Asphalt Shingles for Your Dollhouse

First, paint the edges of the roof the color of the shingles. You might also consider installing copper flashing.

Second, measure the first piece of shingle so that the slits in the material come out even on the left and right edges of the roof. Cut this piece off the roll. Now measure the second piece. This second piece is measured so the silt is centered between two slits on the first row. Cut this off. Use these pieces as patterns for cutting the rest. (NOTE: You have two kinds of rows, odds and evens.)

Third, make sure slits line up correctly from strip to strip. If the slits in one strip do not line up with the slits in the other strips, lay the shorter ones on the table and run your fingers along the strip to flatten and stretch it until it matches the other strips.

Fourth, glue the first strip along the edge of the roof, overhanging the roof by 1/16" or 1/8" (depending on scale). (Optional: Glue the first strip with slits facing the peak of the roof, then glue the second strip on top of the first strip with slits facing down and centered between the slits in the first row. This creates a weather tight seal on the roof edge similar to a real roof.) From the bottom edge of the shingle, Mark of dots every ¼" or ½" (depending on scale) to the roof peak on the left and right sides of the roof. With pencil and ruler, join the dots to make parallel lines. Measure accurately. This keeps shingle rows even going up the roof.


Fifth, glue rows up the roof, lining up the back of the shingles with parallel lines. Apply glue to both the spine of the strip and the individual tabs. If using staples, staple above slits, 1" to 2" from the edges, then 4" between staples. Cut uppermost row to fit peak. Cap the roof with separate shingles cut from the strip.


What kind of glue can I use? We recommend a petroleum based glue because this is a tar paper product. Construction adhesive like Liquid Nails®, lacquer based glue like Goop®, or Multi-Grip work equally well. Staples can also be used. White or wood glues are not recommended because they tend to fail after prolonged contact with the tar paper.

What are the shingles made from? Basically it is made from fifteen pound asphalt roofing paper, similar to what is probably on your own roof. The granules are made from various recycled materials, sized to scale and glued to the tar paper.

Can they be used outside? Yes, the shingles can be used for many projects outdoors. We do recommend that you protect the shingles with a coating of satin finish polyurethane paint, (either spray or brush) especially on the textured shingles. Both ultraviolet light and harsh weather will damage the color or granules. The painted shingles or plain shingles do not need this protection.

Will the color fade? Some of the shingle colors are not colorfast and ultraviolet light will fade the base color. Canyon Red and Spruce Green are the colors that fade most. Fluorescent lights do give off ultraviolet light and will cause fading. The rest of the line does hold up very well.

How many shingles are in each package? Each package will cover about one square foot (three square centimeters).

How many packages do I need? Measure the square area you are covering (length X width = square inches or centimeters) then divide by 144 for inches or 9 for centimeters and this number is how many packages you will need. If you have valleys, dormers or complex roof shapes the angular cutting creates some waste that is unusable and will need more than a simple roof, so plan accordingly.

What do I do if they curl or wrinkle? Tar paper is actually asphalt saturated felt paper and will stretch or shrink when the humidity changes drastically. To get the shingles to relax and lay flat again use a damp towel and weight, place the damp towel onto the shingles and weight them down for about 30 minutes, then remove the weight and towel and allow to dry.

Asphalt Shingles by What's Next can be purchased at Jeepers Miniatures.

Ohlm's Law Simplified for Miniaturists

While making sure I understood the relationship between watts, volts, amps, and miliamps in miniature lighting, particularly LED's by Novalyte, I learned this simple formula.

P = E x I

which translates into: P(power in watts) = E (Electromotive Force or Volts) x I (current or amps)

Conversely, for further information:
1,000 miliamps = 1 amp

Most of us don't really want to know about formulas, we just want to do miniatures and light them up for all to see. But understanding these formulas helps us make informed decisions regarding our lights and transformers. Another interesting formula that helps us understand the relationship between transformers and the number of lamps they can support is:

Watts divided by Voltage equals Current (or amps).

While you may not care about these formulas, I wanted to lay them out in this blog so that I (or anyone interested) could have ready access to them.

With a little algebra, you can estimate your electrical needs.

Novalyte LED's and Transformers

The average 12 volt miniature light bulb is 60 mA (milliamps). LEDs take less, with 1 LED being 35 mA and 4 LEDs being 70 mA (or almost the equivalent to one miniature bulb). The more LEDs on a line, the less power each individual LED takes. I’ve provided the charts below for reference.

Novalyte Lamps:

1 light strip, can light, or tab = 35mA
2 light strip = 35mA
3 light strip = 45mA
4 light strip = 70mA

Cir-Kit Transformers (mA as reported by Cir-Kit Concepts):

CK1009A = 10 watts (1,000mA)
CK1009B = 5 watts (500mA)
CK1009D = 40 watts (4,000mA)
CK1009C = 20 watts (2,000mA)
CK1009F = 3 watts (300mA)

To determine transformer requirement:
Combine total number of mA in each lamp that will be on one transformer

Example if you were to use 5 of the 4 light Novalyte LED lamps (5 lamps x 70mA = 350mA) you would require the 5W transformer (500mA) or Cir-Kit model CK1009B.

