How to Paint a Dollhouse

A basic dollhouse from a kit is plain, unfinished wood. While this can be pretty on its own, most dollhouse enthusiasts prefer a more polished look for their creations. This look is most often achieved through wood stain or paint. Both the exterior and interior of a dollhouse are candidates for painting. The good news is that it takes very little time to learn how to paint a dollhouse.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Dollhouse paint
• Craft brushes of varying sizes
• Tape

Paint Your Dollhouse

1. Plan your color schemes. Decide in advance what color or colors you want each room to be. This is also the time to choose colors for trim and accents, as well as exterior colors. Write down your choices so you do not forget them later.
2. Buy dollhouse paint. You can get paint meant specifically for dollhouses at most craft stores or at any number of dollhouse specialty sites on the Internet. Dollhouse Miniatures.com is a good source for dollhouse paint in a variety of colors (see Resources below).
3. Apply your first coat. A small craft brush will usually work fine for interior and exterior walls. You may have to apply up to three coats of paint before you get the coverage you want. If this is the case, use a small piece of sandpaper to lightly sand the walls in between each coat, just after the paint has completely dried.
4. Use the smallest brushes for fine details. If you will be painting things like molding or windowsills a different color than the main wall, use a fine-tipped craft brush for this purpose. Make sure you paint the walls first before painting the accents.
5. Use tape to get sharp lines between colors. If you will be painting shapes or other portions of the wall in a different color than the main color, use tape on the wall to keep the lines clean and sharp where the different colors meet. You can remove the tape once the paint has dried. Use colored paper tape, as it will be easier for you to see what you are painting and you won't damage the walls when you remove it.

Tips & Warnings

• If you are going to wire your dollhouse for electricity, wire it first. You don't want to mar the look of your house by placing wiring over a painted wall. Once the wiring is in place, however, you can paint right over it.