Discover The Top Secrets Of Building Dollhouse Stairs DIY – No Carpentry Skills Required!

If you’re interested in learning how to build dollhouse stairs DIY, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you’re a seasoned dollhouse enthusiast or a curious beginner, this guide will provide you with the essential know-how to create those charming miniature staircases.

Building dollhouse stairs can be a fun and rewarding project that adds a touch of realism to your miniature world. So, let’s dive in and explore the steps (pun intended!) to bring your dollhouse stairs to life.

checked up 21/01/24

But first, does a dollhouse even need stairs? That’s debatable!


That is a very good question to ask if dollhouse stairs are really necessary, so I went on a dollhouse forum from Greenleaf to see if people were talking about this, and they did!

Interesting what popped up!


To be honest, I would have thought personally, that a dollhouse staircase wouldn’t be absolutely necessary, to save space for other miniatures and more room, but that is only a minority of 11%, fascinating!

Then about 42% think that dollhouse stairs are very important and a must-have, so I guess it was time that I wrote about them haha!

Don’t hesitate to let me know in the comment section what you think 🙂

There could be several reasons why you would want or not want a dollhouse staircase, like:

Against:

  • if the house is too small and the stairs take up a lot of room, that means no stairs
  • if the stairs are in front and not in the back, they take away a lot of room as well
  • stairs in a room instead of a hallway don’t look good or they are in the way as well


Pro:

  • for a large house, dollhouse stairs are not a bother
  • They just look very nice in a dollhouse and they give a sense of realism!

or how about this pro-opinion on dollhouse stairs haha? ==>


Anyway: you decide!

How To Plan And Design Dollhouse Stairs DIY?


When it comes to planning and designing dollhouse stairs, there are a few key considerations to keep in mind. Here’s a step-by-step approach to help you out:

  • Take a good look at the available space in your dollhouse where you want to place your dollhouse stairs and measure the height, width, and depth to see the limitations it.

  • Consider the style, do you want a modern staircase or a vintage and classical style like the Victorian style, for example. You can find all kinds of dollhouse styles on my website.

  • Decide on what scale you are creating your stairs, it would need to correspond with your dollhouse measurements. Check out my scale converter on my homepage.

  • There are various types of staircases for you to choose from, such as straight stairs, spiral stairs, or L-shaped stairs. You can sketch out your preferable type.

  • You could experiment with different materials, like wood, cardboard, polymer clay, etc. How easy is the choice of a certain type of material for you to use?


How to make dollhouse stairs with different types of materials?


Which materials should you use to create your dollhouse staircase is a question that I would like to help you out with some video tutorials and more, let’s go!

1. How to create dollhouse stairs from cardboard?


There are several tutorials online on how to create a miniature staircase from cardboard, but in the video below by Debra Carmona, you can definitely see step-by-step how she created her staircase.

The stairs are constructed using tagboard or chipboard, and the steps are approximately one centimeter high and one centimeter wide.

The other things you need are:

  • a ruler
  • scissors
  • a pencil
  • crafting glue
  • acrylic paint
  • paintbrushes

The process involves creating a template for the stair stringer, cutting out the stringers, and doubling their strength by gluing them together in pairs.

Riser boards are then added, followed by horizontal strips for extra stability. The back side of the staircase is enclosed using additional pieces.

The tread boards are cut to size, adjusted for fit, and painted to resemble wood.

The boards are then glued to the stairs, ensuring they are flush on the wall side.

Trimmings and additional finishing touches, such as a backing piece and a post for support, are added.

The stairs are finally painted and assembled, resulting in a sturdy and beautiful cardboard dollhouse staircase.


2. How to create dollhouse stairs with foam core and craft wood?


What materials you need for the next tutorial video, this time by Angie Aug, are:

  • foam core,
  • craft wood,
  • wood stain,
  • utility knife,
  • ruler,
  • and sandpaper.

And then a little walkthrough of the video:

  • Stain the craft wood before cutting it into pieces.
  • Create a 2-inch wide and 3 ¾-inch long stair hole on the second floor.
  • Cut a foam core piece for the wall, measuring 6 ⅜ inches high and 6 ⅝ inches wide. Also, cut an opening for the fireplace.
  • Cut wood strips for the stairs, either using a utility knife and ruler or an easy cutter. You’ll need fourteen pieces, each 1 5/8 inches long.
  • Sand the front edge of seven pieces to create the treads.
  • Glue a tread piece to an unsanded piece to form each step, being careful not to get glue on the sanded part.
  • Glue the steps onto a 3-inch wide wood piece, creating the back of the staircase.
  • Let the glue dry and touch up with wood stain.
  • test fit the wall and staircase inside the dollhouse.
  • Apply wood trim to cover the foam core edge.


3. How to create dollhouse stairs with popsicle sticks?


And yet another video tutorial for you below, and this time just regular popsicle sticks are used!

Cut the sticks out with a crafting knife as seen in the video and glue the pieces together.

Attach beads to metal thread and paint those black. Make holes in the assembled staircase to attach the metal wires with beads and you can now add a brown-copper patina.

Finish the staircase as seen in the video and paint it.

How do I accurately measure and scale dollhouse stairs?


I have found the perfect website for you to measure out dollhouse stairs.

