How to Make a Dollhouse from Home Materials

You can cut the scrap materials from your home for a dollhouse.

Home building materials might not seem like ideal dollhouse making supplies but with a little ingenuity and the right tools you can customize and use home materials to build a dollhouse fit for a princess. With a little scrap lumber, plywood, baseboard trim, vinyl, ceramic or glass back splash material, flooring materials, wallpaper or paint and a few other inexpensive or found items you can make a dollhouse from common home building or remodeling materials.

Things You'll Need

• 1-inch-by-12-inch boards
• Table saw
• 2-inch base board trim
• 1-inch scrap lumber
• 3/4-inch plywood
• 180-grit sandpaper
• Random-orbit sander
• Tack cloth
• Measuring tape
• 1 3/4-inch wood screws
• Drill
• 1 1/2-inch wood screws
• Finishing nails
• Hammer
• Wood putty
• 120-grit sandpaper
• Interior wall paint
• Paint roller
• Wallet-sized photo frame
• 3 photo frames, 5-inch by 7-inch
• Pencil
• Mirror adhesive
• Painter's tape
• 3/4 round wood trim
• Miter saw
• Wood glue
• Paint pad
• Flooring materials
• Construction adhesive
• Trim

Instructions

Dollhouse Structure

1. Cut one 48-inch-by-12-inch second story floor, cut two 49 1/2-inch by 12-inch pieces for the first story floor and roof and two 40-inch by 12-inch pieces for the exterior walls out of 1-inch-by-12-inch lumber, with a table saw.

2. Cut two 49 1/2-inch lengths of 2-inch base board trim for the first story exterior trim or toe kick and the roof trim or shelf cap molding.

3. Cut two 10-inch-by-1-inch lengths of 1-inch thick scrap lumber for the second story floor supports.

4. Cut one 49 1/2-inch-by-41 3/4-inch piece of 3/4-inch thick plywood for the back exterior wall.

5. Sand the dollhouse structure components with 180-grit sandpaper on a random-orbit sander. Wipe them with a tack cloth to remove the sanding dust.

6. Lay the two 40-inch by 12-inch exterior wall pieces flat on your worktable, with the 12-inch widths vertical, center the 1-inch floor support onto the 12-inch face 21 inches from the bottom and screw them in place with two evenly spaced 1 3/4-inch wood screws.

7. Build the exterior structure of the dollhouse by aligning the 1-inch faces of the 40-inch by 12-inch exterior walls (with the second story floor supports within the box-like structure 21 inches from the bottom floor) flush within the edges of the 49 1/2-inch-by-12-inch pieces and screwing them together with 1 3/4-inch wood screws 1 1/2 inches from each edge through the bottom and top pieces into the side pieces.

8. Slide the 48-inch by 12-inch second story floor onto the 1-inch support boards and screw two 1 3/4-inch wood screws through them into the supports 2 1/2 inches from the exterior structure edges.

9. Set the 49 1/2-inch by 41 3/4-inch back wall piece onto the assembled frame, square the assembly with a carpenter's square and screw four evenly spaced 1 1/2-inch wood screws through the back wall into the exterior side walls, roof and bottom story floor.

10. Turn the dollhouse structure over and attach one of the 49 1/2-inch trim pieces to the 1-inch face of the top and bottom boards, so that the trim extends under the top board and above the bottom board, with four equally spaced finishing nails.

11. Fill all of the screw and nail holes with wood putty, allow the putty to dry for 30 minutes and sand them flush with the wood with 120-grit sandpaper.

Dollhouse Exterior

1. Select an interior wall paint from your available home materials and paint the exterior of the dollhouse structure with a paint roller that has been saturated with it. Allow the paint to dry for four hours.

2. Turn the dollhouse so that the back is flat on your work bench and trace the shape of the glass from one wallet-sized photo frame and three 5-inch-by-7-inch photo frames onto the exterior walls with the smaller glass being traced within the left first floor wall and the others evenly spaced on the other exterior walls.

3. Use a drill to cut pilot holes 1/2 inch from the corners of the traced shapes and a reciprocating saw to cut from one corner hole to the next. Remove the cut pieces to create the exterior windows.

4. Trace the shape of the glass onto the interior walls over the openings, remove the glass, place a 1/8-inch bead of mirror adhesive along the inside edge of the traced shapes and press the glass onto the interior walls. Tape the glass in place with painter's tape and allow the adhesive to dry for an hour.

5. Cut 3/4 round wood trim to fit within the exterior window openings with 45-degree mitered corners and glue them in place with wood glue. Glue the picture frames to the interior glass windows with mirror adhesive. Tape the frames in place and allow them to dry for four hours before removing the tape.

Dollhouse Interior

1. Design a bottom floor open plan layout that includes a kitchen on the left, a dining area and a living room. Select the wall colors and flooring materials from the available home building supplies. The 48-inch-by-12-inch floor works well with 12-inch tiles that you have available from flooring or back splashes.

2. Design a second floor layout and create the feel of separate rooms with your flooring and paint or wall paper choices. No interior walls will be built to allow for ease of movement within the spaces; it also allows the dollhouse to be used as a bookcase after the child outgrows playing with dolls.

3. Paint the interior walls and ceilings with a small paint pad dipped in interior wall paint.

4. Attach the found flooring materials with construction adhesive.

5. Add any additional interior trim and flourishes as desired with construction adhesive.

Tips & Warnings

• This dollhouse is structured to accommodate 15 1/2-inch dolls and furniture pieces but you can adjust the dimensions for any size dolls and furniture sets.

• Wear safety glasses while using power tools.

References

• Hammer Zone: Building a Book Shelf

Resources

• My Small Obsession: Trash to Miniature Dollhouse Treasures