I use a sturdy 100 lb. cover stock paper for the houses, the weight and style of background paper depends on the color selected. The glue I use is a quick-dry acid-free glue. It's what I had on hand when I started, and it works well for me. I squirt a blob of glue onto scrap paper and use a wooden skewer to apply to glue to the pieces I'm working on. I often use model building tweezers to hold small and delicate pieces while I'm working on assembly.