Category: "The Newport"

Garage flooring

by brae  

After perusing countless finished garage photos online, I decided to attempt the look of a vinyl floor liner.  There are different types, colors and patterns, with one popular choice being black and white checkerboard like this example.  It does make a statement, but I wanted to go with something more subtle, like the look of grey coin-patterned vinyl floors.

If I thought dollhouse garage lights were limited, flooring options beyond paint were even tougher to find.  To my knowledge, there wasn't any material out there that I could use as is to mimic the look of vinyl flooring, so I decided to use black and white hexagon tile sheets by Handley House.  They are made of heavy embossed paper that I thought would translate well after some grey paint and matte sealer spray.

Here's the paper layout along with two test swatches of paint.  The one on the right is the same medium grey I used to paint other portions of the garage.  The one on the left is medium grey toned down with an equal amount of white paint.  Overall, the scale of the hexagonal pattern works well.

The sheets weren't large enough to cover without piecing.  I used Yes! paste to affix the paper to the plywood floor - great stuff!  :D   Note: I no longer recommend Yes paste - I use Wallpaper Mucilage instead.  Yes paste has problems with longevity.

My two pieces could have lined up better, but I didn't do too poorly for my first attempt at seaming tile sheets.  And, I learned a couple of things during the process that will help with wallpapering the rest of the house.

I didn't like either of the color swatches I had done so I mixed mostly medium grey with some white and a dash of Payne's grey.  How's that for an precise recipe?  ;]  The paint disguised the seam fairly well but caused some minor buckling in the paper where I hadn't put enough paste, so I lifted the paper while it was still flexible and put more paste down.  Problem solved.

After the paint dried, I sprayed on a light coat of matte sealer.  Contrary to the name, the spray creates a fine satin sheen and becomes glossier the more you spray.  The effect turned out exactly the way I had hoped.

For the most part, I am pleased with the end result.  I'm a perfectionist so the seam line bothers me a bit, but there really isn't anything I can do about it.  Even if I started over, there would be seams somewhere on the floor.  There isn't a tile sheet on the market large enough to cover the entire surface area.  I could have perhaps chosen a better location for the seam, but the finish turned out so well that I hate to tear it all up just to end up with seams again.  Besides, as more items get added to the garage, it should be less noticeable.  If I find a better solution in the future, I can always renovate!  :D

Garage wallpaper, paint and lights!

by brae  

The Timberbrook garage kit is made of wood, so I painted the track pieces a mix of medium grey and iridescent silver.  It has a nice metallic sheen that doesn't translate well in the photo.  For the walls, I am planning to use scrapbook paper for finishing.  I could paint, but it is difficult to get a smooth finish without brush strokes and other imperfections that ruin the illusion in a miniature setting.  The paper here is by Martha Stewart in a color called swan, a very pale green (currently unattached until I finish the floor and add other elements).  I decided not to have the egg carton stone finish on the exposed foundation of the house, figuring it would most likely be covered when putting on an addition.  I did, however, paint it medium grey to blend with the stairs.

When I first started planning the Newport, I was a bit overwhelmed by the concept of electrification.  After reviewing the types available, I opted for the round wire -- or hard wire -- technique.  The main reason was I wanted the ability to have some lights on and others off, not all or nothing.

The lights I chose for the garage interior have twin bulbs and a wood cover that stays in place by magnets, connecting to a metal plate that is fixed to the ceiling.

Testing out the position of the lights...this layout will light the entire garage and the garage door will obscure only one light when open.

Even though the power strips will ultimately be hidden in faux cabinets here in the garage, I still fed the wires up through the ceiling since I only painted the ceiling and had nothing to cover the wires.

I used the miniature recycle bin to hold the tiny parts as I worked.  It snaps closed, so no worrying about losing pieces.

I wasn't crazy about the wood look of the lights, but choices for garage lighting were limited.  On top of that, one of the wood covers had a large imperfection in the finish.  After a bit of sanding to remove the varnish and some black paint, I had two modern garage fixtures.

I am so excited that my first attempt at electrification was a success!

Interior exposed brick wall

by brae  

I have always liked the way exposed brick walls look in interior design.  When I started planning the garage addition, I realized that very little of the outer brick wall would be seen from the front.  It seemed a shame to cover it with a liner for the interior wall of the garage, but an exposed brick wall inside the garage made no sense, either.  So, when I assembled the first floor, I flipped the outer wall so the kitchen and dining room would have an exposed brick wall.

On the exterior, I used basswood clapboard siding to finish the areas that would have been brick.

I then painted the siding brick red to make it less noticeable.

 

Garage addition...with cars

by brae  

The garage is made from the Foxhall Conservatory kit by Real Good Toys.  I bought some 3/8" Baltic birch plywood to replace the two pre-cut walls that came with the kit.  I also lowered the whole structure by using the spacers included in the kit as the foundation.  A friend with a jig saw helped me cut the walls down from their original height of 12" to a new height of 10 15/16".  This height allowed for most of the original trim from the conservatory kit to still be used on the outside without the garage having too high of a ceiling on the inside.  It also accommodated the height of the doorway into the kitchen.  The stairs originally meant for the front porch of the conservatory will serve as the entry stairs to the kitchen from the garage.

Finding a Timberbrook garage door kit was an adventure.  The few places that had them online were sold out.  I called several local dollhouse shops and happened to find a store with one left in stock.  I heard from one shop owner that Timberbrook is either out of business or selling their business.  It's a shame, too, since it is a good quality kit.

I've tried three cars for this space during the building phase.  The first goes back to my original hobby of building model cars.  Instead of making them showroom new, I would beat them up and make them the type of cars that make you wonder how they are still running.  :D  One of the first ones I built was a Datsun 240Z.  So, when I happened upon a diecast metal 1970 Datsun 240Z in bright orange, I decided to go for it.

It is a beautiful model, but it is too small for the garage space.  Usually 1:18 scale cars can hold their own with a 1:12 scale house, but the Datsun is a small sportscar in real life making this particular car smaller than most 1:18 scale models.  Now the Datsun sits on a display shelf instead.

The second one I tried was a 1:14 scale remote control Audi TT.  I like this one better for size but mostly for the fact that it has working lights (though annoyingly only when in motion).  However, it's a cheap, plastic car lacking in detail when compared to the Datsun.  It is, after all, made to be driven fast and bumped into walls.  :]

Then it was on to the third car: a diecast metal Audi A8.  It is hampered by being 1:18 scale but it's larger than the Datsun and has finer detail than the RC car.

In the end, after I finish the garage and put in some filler (boxes, folding chairs, tools - basic garage stuff), I will decide which of the Audis will take a permanent place in the Newport.  The likely winner will be the RC car for its more accurate size proportion.  But, who knows?  My garage might get so crammed with junk that only the Datsun will fit, thus saving the day...as always.  ;]

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