Our wooden dollhouse has seen better days. Our daughter has used it for years and as sad as it makes me, she is growing and I have the feeling that we don't have that many years left with this dollhouse.
We decided to give it a new look and hopefully that buys me a little more time of doll playing with my baby.
You can even look for a used dollhouse at the thrift store or FB marketplace and turn a well loved dollhouse into a brand new toy for your little one!
Here's the step by step of this makeover:
This is what we started with, a wooden dollhouse with a removable balcony and roof.
We started by cleaning it really well and giving the frame a fresh coat of paint. I used a sample of Sherwin Williams paint I had around and it immediately gave it a fresh look.
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For the walls, we skipped the paint and cut some cute scrapbook paper to size to act as "wallpaper". We used mod podge to glue the wallpaper and let it dry before moving to the next step.
For the floors, I wanted to try a few different options. For the first one, I cut popsicle sticks and used them as "hardwod planks". I cut the rounded edges using a shear cutter (here's a similar one) and glued each plank using school glue.
Instead of laying them straight on to the dollhouse floors, I glued them on to a piece of cardstock and then glued that to the house using mod podge.
For the next room, I used edge banding and cut it in small "planks". I laid them using a herringbone pattern and used my mini heat press (you can also use a regular iron) to adhere them to a piece of cardstock. I then glued the cardstock using mod podge.
I stained both "hardwood floors" using water based stain.
I also used a roll of cork for a couple rooms. They gave me that natural material I was looking for and it worked out great!
There is one smaller room that we dubbed "the terrace", and I wanted to use a stone or brick type material. I ended up cutting a piece of cardstock the same size as the floor, and giving it a coat of this stone texture spray paint. I love the look of it!
Lastly, for the bottom floor, I used brick printed scrapbook paper and glued it using...you guessed it: mod podge.
For the last details like the removable roof, pendant lights, and door, I used this black spray paint and this paint (for the non removable parts) for a more modern look. It already looks so good!
Stay tuned for the furniture making fun!