let's build stuff - miniature floors.

We are renters, so we don't get much of a chance to break out saws and wood to remodel the house. But I worked in a hardware store during high school and have always had a fondness for roaming their aisles.

Yesterday, I treked to Bunnings to buy some 3/4" wood laminate. It's the sort of thing used to cover the edge of plywood or particle board when you are making shelves. If you have an IKEA house, you're home is full of it. Why did I want laminate? Because I wanted to make a hardwood floor for Smith and I had a niggling feeling that laminate would do the trick.

Edging laminate is sold in 5m rolls for about $10 in Australia. It's made from real wood that's fleeced on the back with a special iron-on glue. It comes in several different wood types each with a different grain size and spacing. I went with maple. As I was studying the packages, I nearly choked on my coffee. It suddenly dawned on me. I was at the hardware store looking at applique for blokes. Applique for blokes! Surely Mr. B would want to help?

After ten minutes of enthusiasm, he retired to the couch before a single cut was made. So I flew solo on this project. To make the floor, I simply snipped the laminate pieces in varying lengths with utility scissors. I used my sewing iron to affix it to particle board. Once all the boards were laid, I used the same scissors to even up the sides. Easy as that.




I could take this a bit further with stain and varnish. And once it's permanently placed in a room, traffic patterns and wear marks are a must. I'm sure there are doll stores for this sort of thing where 1:6 scale wood floors are readily available. But there's a whole lot of fun in making things yourself.