It is best to wallpaper after assembly, unless it is impossible due to accessibility issues. Wallpapering after assembly prevents gaps at the wall joints and strengthens the structure as the paste seeps into the joints.
There are several reasons not to wallpaper before assembly:
- Confusion - You may not know how walls will face after assembly, leading to incorrect placement of prints on the wrong sides or rooms.
- Alignment Issues - Wallpaper borders might not align due to slight height variations in the assembled walls.
- Damage Risk - Wallpaper can be damaged when tabs fit into wallpapered slots, and glue may drip onto the walls.
- Assembly Interference - Wallpaper can complicate assembly as wall edges overlap with already wallpapered areas.
- Clamping Difficulty - It can be hard to clamp the shell together with masking tape without damaging freshly applied wallpaper.
Wallpaper Choices
Miniature Wallpaper
For dollhouses, use high-quality miniature wallpaper from a specialized dealer. This type of wallpaper is already the right thickness, size, and texture. I recommend the 'Mini Graphics' brand, as I have had great success with it, even when using less-than-ideal application methods.
Scrapbook Paper
Scrapbook paper is a good alternative, especially for smaller dollhouse scales. While it can be used for one-inch scale dollhouses, larger pieces are preferable to avoid excessive patching, which can disrupt the pattern.
Choose sturdy scrapbook paper and avoid glossy or thin types, as these can bubble, tear, or crease when wet with wallpaper paste. Thick paper, like cardstock, may not adhere well and can buckle or crease on the walls.
Other Papers
I do not recommend using computer-printed paper for wallpaper in dollhouses larger than quarter-inch scale. This paper can be expensive and may not have clear designs or the correct size, leading to many patches. It also suffers from ink bleeding and tearing issues.
Real-life wallpaper is unsuitable due to its scale and thickness; however, it can be used on dollhouse ceilings where larger rolls are available.
Non-Paper Wallpaper
Consider using fabric instead of paper for a unique look. Many beautiful fabric prints are available. Diluted tacky glue works best for adhering fabric; you can dilute it yourself or buy it pre-diluted or in spray form.
A fellow miniaturist suggested using spray starch to adhere fabric wallpaper while keeping it removable for future changes. Always test your adhesive on a small piece of fabric first to check for colorfastness and staining. Allow the test fabric to dry for 24 hours to observe any reactions with the adhesive.
Shopping for Wallpaper
Be cautious when choosing where to buy your wallpaper. Many online miniature dealers sell computer-printed paper as wallpaper, resulting in poor-quality prints and incorrect sheet sizes.
For a one-inch scale dollhouse, the ideal wallpaper sheet size is at least 11" x 17" or 12" x 18". Avoid anything smaller. Check that the retailer includes the sheet measurements in the description. You shouldn't have to pay for wallpaper and shipping if it’s just computer-printed paper, as you can print that at home for free.
Quantity of Wallpaper
A good rule of thumb for wallpaper is to use one standard sheet (11" x 17" or 12" x 18") per wall. This usually means three sheets of wallpaper for each room, as most dollhouse rooms have three walls. While some people may try to buy fewer sheets, it's not advisable. Rooms with bays, stairwells, or gabled ceilings can quickly use up your wallpaper. It's better to have leftover wallpaper than to run out while working. Unless the room is very small, three sheets are ideal.
For scrapbook paper, I recommend using four to five sheets per room. Even large scrapbook sheets are generally smaller than miniature wallpaper, so it's important to have enough. Scrapbook paper can vary in color between different printing batches, so it's best not to buy more later. If you purchase scrapbook paper by the roll, you won’t need extra. When in doubt, measure your rooms. Knowing how much wall space you need to cover will help you buy the right amount of wallpaper.
Sealing Wallpaper
To protect your wallpaper, lightly spray the printed side with a matte sealant before applying it. Avoid spraying the paste side that will go on the wall, as sealing both sides will prevent the wallpaper from absorbing paste and adhering properly. Sealing your wallpaper also allows you to use museum wax to attach paintings or wall clocks to your dollhouse walls without leaving a residue. Always test the sealant on a small piece of wallpaper first to check for colorfastness.
