Though the Newport was sold eventually, I’ve compiled some of the posts I made when I first started building it.
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Continuing work on the study with fireplace. In order to decorate for Christmas, I had to get the study in nearly complete order. I installed the windows with newly cut acrylic inserts to replace the printed ones that came with the kit. I had previously upgraded the windows to include Yorktown pediments by Houseworks on the exterior, but these needed to be cut down for the window located on the angled wall since they were too wide to fit between the connectors. I will have to cut down the pediments on the bay areas of the main house as well for the same reason.
Here’s the view on the exterior. Even though the side pediments are cut down, they don’t look incomplete. Nothing is glued in place yet, so the gaps and imperfections will be sanded and painted further before I glue them in permanently.
I sprayed the wood flooring with matte sealer (two coats). I like how it warmed up the color and brought out the detail of the wood grain. [Update below]
I used Houseworks baseboards along the perimeter; each board has a groove on the back to hide wires. I think this has been my least favorite part so far. The main problem is cutting around the wall connectors, which results in a lot of little pieces with angles on either end. But, it really adds a lot of realism to the room, so I just keep cutting and cutting and cutting until I get the pieces right. (In later builds, I do my best to eliminate these types of corners by padding walls or removing the interior portions of connectors.)
I used Houseworks trims around the interior of the windows to match the Traditional Block & Trim interior door, also by Houseworks. The windows and their related interior trims are not glued in place so I can remove them to continue the build without any worry of damaging them.
Update 01-15-10:
Since this post, the spray sealer has broken down and the finish has become mottled (below the old floor is shown on top of a fresh sheet of flooring). I removed the old flooring and replaced it with a new piece, but I won’t be using the same spray sealer again.
Update 02-20-10:
I sprayed the second piece of flooring for the study with Minwax Water-Based Polycrylic protective finish in clear semi-gloss, and the results were perfect. It too warmed up the wood tones and stayed even and smooth after two weeks.
