In the past two days, I worked on the base for the dollhouse legs. The base will be wobbly, so it needs reinforcement. Glue wood strips between the legs all around. You can use dowels or square wooden sticks. For added design, miniature porch posts can be used, as I did with the Gloucester Dollhouse. Since this dollhouse has a modern style, I chose plain square sticks.
To start, turn the base upside down with the legs facing up and clamp it to a flat surface. This helps keep the legs straight. Measure from the area of the legs closest to the base and cut the sticks to size. Be sure to measure all around so that all sticks are the same height. Once the sticks are in place between the dollhouse legs, glue them and then use masking tape to clamp the legs together tightly around the sticks. Let everything dry overnight.
After it dries, use spackle to fill any gaps between the ends of the sticks and the dollhouse legs. Next, paint the legs and the underside of the base. This process requires time and patience. Once finished, turn the entire unit right side up to complete painting and touch-ups since you will view the dollhouse from above. You can add furniture leg gliders to the bottoms of the dollhouse legs to protect your floors and allow for easy movement. Peel-and-stick options are available.
When you place your finished dollhouse on this base, it will be sturdy enough for an adult to handle. My Gloucester Dollhouse has never tipped over despite frequent opening and closing, even with many miniatures inside. However, due to its tall and narrow design, there is always a risk of tipping. If you plan to give this type of dollhouse to a child, use hardware to brace it against a wall so it remains stable when opening and closing the front panels. Braces for furniture like drawer chests or china cabinets can be found at local hardware stores and are easy to install on the dollhouse.