Remember that sealants can change the hue of your wallpaper color, so make sure you like the result before applying it to the whole sheet. Additionally, depending on the wallpaper adhesive used, sealants can make it harder for the wallpaper to dry, which may lead to buckling, creasing, or bubbling.
Wallpaper Adhesive Choices
I recommend using only two types of glue for wallpaper - wallpaper mucilage (any brand) or Yes! Paste. This is especially important if you are new to wallpapering dollhouses.
- Wallpaper mucilage is available at miniature dealers and can be any brand. You can also find it at hardware stores, where it is used for regular-sized wallpaper. Mucilage works well with thinner, porous papers, such as standard scrapbook papers and Mini Graphics wallpaper. It spreads easily and should be applied with a foam brush.
- Yes! Paste was once commonly found in craft stores but it is now mostly available online. This adhesive may be labeled as 'Grandmother Stover's Glue' or 'Stickflat Adhesive.' I recommend Yes! Paste for sealed or thicker, non-porous papers due to its thick consistency. Non-porous papers often have a glossy finish or are heavy like cardstock. These papers take a long time to dry, which can lead to wrinkles or buckling if a wetter paste is used. Yes! Paste can be diluted with a little water, but I have not found it necessary. Use a paintbrush for application, as foam brushes are too fragile for this thick paste.
Both mucilage and Yes! Paste allow you to adjust your wallpaper position after applying it to the wall. They dry clear, are acid-free, and are designed to prevent buckling, warping, or wrinkling.
Other Adhesives
Many people use other types of glue for wallpapering with varying success. Options like diluted tacky glue, contact cement, spray glue, or scrapbook paper paste (e.g., Mod Podge) can adhere wallpaper but are not recommended for large dollhouses. These adhesives can complicate the application process, and inexperienced builders may encounter problems due to their unique application quirks. It is best to reserve these products for experienced builders who are familiar with them.
Preparation For Wallpapering
Before wallpapering your dollhouse room, you need to prime the walls. You can use regular primer, latex paint, or acrylic craft paint. Always choose white or a light color for priming. This step seals the wood, preventing it from absorbing wallpaper paste, reduces the natural acids released by the wood over time, and helps conceal dark wood blotches.
- Use only flat paints for priming. Satin or glossy paints will not allow the wallpaper to adhere properly. One coat is sufficient for priming.
- Some people sand and spackle small cracks or grooves before wallpapering, but this is usually unnecessary. Miniature wallpaper is durable and will smooth out minor imperfections in the wooden walls. The wallpaper paste also fills rough spots and small gaps. Unless there are large gaps or significant rough areas, no additional preparation is needed beyond priming.
- Finish the ceilings before wallpapering, whether you are painting or adding paper to the ceiling.
- If you plan to finish the dollhouse's original floors, do so before wallpapering. However, if you intend to use a floor covering like carpet, hardwood, tile, paper, or vinyl, apply it after wallpapering.
- Wallpaper should always be applied before installing staircases and interior window and door trims. Do not install any interior components until after wallpapering is complete.
- Cut all your wallpaper pieces first and dry-fit them in the room to ensure you have enough material. You don’t want to discover you’re short after starting the job. Wallpaper dyes can vary between batches, even with identical patterns, so it’s best to buy all the wallpaper you need at once to avoid mixing different batches.
Dry-Fitting Wallpaper
Start with the back wall. Measure the room's height by holding a piece of wallpaper against a side wall, making sure the top edge touches the ceiling. Then, press the bottom edge against the floor with your fingertip to create a crease. Cut the wallpaper along this crease.
Dry-fit the piece on the back wall and cut it to the wall's width, leaving about half an inch extra on each side. Ensure the paper fits well with the floor and ceiling. It doesn't need to be perfect if you plan to use baseboards or crown molding, which is recommended. A dollhouse interior will look finished only with the addition of interior trim.
