Repairing Dollhouse Windows

No other dollhouse renovation has given me quite as much pause as window repair. And my Dura-Craft SF 555 San Franciscan dollhouse was in need of extensive help. I’ve demolished walls, patched floors, cut out bracing and installed baseboard and crown. But those brittle, yellowed acetate windows? Yikes. So, I probably should consider replacing them entirely. But I like old, weathered things, and I am enchanted with the etched glass designs on them, so I was determined to repair instead. If you have a similar situation, give this a go.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

Replacement acetate: this stuff is easier to come by than you might think. I saved some pieces from a Black Widow action figure for mine.

Damaged window: as much as possible.

Paint marker: I found this Sharpie to work well.

1.

You’ll want to remove the damaged window as carefully as possible. They can be incredibly brittle, but a somewhat dull X-acto knife should do the trick.

Lay the damaged window on a flat surface and position a practice piece of acetate over top.

2.

Now you’ll want to test your hand at the tracing. Paint pens can be a bit temperamental, so take your time. You’ll need to depress the tip at first to start the paint flow. This can sometimes leave a blob of paint, so make sure to do this off to the side.

3.

Go ahead and trace over the whole design to get the hang of it.

4.

When you feel confident, move on to your next piece of acetate and make your trace.

5.

Remove your traced piece and make sure you’ve got all of the sections.

6.

Trim to the shape of your window frame.

7.

Position the window frame to check for fit. You might have to extend a few lines.

Glue the new piece to the frame and allow to dry. When completely dry, glue framed window into place.

And done!

It is only slightly imperfect. In fact, the major difference between this window and the rest of them, is that this one is truly clear and the others have a bit of a yellow tinge to them!