4 Top Miniature DIY Dollhouse Flooring Ideas And A Walkthrough

In 2 previous articles, I have talked about how to make miniature walls and miniature water (streams, beaches, and waterfalls.) Today we are going to talk about 4 different miniature dollhouse flooring ideas and how to make those DIY-style.

To craft this miniature dollhouse flooring, you don’t need as many materials at all as in the miniature-water tutorial, so I hope to guide you through these more fluently haha!

updated on 17.06.23

Dollhouse flooring ideas: Idea number 1: use egg cartons.

Make a miniature cobblestone walkway using egg cartons and recycle/upcycle! A little walkthrough:

– Mix black and white acrylic paint until you get a slightly grayish color. Add a drop of brown color so that the mix gets the color of concrete.

– paint it on the area that you want to cover in stone and let it dry.

– cut out the rounds of an egg carton after you cut it in half. Flat them out and cut out a bunch of squares and rectangles. The size is up to you. Glue the pieces randomly to the gray painted area, just make sure that you don’t put too many big pieces together, the same goes for the small ones. Seal it with another layer of glue.

– cover the sealed stones with silver acrylic paint, it will give the stones a metallic shine that will remain visible. Cover that again with gray acrylic paint.

– randomly cover the stones here and there with a mustard color, some raw sienna, and some reddish-brown. Finish with the mix you made in the beginning and again paint a few stones here and there at random.

– Seal everything with a sealer. In the video underneath, Polycrylic is used, but I presume you can use Mod Podge.

– use shrink-free grout between the stones. Leave the residue that is left on the stones.

– add some leftover gray concrete paint mix on the crevices, to make it look more used, but just a little bit.

I can’t understand the end of the video, she talks way too quickly, can you? But I am assuming she wants to seal it again 🙂 And then it’s done, check out the video :

This video is a variation of the previous one, but with a porch instead of a cobblestone floor :

 

Dollhouse flooring ideas: Idea number 2: wooden floors.

A. Use popsicle sticks.

I had to really organize this part because people tend to ‘paint’ popsicle sticks in lots of different ways, so here we go to get an oversight!

But first, let’s show the different patterns you can make with this collage of pictures that I put together:

The choice is all yours really, I took the easiest one, but it would sure be a challenge to try and do the herringbone pattern for example.

Cutting the popsicle sticks is the easiest with a mini table saw, but of course, it is totally up to you if you want to do it by hand with a hacksaw if you have the patience for it 😉

Gluing the sticks to the surface, I’ve seen people use all kinds of glues or also mod podge. I just used regular wood glue, but again the choice is yours.

Painting them can be done in several ways.

– One way is using shoe polish and an old cloth to give them that worn and weathered look.

Another way could be staining them with coffee.

And then there’s just finishing them after you painted them with a black ‘wash’.

A black wash adds color to the floor, while still allowing the wood grain to show through. You can mix a black wash by combining paint or stain with a glazing compound. After applying it to the floor with the grain of the wood, wipe it off while it is still wet.

Or you can combine it till it looks like this! (pretty nice, no?)

To get a glossy finished look, use Mod Podge.

B. Use balsa wood (like I did).

The floor of both my ‘treehouse‘ and ‘backyard shed‘, was made with balsa wood. Cutting those out in the right length was pretty easy, as the width is already pre-cut. You just need to cut the length of the slats into pieces that you like or that fit your floor and voila!

I did place the slats on beams under the floor like you would with a real floor. Also, because I had to make my walls look smaller; they were out of proportion to the windows and I had to adjust that.

Because otherwise, my future kitchen wouldn’t fit. (did you realize that in making a custom dollhouse, you have to really think these things through in advance? Always make a plan, don’t do like I do 🙂 ! )

Come to think of it now, I would have made a few little holes in the slats as in the previous example with the popsicle sticks, to make them look like they were nailed to the surface. But overall I am still pretty happy with the result. After all, it is just for the future trolls of my treehouse or for a backyard shed 😉

 

 

Dollhouse flooring ideas: Idea number 3: Make flagstone floors.