Now the side walls. Take a piece of wallpaper and measure the height of the room, just like you did for the back wall. Cut the wallpaper along the crease. Slide the paper into the corner of the back wall, butting against it and ensuring it overlaps the half inch of the back wall's wallpaper. Crease the front edge and cut along that mark to achieve the correct length.
Do the same for the wall on the opposite side.
Once all the pieces are cut and ready, you can start pasting them to the wall. Always paste the piece for the back wall first.
Turn the paper over, print side down, on a flat surface. Protect your surface with plastic, parchment, or wax paper to avoid a mess. Keep a small, damp towel nearby to clean your fingers before handling the wallpaper. Avoid getting paste on the print side of the paper, especially if it is unsealed.
Brush paste generously over the back of the wallpaper, ensuring every area is covered without excessive blobs. Lift the paper and place it on the wall, sliding it into position. Use your fingertips to push it into the corners, ensuring that any half-inch back wall overhangs on the side walls lay flat. If measured correctly, the pieces should fit perfectly.
Use the edge of a wood scrap to gently push the wallpaper into the corners without sliding it up and down. This will help ensure tight corners for baseboards and crown molding. Avoid using sharp objects as they can tear the wallpaper.
Don’t rush; wallpaper paste does not dry immediately, giving you time to adjust the paper. Use the damp towel to clean your hands before flattening out the wallpaper to prevent glue from getting on it. Always slide the wallpaper into place rather than lifting it, as lifting can cause tearing or wrinkling.
There’s no need to apply paste to both the wall and wallpaper; applying it only to the wallpaper is sufficient. Avoid making the paper too wet or applying glue directly to the wall, as this can cause warping or bubbling.
Make sure every part of the wallpaper's back is covered in glue, including side wall overhangs. Any dry spots can lead to bubbles, wrinkles, or creases.
Once applied, check that all of the paper is flat against the wall and leave it undisturbed. Avoid rubbing it with a damp cloth or credit card; if you’ve applied glue correctly and used recommended products, there should be no bubbles. Rubbing can stretch the paper and cause creases or distort patterns.
The freshly applied paper may appear wet and buckled at first, but leave it until dry. As it dries, it will shrink and lay flat against the wall. A fan can help speed up drying.
After the wallpaper is fully dry, cut out doors and windows from inside the dollhouse using a sharp X-Acto knife or craft knife. Use a lamp outside windows and doors, for better visibility of openings, but avoid cutting from the outside to prevent lifting or tearing the wallpaper.
Wallpapering Bays, Attics and Dormers
You can find a tutorial on wallpapering tower rooms here.
Bays and Attics
It's best to wallpaper bay and attic walls before assembling the dollhouse. Wait until the instructions indicate it's time to install these parts. Don’t rush ahead; you need to know which pieces belong to each room to ensure your wallpaper patterns match.
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| Bay Walls |
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| Ceiling Panels |
Some bay walls cannot be wallpapered before installation because the dollhouse cannot be assembled that way. In these cases, you will need to wallpaper your bay walls after installation.
To do this effectively, start by choosing a heavily patterned wallpaper. Measure the amount you need for your bay and cut it in half horizontally. Apply the wallpaper to the bottom half of the bay first, then to the top half. Align the pattern and place the two pieces as closely together as possible, ensuring that the edge of the top piece overlaps the bottom one to keep it hidden.
Don't worry too much about this process, as windows will likely cover most of the bay wall, and heavily patterned papers blend well when patched.
Smaller, pre-assembled dormers can be wallpapered before installation on the dollhouse. Begin with the ceilings and cover all joints with the window wall wallpaper piece.
For very small areas or smaller dollhouse scales, tacky glue can replace mucilage for a flatter, tighter application.
Staircase Walls
Staircase walls must be wallpapered before the staircase is installed.