Wiring Outside the Box

Seems to be a trend with the bulk of my writing focused on wiring, but it is always an issue and generates the greatest number of questions. This past month I have encountered two very different yet similar wiring situations, which lead me to "wiring outside the box." The basic similarity between the two houses is that they are both front-opening.

The first house is constructed of a very hard, dense composite material that was all but impossible to penetrate with the brads and eyelets. Compounded by the sizes of the rooms (including low ceilings) and finished interior, I thought I would never be able to complete the task. Did I mention that the house was screwed together rather than nailed and glued? That provided another issue that I'll explain later. I spoke with the owners and they agreed that I could wire the house like I would any other, and they would just wallpaper and carpet over the already finished interior.

I thought I would save them some time and expense by running the tapewire lower than I normally do so that they could cover most of it with tall baseboard. Good idea in theory, but awful in reality. The density of the wood, and apparent slickness of the finishes resulted in numerous slips and bends. Never a good thing for brass brads or pound-in receptacles. Yes, I did drill pilot holes for the pound-in receptacles first, but in this case, it didn't matter. If I drilled the hole too small the brass fitting just broke off when I tried to hammer it in place. If I drilled the hole to large, the contact was compromised. I didn't have a bit sized in between. Furthermore, I couldn't get a good angle for drilling or nailing since the installation point was only about 1/2" from the floor. In addition to the density and slippage, I found a issue of "bounce" to be a problem. That is probably not exactly the term, but with dollhouses assembled using glue and nails, I don't generally feel the walls move as I hammer. As for the brads, they just bent every time. Didn't matter what approach or tool I used, the brads were not the answer.

Finally, I resorted to installing large eyelets in various spots along in the tapewire. This way I was able to first drill the pilot hole and then install the eyelets. Even this method took some finessing, but proved to be the answer in the end. I did have one lamp to install that I connected from the outside of the back of the house. I drilled a hole where it would be placed, threaded the wire to the outside, installed two small brads, wrapped the wires around the brads, then gingerly tapped the brads further into the wood. Finally, I applied a piece of Scotch tape over the connection. That was by far the easiest of all installations in the house. I could easily reach the connection spot and the rear wall of the house was supported by the interior walls and floors making hammering easier. Only then did it occur to me that I should have wired the house from the outside by laying out the tape wire along the back like a circuit board then drilling holes and running the fixture wiring outside.

The end result would be the same. Since it was so difficult to install the receptacles and even the eyelets (although they provided slightly easier), the lamps are now permanently connected to whatever spots I was able to install. The same could have been accomplished by wiring on the outside. Actually, I could have avoided all the tapewire on the inside of the house and the owner's house would not need to be wallpapered. Carpeting would have been the only requirement since any way I installed the ceiling fixtures, tape or wires would need to cross the floors to their connection points.

This brings me to the final issue with wiring this particular house. As I mentioned previously, the ceiling heights were slightly lower than a typical 1" scale dollhouse. After I installed one of the larger ceiling fixtures, we noticed that it hung far too low for the house. It now needs to be shortened almost to the point of removing all of the chain. My point here is to double check ceiling and fixture heights be confirm that they do indeed fit before installation. You will save yourself the added work after installation.

As I mentioned earlier, I had a second house with similar yet slightly different issues. Its similarities include finishes (such as permanently affixed doors and decorative molding) and front opening design. Its differences include size and construction materials. This particular house has extremely high ceilings for a 1" scale house and several extremely small rooms. Unfortunately, the architect/builder did not properly design the house, which now has 14" ceilings, but several rooms as small as hallways (less than 5" wide) running over 12" deep. Fortunately, it is constructed of plywood using generous amounts of glue and nails.

This house arrived for wiring during my struggle with the first house. Again, I first thought about this house like I would most typical wiring jobs. Then I really studied the house, considering its characteristics and challenges. After several discussions with the owner, we agreed that I would wire the house on the outside back like a circuit board. The wiring would not be obvious and I could avoid many issues of access. Thankfully, it is plywood, making drilling and nailing much easier. I can install brads, eyelets, or receptacles without bending or breakage. Our only real challenge here is the unusual room sizes and appropriate lamp sizes.

I have said this many times before: plan your layout, search for the challenges and obstacles before you begin, test the wood/finishes to how receptive it is to brads, eyelets and receptacles, and now I add "think outside the box" at least for front opening houses.

Wallpapering Reminders

Recently, while working with customers who are wallpapering their dollhouses, I was reminded of a couple things I thought I should share with you. The bottom line is "prepare and be prepared."

In the first instance, my customer had decided to install wallpaper on a wall she had previously intended to paint. After a change of heart, she decided she wanted it papered with the same paper as she had on the other two walls. When the paper we ordered arrived we discovered to our dismay that the color (or dye lot) had changed significantly. We double checked the manufacturer's numbers and it was the same paper, but the tones and hues were distinctly different. A word to the wise: when purchasing wallpaper, acquire enough paper to finish an entire room.

