The heart of any home is the kitchen, and I imagine the same is true for dollhouses. To purchase this DIY Kit, please click here (you can also order the assembled kitchen from the same link). Let's get started with assembly.
Your kit includes everything you see in the above picture:
-front and back panels
-2 drawer fronts
-oven front
-2 white acrylic side panels
-white acrylic countertop
-5 white acrylic pieces for the sink
-sink faucet
-6 drawer pulls
-oven handle
-6 oven knobs
-black cardstock for oven window
-cooktop
You will need to supply the following items:
-super glue (to be used to bond acrylic to acrylic or wood to acrylic
-craft glue (to be used to bond wood to wood)
-spray paint and/or stains in colors of your choice
-220 grit sandpaper
Start with the spray paint or stain portion so everything has time to dry. It's easier to stick the tiny pieces on some painters' tape so the force of the spray doesn't blow them away. For this example, I'm painting the hardware, faucet, and cooktop gold. 2-3 light and even coats should do the trick. I'm doing a white oven so I spray painted that separately from the rest of the drawers. If you plan to paint your drawers and oven the same color, you can go ahead and glue everything to one of the long wood panels.
If you plan to stain your drawers or leave them natural, use 220-grit sandpaper to remove the burn marks from the laser cutter. Sanding can leave sawdust in the lines so just use something sharp like a safety pin to scrape the sawdust out. That will keep the drawer lines crisp. If you plan to stain the drawers, this is the time to stain them and the 2 long front and back wood panels. You should always stain before gluing because the oil-based stain will not adhere to the dried glue.
It's time to work with the countertop and sink. Remove the masking tape from the front and back of all acrylic pieces. Gather the 5 small acrylic pieces for the sink. Apply a line of super glue to the short sides of the sink base. 2 of the side pieces should be slightly shorter. Glue these 2 pieces to the sink base sides. Allow the glue to set for a couple minutes. Apply glue to the edges of one side of the sink and attach a long side piece. Repeat on the other side, and allow the super glue to set for a few minutes.
Decide the orientation of your countertop (whether the sink will be on the left or right). Apply a line of super glue around the top of the sink and attach it to the underside of the countertop.
Now it's time to assemble the front of the kitchen. Apply craft glue to the backs of the drawer fronts and attach them to either end of one of the long wood panels. If you plan to paint the drawers a different color than the oven, this is the time to spray paint them. Apply glue to the back of the oven front and glue it in the middle. If you plan to paint everything the same color, you can spray paint the assembled front now.
Apply craft glue to the oven window section of the wood panel and attach the black cardstock. Apply glue to the backs of the 6 drawer pulls and glue them in place. Dab craft glue into the spaces for the oven handle and knobs and glue them in place. You now have a finished kitchen front.
Now it's time to assemble all the pieces to complete your kitchen. Start by gluing the back panel to a side acrylic panel with super glue. I used a square to make sure it was, well, square. Allow the glue to set for a few minutes. Apply a line of super glue to the edge of the front panel and attach it to the side acrylic panel. Allow the glue to set. Apply 2 lines of super glue to each edge of the opposite sides of the front and back panels and attach the other side acrylic piece. You now have a completed base.
Apply super glue to the top edge of the base, and attach the countertop. Allow the glue to set for a few minutes.
Apply drops of super glue to the back of the cooktop, and attach to the countertop above the oven. Apply a drop of super glue to the hole for the faucet. Gently insert the faucet and push in slightly.
Your Shaker Kitchen is complete! I hope you'll tag me on Instagram @mini.adventures.co so I can see all the fun colors and choices. If you'd like to upgrade your kitchen to include a backsplash, open shelving, and vent hood, you can find the listing here. What's you next mini adventure?