How to Make a Wooden Doll Castle
Every little princess deserves a castle, so instead of making a conventional dollhouse, create a doll castle instead. Constructing your own doll castle is simple and inexpensive; you just need a little wood, a little paint and a little time. Kits are available, however, it's just as fun to create a seven-room, three-story castle, complete with battlements, stairs, windows and, if you wish, a drawbridge.
Things You'll Need
- Wood:
- 3/4 inch plywood: 4 foot by 4 foot
- 1/2 inch plywood: 4 foot by 8 foot
- 1/8 inch by 5/8 inch by 4 foot plywood
- 11 pieces of 2 1/4 inch 90 degree corner molding
- Wood glue
- Nails
- Paint (gray or brown, small amounts of white, black and tan)
- Small sea sponges
- Dremel/small rotary saw for window/wall cutting
Instructions
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1
To build the tower, cut the half-inch plywood into six pieces: three 7 inch by 7 inch pieces, two 7 inch by 32 inch pieces (for the inner walls) and one 7 7/8 inch by 32 inch piece (front). Cut one piece of the 3/4 inch plywood to 7 inches by 7 inches; this is the floor/base. Using your Dremel tool, cut four 3/4 inch x 2 1/2 inch windows in the front piece, centering them 2 inches off the "floors."
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2
Using wood glue, attach the two 7 inch by 32 inch pieces to the sides (across from each other) of the 3/4 inch square base, then attach the remaining 32 inch piece to the base and walls. For the floors of the tower, place the remaining 7 inch by 7 inch squares between the walls at 8 inch intervals, using wood glue. The top floor will be 3 1/2 inches from the top edge of the walls, creating a rooftop wall.
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3
You will create two castle wings, one for either side of the tower. To create each wing, cut one 10 inch by 10 inch floor from the 3/4 inch plywood, two 10 inch by 10 inch floors from the 1/2 inch plywood, two 10 inch by 16 7/8 inch walls, and one 10 7/8 inch by 16 7/8 inch piece for the front of the wing. Like the tower, cut two windows, centered on the front of the wing, 2 inches above the "floor" level.
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4
As in step two, glue the floors and walls together. Repeat for the second wing. Once all sections of the castle are glued together, use small nails to secure the walls for stability.
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5
If you wish to add stairs, use the rotary tool to cut a hole in the floor between the first and second, or second and third, levels. Create a stair base of 1/8 inch plywood that is 11 3/8 inches long and 2 1/4 inches wide, and miter the ends so they will sit flush with the floor. Cut 11 pieces of 90-degree angled corner molding to 2 1/4 inch lengths and glue to the base in a zig-zag pattern, peaks up.
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6
To give the castle rooftop a more authentic feel, use the rotary saw to cut notches in the roof wall, in a squared-U pattern.
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7
Paint the castle exterior and open back a solid base color. You can add depth and accents that look like rock by using a sea-sponge to create highlights, cracks and battle scars to paint on highlighting colors.
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To decorate the interior, you can use fabric remnants and hot glue, or colored paint. Once all the paint is dried, it's ready for play.
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