Preparing for the overhaul...

Tuesday, March 8, 2011

How To Make A Really Good Dollhouse Floor

The woodwork can make or break a dollhouse.  It's the things we don't really think about, or notice--floors, columns, door frames, etc--that give it that "real house" feel.  They're the canvas on which we "paint" the rest of the scene.  Unfortunately, they're also the parts we tend to want to rush through--at least, I do.  I've developed the techniques I use through years of trial and error, and the (repeated) experience of being really unhappy with my results.  I tend to slap on a coat or two of stain, a coat or two of varnish, and throw in a few passes with a sanding sponge.  If it's smooth and pretty looking, I conclude I'm done...and then I look at the final product and wonder what went wrong.

This dissatisfaction has led me to developing a few new techniques, which I'll share with you.

You'll need:
  1. 3 colors of water based acrylic craft paint.  If you want to replicate the exact look I've created here, use "Americana" brand paint in Dark Chocolate, Lamp (Ebony) Black, and Honey Brown.  Dark Chocolate forms the base color, Lamp Black the lowlights, and Honey Brown--which is really more of a light mustard--forms the highlights.
  2. A soft brush for brushing away excess dust; I use a 1" or 2" soft bristled trim brush.
  3. Sanding sponges.  I like 3M brand sanding sponges in "medium" grit.  Keep in mind, you want a rougher surface, to really scratch up the floor.
  4. An x-acto knife.
  5. "Roughing" tools.  I like small stripping brushes, which are available at Home Depot.  You can also use one of the wire brushes that comes in a standard golf kit.  They're very cheap, and a great tool to have on hand.


This is the Tudor Bakery floor, only there's no floor yet.

I like to apply my wallpaper before I lay my floor, but everyone's different.

Here, I'm using 1" pine strips.  They have a very interesting grain, which I like.  But, you can use any thin strip.  I'd stay away from lime (basswood), if at all possible, only because it's very soft and can dent. Lime is more suitable for columns, trim, etc, because these are lower-wear surfaces.

I like to dry-fit the entire floor before I start gluing anything down.  This way, I can get a sense of how everything fits together, and what the trouble spots are.  Sometimes, no matter how careful you are, your room ends up a few degrees off square.  Even one degree can make a big difference, and if you dry fit your floor, it's easier to figure out how to compensate for any problems--and make it as non-obvious as possible.

Make sure everything lines up as exactly as possible along the front.

Here, I'm working around the chimney column.  Once I cut all the boards, I glued them down in sections using Quick Grip.  Silicone-based adhesives work best, as they tend to cause the least warp.  Water-based glues (like craft glue) tend to produce a lot of warp.  Even so, make sure you glue the boards down in small batches (no more than 3 or 4 strips at a time), and weight them down while drying (for at least 20 minutes) to prevent warp.

The hole in the center is for tiles, which I'll install later.  Once everything's dry, paint the floor with diluted Dark Chocolate (or whatever your base color is) paint.  I tend not to sand beforehand, as there's little point; the moisture in the paint raises the grain.  I wanted a very deep color brown, so I applied two coats of paint, and then sanded with my sanding sponge.

Here's a close-up of the floor, after it's been sanded.  If you really want the grain to stand out, you can put a coat of water-based matte varnish on between coats of paint.  Make sure you sand the varnish well, before you put on a second coat of paint!

Here's the floor.  So far, I've put on one coat of paint, a coat of varnish, sanded, put on another coat of paint, and another coat of varnish, and sanded.  Don't be afraid to go nuts with the sanding sponge.

Now it's time for the fun part.  I used my tools to rough up the floor.  Whenever you think you've done enough, don't be afraid to do a little more!

See all that dust?  This is where a brush comes in handy!  You want all this gunk gone before you start aging the surface with paint.

A close-up of the floor.  Those scores and scratches were created by my x-acto blade, and my stripping brush.  I created lighter spots with my sanding sponge, by sanding some areas slightly more thoroughly than others.

Now, I'm ready to start aging with paint!

