrow.