Building a dollhouse can require a large amount of materials, ranging from wood to carpet to furniture. The cost of materials depends on where you buy them and how elaborate the dollhouse will be. You can buy the supplies individually or purchase kits or sets. The building process can take several weeks, so you don’t need every piece right away.
Frame
Use hobby knives to cut down trim.
Dollhouses typically are made from thin wood. You can purchase a dollhouse kit to use precut pieces, or you can cut your own pieces from thin sheets of particleboard. You will need interior walls, exterior walls, trim, stairs, floors, a roof, windows, doors, hinges, shutters and shingles to complete the frame. Wood or craft glue, staples or nails can all be used to assemble the frame. It helps to have a hobby knife to trim off excess bits of wood.
Interior Flooring and Walls
Craft and hobby stores and websites sell carpet, tiles, linoleum and wallpaper to decorate dollhouses. You can use a tacky glue or wood glue to apply these to the wood surfaces. If the wood you are using is rough or has nicks, you will need fine-grit sandpaper--such as 320 or 280 grit--to remove them. A hobby knife can cut most decorating materials to their correct size and shape.
Lights
Dollhouses typically include either real-working electrical lights or false lights. Should you choose to wire the dollhouse for electricity, you will need electrical wire, tape wire (flat electrical wire that doesn't need to be fed between walls), junction splitters, an electricity tester, mini light bulbs, light fixtures, wire cutters and punch tools. You can buy the parts separately or as a kit. False lights can simply be glued or screwed into place, but electrical fixtures will need to be mounted to the wall or ceiling.
Paint
You can use acrylic paint to paint interior and exterior walls of a dollhouse. It helps to paint the trim before adding it to the house, but if you can't, put masking or painter’s tape around the areas to prevent paint from mixing with other painted parts of the dollhouse. Sponge or foam brushes work well for dollhouse painting. You also will need to use a sealer on the wood before painting and to protect the paint afterward.
Exterior Walls
Exterior dollhouse walls can be painted, or some people choose to use wood paneling, bricks or even vinyl siding. These materials usually are sold in sheets that can be applied with an all-purpose glue. Bricks are sold both in sheets and as individual bricks. Individual bricks should be applied with wood glue.
Decoration
Once the house is built you will want to decorate the house with furniture, rugs, pictures and other household items that can be found at craft stores and craft websites. If the dollhouse is for decoration only and you do not plan to move the items, you can glue them in place. For example, you can use craft glue to secure pictures to walls or food to dishes.
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