I diluted my darkest color (Lamp Black), and began working it in to the corners, and the centers of the boards.  I made a particular effort to work the color into the deeper knife scores I'd made.  Only place lowlights where it makes sense: in corners, dark crevasses, etc.

A close-up of the lowlights.  The key to success, with this effect, is subtlety.  You don't want to end up with tiger stripes!  "Barely there" is where it's at.

Here, I've completed the lowlights.

Here's a close-up of the lowlights.

Now, it's time for the highlights.  I made a wash of Honey Brown and water, mixing in just enough paint so that my mixture was watery, but still opaque.  Then, I painted it on, let it sit for a minute, and rubbed it off.  So I could keep the overall effect even, I applied the wash in sections.  I didn't want the paint drying before I had a chance to rub it off.

Here's a close-up of the finished floor.  It's a very subtle effect.  I like the mixture of the Dark Chocolate and the Honey Brown, because it gives a very rich, warm effect.  A lot of paints called "Burnt Umber", and other paints in that general range, are very ashy looking when dry.  Likewise, a lot of lighter value paints end up looking bright orange.

One final close-up.

So what do you think?  Any floor (or other woodwork) finishing techniques you'd like to share?

15 comments:

Norma Bennett said...

A fabulous tutorial, so many great tips, thank you very much :)

Sierra said...

You make it look SO easy!

C.J. said...

Norma, I'm glad you like it! I always appreciate your positive comments :-) I wish *you'd* do a tutorial on how you achieved that terrific aged effect!

Sierra, you are definitely my biggest cheerleader :-) You know, since you (sadly for you) get to hear all my complaining, that it's not easy! Maybe I should make a post all about my horrible mistakes. I should've taken a picture of myself when I had the fur glued to my arm!

Gerry De Cave said...

C.J.
I LOVE this floor. I can't wait to try it!!
Gerry De Cave
http://decavedesign.com

jenn said...

I would love to see a stone floor and how it is accomplished properly.This cite has helped me tremendously in the planning of my miniature home. I was given a dollhouse by a friend of the family about 6 months ago and (and with great expectations and much excitement) received a one roomed farmstead with the hint of an upper story- much to my dismay. I put on my game face, and as a beginner to rennovating miniature spaces.

sherprin said...

Such a reader friendly tutorial. It was clear, the pictures are excellent, and so easy to follow. Thanks so much for sharing your talent!

Suzanne E. Mated said...

I did this floor - my first floor, my first dollhouse. It turned out PERFECTLY. I am blogging about it and linking to this post. Sheer beauty!!! THANK YOU!

CJ said...

Thank you so much :-)

Unknown said...

can someone please tell me where to get wood for floor and what kind, like at home depot or something?

Unknown said...

I just started building a miniature dollhouse so I really wanted to tell you I wished I saw your flooring before I did mine because it looks like it would have saved me some time. Great idea, I love your floor idea. However, if your ever interested in any other DIY'S for dolls you can follow my YouTube channel or look up Dollhouse Miniatures Madness and Tutorials on Facebook because I'm posting everything I'm doing on there.
Here is my YouTube channel and a video on how I did my floors. Keep up the great work. https://youtu.be/7UVjgclmdZo

Unknown said...

I just started building a miniature dollhouse so I really wanted to tell you I wished I saw your flooring before I did mine because it looks like it would have saved me some time. Great idea, I love your floor idea. However, if your ever interested in any other DIY'S for dolls you can follow my YouTube channel or look up Dollhouse Miniatures Madness and Tutorials on Facebook because I'm posting everything I'm doing on there.
Here is my YouTube channel and a video on how I did my floors. Keep up the great work. https://youtu.be/7UVjgclmdZo

Airless Spray said...

I like your blog a lot. Its informative and full of information. Thank you for sharing.

Airless Spray said...

Thanks so much for sharing. I get relavant information from your post.

Anna said...

This is such a fabulous tutorial - THANK YOU!! Now bring out the paints....

Pips said...

What a great explanation. Thank you. Very clear.