16 dollhouse assembly tips (that’s All You Need)

In the early 1500s, dollhouses were used by wealthy Europeans to display miniature scales of expensive household furniture and accessories. 

Advance to the early 17th and 18th, dollhouses are no longer meant simply for displays. Rather toy makers and model builders began making for a fun experience and to broaden their creative skills. 

All The Assembly Tips You Need For A Dollhouse

If you intend to build a dollhouse, understand that while it is fun, it is also a time-intensive project that will demand patience and skills. While some dollhouses come assembled, especially the smaller plastic models, most will require at least some work. 

The good news is that we’ve got you covered. These 16 dollhouse assembly tips will make the building project a breezy and stress-free experience. 

When building a dollhouse, where do you start?

Theoretically, building a dollhouse will start by getting the supplies needed to complete the project. However, the actual build phase starts when you cut out the box or word and glue them together to create the dollhouse. 

Once you have the entire pieces of the dollhouse assembled, you can then move to decorate the house with furniture, wallpaper, and picture frames. 

Should you paint the dollhouse before assembling it?

Whether you paint a dollhouse before or after assembling boils down to personal preference. Yet, some dollhouse plans may specify you paint before assembling, while others instruct you to build before painting. 

Painting a dollhouse before assembling allows you to readily access hidden areas and parts that are hard to reach once erected. Plus, you can easily repaint the color and finish if you don’t like it. The best part, you have a more precise finish than when you assemble them before painting.

The only downside of painting a dollhouse before assembling it is that you can get paints on the tabs and slots, which means they may not fit together well. But, an easy way to rectify this fault is to use a nail file or small sandpaper to get rid of the excess paint.

So, if you’re wondering whether you should paint the dollhouse before disassembling it, the answer is yes. Start with painting the smaller parts such as the doors, railings, windows, and trim before installing them in the dollhouse. 

What kind of paint do you use on a wooden dollhouse?

The best paint to use on a wooden dollhouse is acrylic wood paints. 

These paints work well for any wood surface and make it easy to clean the surface of your dollhouse. When you spot dust on your dollhouse with this paint, all you need do is get a clean damp cloth and wipe. 

Apart from acrylic paints, emulsion paints also work well on wooden surfaces. However, you may need to prime it with a wood primer and then spray varnish, so it doesn’t feel chalky. If your wooden dollhouse has a glossy shine and you intend to use emulsion paint, ensure you prime it first before painting. Failure to prime means the coloring will slip. 

How long does it take to put together a dollhouse?

Dollhouse kit build time differs by style and simplicity of the model. 

Usually, it will take between one hour to 70 hours or more to put a dollhouse kit together.
For example, if you have a Victorian dollhouse kit, it would usually take 70 hours or more to complete your model, depending on how detailed and big you want it. 

How do you paint the inside of a dollhouse?

Emulsion, Eggshell, and flat latex paints are great wall paints for the interior parts of any dollhouse. 

If you plan to paint the inside of your dollhouse, use a mini paint roller or foam brush to paint the walls. However, mini paint rollers only offer speed and are never a great option for hard-to-reach areas. 

After painting, ensure the walls are well dried before installing wallpaper, pictures, and other interior accessories you intend to use. 

How do you finish a dollhouse?

To properly finish your dollhouse, understand that there is no wrong or right way to complete it.

However, the best way to finish your house is to choose the right color that matches the theme you envision, pick the appropriate furnishings to fit the scale of your dollhouse and carefully electrify the dollhouse, before picking out interior décor pieces and landscaping design that suits your preference and style of the dollhouse. 

How do you make cardboard stairs for a dollhouse?

Cardboard stairs are not much different from wooden stairs, especially as they share similar materials like pencil, ruler, high-temperature glue gum, small paint brush, and acrylic paint. What differentiates cardboard stairs from wooden ones is that you need a cardboard box to make them. 

To make your cardboard stairs for your dollhouse, consider the following procedures:

1. Measure the width of the opening for the staircase. 
2. Get a cardboard box and cut off its flap. 
3. Use a ruler and pencil to draw two rectangles on the box. Make sure one of the rectangles is about 2 inches long and 1 inch wide. The second one should also have a length of 2inches long. But the width should not be more than 1/2 inch wide. Then, cut out the rectangles.
4. Pour some hot glue on the long edges of the rectangles. Then place the edge of the small rectangle on the underside of the large rectangle to create the first step with a slight overhang.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 to create another step.
6. Line the back edge of the large rectangle with hot glue, then attach the bottom edge of the small rectangle you created in step 5, and you have two steps formed. 
7. Continue with the cutting and gluing process until you have four steps. 
8. Get another cardboard box and cut a square piece out. Then, glue it to the last step at the bottom to create a landing. 
9. Paint the steps with desired acrylic color scheme and allow the paint to dry. 

How do you put stairs in a dollhouse?

The simple way to do this is to glue each stair together until there are up to five steps. Then, cut and glue the steps to the walls of the inner space designed to accommodate them. After this, cut another piece of cardboard and attach it to the bottom of the stairs. It serves as a landing area. 

Can I use chalk paint on a dollhouse?