When you click through to this website, you can see plans and a calculator for each DIY building project.

Clicking on the “Wooden ladder calculators”- part, for example, takes you to a fantastic calculator for wooden staircases.

After you have figured out the measurements for a staircase of your own design, you just need to use my scale converter below to measure out the sizes for your dollhouse project, in any possible scale.

Convert any measurement in a known scale into another known scale.

Convert in scale

to in scale
=

And there you go, you should now have the perfect measurements for your dollhouse stairs!

How should I finish and sand the dollhouse stairs for a smooth surface?


Here’s a little walkthrough on how to finish the staircase for a smooth surface:


1. Sand all the surfaces.

Use fine-grit sandpaper (around 220-320 grit) to sand the surfaces of the stairs.

Sanding helps to smooth out any rough edges, imperfections, or glue residue.

Sand in a gentle back-and-forth motion, applying even pressure. Be careful not to sand too aggressively to avoid damaging or altering the shape of the stairs, especially for dollhouse structures like staircases.

For a more realistic look, you can also round the front edges of the stair treads.

If your staircase has risers, sand them as well to achieve a smooth and consistent finish. Pay attention to any visible edges or corners, ensuring they are sanded evenly.

2. Remove dust


After sanding, use a soft brush or cloth to remove any sanding dust from the stairs. It’s important to clean the surface thoroughly before applying any finishes.


3. Apply finishes.



Depending on the desired look, you can apply various finishes to the dollhouse stairs. Some options include:

  • Sand between coats (optional): If you choose to apply multiple coats of paint or varnish, lightly sand the surfaces between coats using fine-grit sandpaper. This helps to smooth out any imperfections or unevenness in the finish.
  • Final touch-ups: Once the finishes have dried completely, inspect the stairs for any areas that may need touch-ups. If necessary, sand those areas gently and reapply the appropriate finish to achieve a uniform and smooth surface.


Get your miniature dollhouse stairs kits!


You don’t feel like creating your own dollhouse stairs? Why not purchase yourself a dollhouse kit or a straight-up assembled staircase?

I will do some more research for you on my favorite platform, called Etsy 😉

Dollhouse stairs number 1


Starting with a simple dollhouse staircase by Miniaturecrush.

It is a wooden stairs kit ( Solid Beech Wood), with a preassembled handrail, and Fits 9″ – 10″ ceilings, 2 7/8″ wide.


Check out the price and more details here.



Dollhouse stairs number 2.


A little bit more sophisticated is this 1/12 Dollhouse Miniature Staircase with a straight handrail and it is pre-assembled.

These stairs are made from unfinished basswood and the general quality you can see in the picture and details below.

Check out more details and price here.


Dollhouse stairs number 3


This is a 1/2” dark staircase with a wrought iron banister, approximately measures: 6 1/2” long, and is made by Miniestatesbykaren, check it out!

Check out the price and more details here.


My Final Conclusion

I hope that you found this article on how to build dollhouse stairs interesting, but if you have any more questions, please feel free to leave them down below in the comment section.

You can also join my social media channels or my cozy Facebook group.

I wish you happy crafting!

Kind regards,

Lizzy

8 thoughts on “Discover The Top Secrets Of Building Dollhouse Stairs DIY – No Carpentry Skills Required!”

  1. I have been following your blog website for months now as you provide very easy to follow guides on building miniature doll houses. Wanted to learn house to add stairs to a miniature doll house but everything I found was to be complicated and scared me away. With this secret tip guide, I can now add stairs to my surprise doll house for my granddaughter. Word working takes time and patience’s, these stairs will take lots of patience. 

    Reply
    • Hello Jannette!

      Oh yes for sure, creating miniatures and dollhouses yourself always will require some time and patience, but if you would use cardboard for these dollhouse stairs, it will take you less time 😉 I’m sure that you will manage and if you have any questions during the process, please don’t be afraid to ask!:-)

      I wish you happy crafting and thanks for following my blog!

      Lizzy

      Reply
  2. I was really surprised of two facts in your article; the first is that so many people thought that stairs are really needed. The second is that it can actually be done without a lot of skill needed.

    After reading your article, I really agree with you that stairs add a lot of realism and charm to the whole environment being built. It can also add a lot to the theme, not to mention that it can be suitable to different kinds of themes.

    The stairs feature moved from being a beautiful option to becoming a necessity element.

    Reply
  3. Hi there! I am fairly new to this hobby, having only built my first kit house during lockdown, encouraged by several dolls house enthuiast friends. Now, I am on my second, the Lake View by Dolls House Emporium (I am in the UK). I liked it because it is a modern house, but dislike the spiral stairs and the room they take up and postioning of them. I am not really that great working with wood, I am a sewer and a quilter and more comfortable with fabric (I started the first house so could make tiny quilts and furnishings!). I am making “fake" stairs on each of the two lower floors, in modern style, just a couple of steps that go up to a door, so looks like the rest of stairs runs at back of main room, unseen. I hope this is going to work, I did consider leaving out, but I worry too much that it looks unreal, having no stairs at all, I want the illusion that it is a “real" house, after all!

    Reply
  4. I just cant have a house/shop without stairs…however to save on valuable space I do use faux stairs that only take up a small amount of room, just a small box with the first few steps on show

    Reply

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