Sunday 14 April 2013

Flooring for Dolls Houses

Examples of commercially produced flooring papers for dolls houses 


There are so many different ways to make flooring for your dolls house. What you choose may depend on the style and era of the house, the materials you have on hand and your level of skill in making minis. Here are some ideas for this important part of miniature interior decorating.

  • floor papers: as you can see from the photograph these come in several patterns and shades. You might choose light or dark floorboards, parquet flooring in various patterns, or flagstone or brick effects.
  • tiles: miniature supplies shops sell a variety of black and white tiled flooring paper in different patterns and a slightly thicker, plasticised tile sheet. Or you can make your own by cutting out squares of black and white paper and sticking them to a cardboard floor template.
Black and white tiled flooring in a dolls house bathroom 
  • flagstones: use Formica samples in a limestone or slate look from a kitchen design shop. Cut them into squares of about 2 inches. Glue to a cardboard template of the room's floor. When dry, rub over with Polyfilla so it gets into the cracks as grout. Wipe the excess off with a damp cloth. Fit the floor into the dolls house room.
Flagstone floors suit a Tudor dolls house
  • another way to make a stone floor is using cardboard, cut into tiles and glued down. Then you can paint them grey and mottle lighter and darker greys randomly over the floor to simulate stone.
  • terracotta tiles: this is where terracotta-coloured Das, an air drying modelling clay, is perfect. Roll out to a size slightly larger than the dimensions of the floor. This will allow for the clay shrinking as it dries. When partially dry, incise with lines in a tile pattern. Cut to fit the room when completely dry.
  • wooden floorboards: there are several ways of making these:
  1. You need a steady hand for this, an ability to rule straight lines (a talent I am sadly lacking!) a steel ruler and a very sharp craft knife. It is also easier to do this before the dolls house is constructed. Rule lines to correspond with floorboards directly onto the dolls house floors. Use the ruler and knife to groove them. Stain or paint. When dry, you can make 'nail holes' with a sharp pencil at the junctions of the floorboards.
  2. Glue wooden ice block sticks or tongue depressors side by side onto a cardboard template of the floor. Sand really well. Stain or paint. Cover with baking paper and weigh down with tins e.g. baked beans! to make sure the floor dries flat and doesn't buckle. Varnish or rub with beeswax for a shiny look.
  3. Cut thin wood into planks and lay on a template of the floor. Finish as for #2. For my Tudor house I used balsa wood strips stained with shoe polish. (Note: floorboards in the 16th century were wider than today).
Wooden floorboards in a Tudor dolls house
The final touches will be when you lay down rugs or carpet squares to give the rooms a 'lived in' look. I hope this post has given you some ideas for your own dolls house or room box.

11 comments:

  1. Thanks Wendy, I'm new to floor-laying so all hints are welcome. I love the idea of the nail-holes!

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    1. Yes, the nail holes just add that little authentic touch!

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  2. Thanks Wendy! I never heard of using shoe polish on a floor. It makes sense!

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  3. Hi Wendy, nice web log keep up the good stuff.
    What i wanted to tell you about the floor tiling, i use cardboard and first paint it with a glossy paint, then when it is dry i cut them, lay them down random and afterwards i use fill the gaps with some plaster.
    That will make them a little dull again.

    About real wood flooring, i have never bought any but really i have a lot of them, i just have been to a place where they make cabinets for kitchens and rooms and they have a lot of peaces they can't use anymore, i bought them a crate of beer to thank them....
    So that are some tips i have on flooring i wanted to share.

    For me it's a second hobby to get all the stuff as sheep as it go's, the commercial available stuff is nice but most of the time pretty expensive, get it done by your self is so much better.

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    1. Thanks for your ideas, Andries. Yes, I like to make as much as I can too. I'm happy to buy glass & china accessories, but like to make things if I can.

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  4. Just found your lovely site. Here is a great idea for flooring I saw in a book once. Get a box of wooden drink stirrers (at a restaurant supply shop) and use them for floors. Lay them as real floors are laid, not lining up the ends. They are thin enough to cut easily, and are the perfect scale, much better than popsicle

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    1. Great idea, Sweet P. Thanks for putting that forward. I love how we can all share ideas to help each other in this hobby!

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  5. What kind of glue do you use to glue down the floor? Thanks!

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    1. Hi Kristen. I use different glues depending on the material I'm wanting to stick down. For paper & cardboard - tacky glue. For formica samples - UHU glue. For wood - wood glue. I know some people use a hot glue gun but I'm not sure of the long lasting qualities of that. Double sided tape can be used also, but again, if it's not archival I think it would dry out over time & not be effective.

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  6. Great tips, thank you! I also love the embroidery in your Tudor house. I'm assuming you did them... gorgeous work!

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    1. Thanks, Cheverly. Yes, I did do the Tudor embroidery.

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