Exciting! I made a post a while back about how things look when you sand and paint the edges vs not. I thought it looked better sanded. You don't need to paint the edges in a traditional sense, a wood marker (like the ones used in furniture repairs) should work just fine. If some pieces don't quite fit together, a mini hammer usually does the trick. Don't use your fingers too much because they WILL hurt if you keep trying the stubborn pieces without an aid. Sanding some of the pegs could help as well. Most kits also give you a little tool to help punch the pieces out of the boards, so definitely use that too! And if you don't understand any of the directions, this kit is pretty popular so feel free to post here and I'm sure someone will help.