Making flagstone floors for inside a dollhouse goes like this:

– sweep away any debris from the floor you are going to make with a brush

– smooth on a thick layer of joint compound

– use a mechanical pencil to draw lines for the flagstones (look online to get some ideas). If you make a mistake, you can smooth it out easily

– when it’s dried, use your pencil again to scrape it between the stones, clean it up and soften the corners

– lightly use a sanding block to smooth the stones

– give the floor a final sweep before you paint it. Start with a ‘washed black ‘.

– give the crevices a dark stain if you want them to look darker

– randomly color the stones here and there with different colors like explained for the cobblestones above, meaning: brownish, dark, grayish, etc.

That’s all!

Video :

 

Dollhouse flooring ideas: Idea 4: ceramic tiles– how do you make a dollhouse floor look like tile?

Of course, we couldn’t skip ceramic tiles for our dollhouse, now could we? So let’s go.

A: The use of photo paper

– Buy some glossy photo paper or even better: glossy card stock

– carefully cut the tiles in the sizes you want with a crafting knife. (not all the way through, keep the paper in one piece !)

– then use ‘distress ink’ on the tiles (in the form of ink pats). Distress Ink is an ink based on dye (a dye ink). This means that the ink is transparent, has a bright color, and absorbs into the paper faster.

– the ink dries almost immediately on photo paper, so it’s hard to blend and thus you need to be sure of what you are doing. You can resolve this problem by going around in circles on the paper. Dark colors seem to work better because you can see the grout.

– if some grouts are too dark, let the piece dry first, and then you can correct those with a white paint-‘pencil’ or a white chalk pen.

As she mentions in the video: wouldn’t it be cool to have this as a backsplash in a miniature kitchen?

B. Buy ‘ceramic tiles’.

These seem to have sold on eBay, but now they are not there anymore (auw).

I can’t find them on Banggood either, sadly (it looks like it’s only available in real-size tiles ?). Only the plastic sheets ones, but you might like those?

So these are kind of hard to find I think, but you might find nice ones? Let me know!

UPDATE: I knéw I had to look on Etsy, so many choices there, that I’m going to make a separate article for these! So keep an eye on my site for another article regarding miniature ceramic tiles on Etsy!

C. Use air-dry clay and..?

What a wonderful idea that I found on Facebook. Just use air-dry clay and use a garden center plant tray and get this wonderful pattern for your ‘ceramic tiles ‘!

Dollhouse Flooring Ideas: Idea number 5: Use Vinyl Tile.

One cost-effective option is to use vinyl tiles, which can be easily obtained online in dollhouse size, for example on Etsy.

The installation process is straightforward as well since you can simply peel and stick them onto the dollhouse floor.

When choosing vinyl tiles, you’ll be delighted by the wide range of patterns available.

You can find tiles that replicate the look of natural stone, elegant marble, stunning granite, charming floral designs, and even realistic wood patterns.

Vinyl tiles also offer durability. They can withstand regular use and wear, making them suitable for dollhouses that will be frequently played with or displayed.

A few more FAQs on DIY dollhouse flooring

Here’s a few more questions and answers for you:

where can I find dollhouse flooring printables?

You can easily find dollhouse flooring printables in several places and I would advise you to check out my article on where to find dollhouse printables.

how to stain a dollhouse floor?

To stain a dollhouse floor, follow these steps:

1. Prepare the work area and choose a suitable wood stain.
2. Sand the floor lightly if needed and clean any dust or debris.
3. Apply a thin, even coat of stain in the direction of the wood grain.
4. Wipe off excess stain with a clean cloth to ensure a uniform color.
5. Allow the floor to dry completely according to the manufacturer's instructions.
6. Assess the color and apply additional coats if desired.
7. Optional: Seal the stained floor with a clear sealant or varnish for protection and a polished look. Remember safety precautions and test the stain on a small area before staining the entire floor.

My Final Conclusion

I am sure there will be other ways to craft miniature dollhouse flooring. For example with the help of paper or cardboard, and more. But these seemed like the easiest ways for me to do it ànd look the most like real floors.

Do you disagree and want to show me your pictures of another way to make beautiful miniature dollhouse flooring? Feel free to comment in the comment section below! Or now join my newest Facebook group and chat freely with other creators!

So we covered miniature walls, miniature water, and now miniature dollhouse flooring. Guess what the next article will be about? Right: rooftops haha. But first: let’s look for mini ceramic tiles on Etsy, shall we?

I wish you happy crafting!

Best regards,

Lizzy

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