In the second instance, a customer had completely finished the entire dollhouse. Walls were papered, carpeting and hardwood floors installed. Since he intended to sell the dollhouse, he was giving it a once over looking for imperfections or problems. As he inspected the house, he discovered smudges and markings on a wall in one room. No amount of erasing or cleaning would remove the damage. Fortunately, in this instance we were able to perfectly match the wallpaper. While this case ended with acceptable results, had he sealed the paper before installing it, he may have avoided the need to remove and re-install the wallpaper. The word of caution here is to take the time to seal the wallpaper (front and back) with a good acrylic spray sealer. The sealer may not eliminate all types of smudges or scratches, but it will help keep down the number of potential problems.

In conclusion, buy enough wallpaper at the same time to finish an entire room. It is also advisable to have at least one extra sheet for potential future repairs. Protect your wallpaper from fading and smudges by applying a good acrylic spray sealer to both sides of the paper before installation.

Carpet (Re)installation

Occassionally I encounter a situation with a customer that I haven't personally faced with my own dollhouses. I was recently asked to make some repairs on a dollhouse that involved removing carpeting and replacing burned out lights. Lamp and bulb replacement is something that I've done many times; however, while some lamps can be somewhat challenging, in the case of this particular house, the lights were not the issue...it was the carpeting!

The dollhouse was originally constructed some 20 years ago and while beautifully done, it was beginning to show its age. The owner who has lost some dexterity in her hands could no longer do some of the repairs necessary and had asked if I would replace the creme colored carpeting on the first floor living room since I was replacing lamps. I agreed to try even though I have never had to replace carpeting in one of my dollhouses. She also explained that at one point someone had replaced the carpet for her, but she was unhappy with the results. Upon inspection of the carpet, I could see why. The carpet did not properly fit the room and was rather lumpy where generous spots of glue had been used to adhere the carpet to the floor.

Initially, I wasn't even sure how I was going to remove the unsightly carpet, but figured we had nothing to lose if it were damaged during the process. I pried up a corner of the carpet and began pulling and pealing carefully so as not to damage the wallpaper or baseboard. Fortunately, MOST of the carpet came up without much problem; however wherever the glue was thickest, the clumps of remaining carpet fibers were firmly attached. I surveyed the remnants wondering what would be the best approach to complete the removal process. I correctly assumed that a water-based glue had been used and knew that water could break down most craft type glues. Starting with a small area near the edge of the dollhouse, I applied a small amount of water with a paint brush to the little patch of carpet fibers. I allowed the water the soak into the area for a few minutes before I began scraping around the edges of the patch with a putty knife. To my relief, the fibers began to lift. This process took considerable time since I worked on one area at a time, first dampening then scraping. With each area, I allowed the water to soften the glue then scraped the fibers away before the spot dried. The areas along the baseboard proved most challenging since I didn't want to damage the baseboard. Fortunately, the glue was not as thick at these points and I carefully continued dampening and scraping until all the fibers were removed. The final step in the removal process was a good sanding to smooth out the floor to avoid any bumps or lumps under the new carpet.

Finally, I was ready to measure and install the new carpeting. Since most rooms in dollhouses (and real homes) are rarely perfectly square, I always make a template of the floor using copy paper, cutting and taping together pieces until I have the exact layout of the room. Once I'm happy with the template I've created, I transfer the pattern to the carpet by tracing it with pencil on the back of the carpet. I always double check to be sure that I've placed the template upside down on the back of the carpet.

Now it occurred to me that I had two installation options: craft glue or Stick'M adhesive. I admit I have never used glue to install carpeting, but this situation has made me think about the options available. I know that once carpet (or flooring sheets) is installed with Stick'M, it is permanently in place. From this experience, I have learned that with patience, carpet that has been glued down with a white (or craft) glue can be removed following the steps I have outlined above.

In conclusion, I would suggest a couple things regarding carpet installed with craft glue. Think ahead when installing the carpet. Consider what you may need to do if you have to remove the carpeting. Apply a smooth thin layer of glue using a paint brush or spread it out with your fingers. Don't allow the glue to form little mounds. Those mounds can look like mountains under your carpet. The thicker the glue, the more difficult it will be to remove the carpet (or fibers). It is better to spread the glue around the outside edge of the dollhouse and not too close to the interior walls. Use the less is better theory. You don't need much glue to adhere the carpet. If you find you need to remove the carpeting at a later date, be frugel with the amount of water you use, be patient when pulling up the carpet, and be careful with the putty knife.

I plan to experiment on removing carpet that has been installed with Stick'M or a non-water-base glue. I suspect the use of heat may be necessary. I'll post my results as soon as I try my experiment.

As always, I would like to hear from you. Do you have any suggestions? Questions?

Dollhouses...a History

While I do not spend a lot of time surfing the Internet, I do research different topics and articles related to dollhouse miniatures. I believe hands-on is the best way to learn any craft, but I find the history of miniatures to be an interesting topic. During a research surfing expedition, I found this delightfully designed site about dollhouse history that I thought I'd share with you. Enjoy!