Yes, you can use chalk paint on a dollhouse. Chalk paint is probably the easiest way to paint your dollhouse since you wouldn’t have to sand the house. Chalk paints provide the best finish compared to acrylic paints. Plus, they are easy to apply. You may only have to do two coats to make them stand out. 

However, the downside of using chalk paint is that they are more expensive than even emulsion paints. They are also thicker and require that you use light strokes to prevent the brushes from showing. Their colors are also restricted compared to emulsion and acrylic paints. 

How do you decorate a doll’s house?

The chance to decorate your dollhouse means you get to make your miniature scale model stand out. To decorate your dollhouse, you could either use wallpaper, paint, new flooring, or furnishings. 

Regardless, here’s how to decorate your dollhouse.

• Paint the interior and exterior: Decide on the part of the dollhouse you want to paint. Then, choose the color and type of paint you want. 
• Use a wallpaper for the interior: To choose appropriate wallpapers, visit an online or local craft or home improvement store and select the perfect wallpaper that will suit your dollhouse. Then, use a tape or ruler to measure the walls of each room, from the height to the width, to best determine how the wallpaper will fit. Line the wallpaper you cut out on the wall. Glue, remove air bubbles, and let the glue dry. 
• Add flooring: Flooring differs depending on your preference. You can choose to add tile, install carpet or add hardware flooring.  
• Accessorize with furniture and décor: Decorate the outdoor space with plants and garden accessories, and furnish the inside with furniture and décor miniatures. Consider adding real family photos for a personal touch.

How do you frame a doll’s house?

To assemble the house frame, consider the following:

• If you are utilizing plywood, get a 90degree plywood and drill pilot holes. Then, cut out panels and screw them with easy screw wood screws to make a more durable frame. 
• Use liquid nail adhesive to fill and secure all of the panels. After this, wait for your glue to dry, and you have a functional frame for your dollhouse, 

How do you decorate the outside of a doll’s house?

There are three ways to decorate the outside of a dollhouse. 

1. Brick Effects

Rather than paint, applying bricks to the outer part of your dollhouse gives them a sleek surface. The only downside to using bricks is that they add extra weight and strain to the hinges of the dollhouse. 

2. Roofing Materials

You also won’t have to depend on one type or grade of roofing sheet. You can decorate the outside of your dollhouse using unique roof materials that add a creative and unique touch to your dollhouse kit. 

3. Windows

If your aim is to achieve a glazed look on the window, get perspex. They are cheap, and you can secure them on your dollhouse with glue or double-sided tape. 

How do you hide a doll’s house wiring?

The simple way to do this is to observe all the furnishings and use them to hide or disguise the wire. However, not many people are skilled in this art. 

Hence, the most common method of hiding a dollhouse wiring is to cut shallow grooves in the floors where you can easily run the wires from the supply source to the ceiling.
Otherwise, hide or tape the wires under floorboards or carpet. Alternatively, get a copper tape that can be painted over or hidden under wallpaper when wrapped over the wire. 

How do you attach fairy lights to a dollhouse?

The best way to attach fairy lights to a dollhouse is to choose the light and match the color of the wire to the item’s background. Then, get nails, thumb tacks, or clear-wall hook supplies to hang the lights up. 

Clear wall hooks will work perfectly on shelves, mirrors, and every delicate item. On the other hand, nails or thumb tacks will suit every other item without intrinsic value. Make sure that you insert the nail or thumb tacks between the twisted wires and avoid driving them through the wires since it can destroy the wiring of the dollhouse. 

How do you build a dollhouse base?

• First, cut all the pieces of plywood for the sides, back, and bottom of the dollhouse. 
• Assemble all pieces with wood glue and a nail gun with the side and back pieces attached to the side edge of the bottom piece. 
• Cut out the windows. Make sure to drill pilot holes in opposite corners of each window before cutting them. 
• If you are building a 2-story building, grab some scrap pieces of plywood and cut out some little support for the second floor. Then, glue it to the walls with wood adhesive and a nail gun. 
• For the roof, cut two pieces of plywood so that when you put them together they perfectly meet in the middle. Then place them on top of the dollhouse. 
• Cut some plywood to be room dividers and glue and nail gun them in the middle of each floor to make separate rooms.

How do you hang a dollhouse chandelier?

• Make sure the chandelier works
• to figure out how long you want to hang it down. If too long, cut down but leave enough wire to pull through the canopy adapter.
• Put the wire through the hole in the canopy, then pull the wires apart. 
• Nick through the insulation of each wire and twist until the wires within stick out. Then take off the insulation and twist the visible wires. 
• Loosen the screws on the adapter and get the wires underneath the screws. Then re-screw.
• Use a tape to measure the width of the room to determine the middle of the room where you can fix the chandelier. 
• Use a test probe to know where the tape wire is. Then mark with a pencil.
• Get a hammer and attach the adapter disk that holds the chandelier to the roof. 
• Fix the chandelier in a screw0like way and ensure it sinks through the adapter to light up. 

Conclusion

Nothing beats an addictive hobby like model building, where you have the chance to create a miniature model of your dream house. If you are hoping to assemble your dream dollhouse without the stress and frustration it comes with; hopefully, these 16 assembling tips will prepare you for a fun building experience.