Wallpaper With Borders
When using wallpaper with borders, leave some space at the top and bottom of your walls. If you place the wallpaper all the way to the ceiling or floor, the crown molding or baseboard will cover the border. A good starting point is to leave a 1/4 inch gap, but this may vary based on the thickness of your trim.
If your wallpaper has both a top and bottom border and your wall is too short for both, you will need to carefully cut off the top border. In the bottom photos, you can see how I cut the top border at the print line, right where it begins.
Take your wallpaper piece, excluding the top border, and measure from the floor to the ceiling. Crease the wallpaper along the ceiling to mark the correct height, preserving the bottom border. Cut along the top crease with scissors. Apply the wallpaper to your walls, then attach the top border along the ceiling edge to match the original print. Since the patched edge of the top border faces downward, it will be nearly invisible.
Use a glue stick or tacky glue to secure the border. These thinner glues will help the border lay flat against the original wallpaper.
Always start this process from the top border, not the bottom. Cutting off the bottom border and pasting it over your wallpaper will create a visible patched edge at the top. Do not cut your wallpaper in half to adjust the height. This will result in a noticeable seam running through the middle of your walls, and the pattern may not align correctly.
Ceiling Paper
Ceiling paper is typically sold by the sheet from miniature dealers, and it usually comes in white or off-white. This paper has a heavy texture. The sheets are large enough to cover the entire ceiling of a big dollhouse room. In tab-and-slot dollhouses, which have smaller rooms, one sheet can cover about two rooms or even the ceilings of an entire floor.
Textured wallpaper, for life-sized houses, is available by the roll at hardware stores and can also be used for dollhouse ceilings. One roll is sufficient for a large dollhouse.
Before starting, consider your finishing techniques. Look at how the room is constructed and identify any areas that might pose challenges when applying the ceiling paper. Generally, ceiling paper is applied before wallpaper, but if there’s a staircase in the room, this order may change. In such cases, you should wallpaper the walls first, install the staircase second, and then apply the ceiling paper. However, if the staircase fits into an opening without covering any part of the ceiling, it can be installed after applying the ceiling paper.
Due to its heavy texture, ceiling paper does not patch well. Fortunately, ceilings are usually square and less complex than walls, making it easier to apply ceiling paper than wallpaper. Here are some important points to remember:
- Just like with wallpaper, you must prime your ceilings before application.
- Cut enough ceiling paper to cover the entire ceiling since it does not patch well.
- Never apply ceiling paper before assembling the dollhouse; doing so can damage the paper or complicate assembly. Wait until the dollhouse is fully assembled, including staircases.
- If you are working in a room that will be hard to access later, assemble as much as possible before applying the ceiling paper.
Adhering Ceiling Paper
Ceiling paper is thick and has a heavy texture, so you don’t need to use expensive wallpaper paste to attach it. Tacky glue works very well for this purpose.
Simply squeeze the tacky glue onto the back of the paper, ensuring you cover the entire surface, especially the edges. There’s no need to spread it with a foam brush for evenness. Additionally, you won’t need to adjust the ceiling paper for a perfect fit, which means a special glue is unnecessary.
Applying Ceiling Paper
To start, it's best to turn your dollhouse upside down. For a square room, simply lay the ceiling paper flat on the ceiling and crease it along the edges of the walls. Cut along these creases with scissors to create a perfect replica of your ceiling. Then, apply the ceiling paper using your chosen adhesion method.
If the ceilings have twists and turns, first make paper templates. You can use any type of paper for this. Use masking tape to patch the paper together where the ceiling twists and turns. Then, use the template as a guide to cut your ceiling paper.
Attach the cut ceiling paper to the ceiling.
To create a staircase opening, use a craft knife to cut it out, just like you would for window and door openings when applying wallpaper.
Room Accessibility
Ensure that you can access all rooms after assembling your dollhouse. Some areas, like stairwells or closets, may become unreachable once assembled and should be wallpapered beforehand or during assembly. For walls that need to be wallpapered before installation, such as the stairwell or tower wall in the Beacon Hill Dollhouse, measure where each floor meets the wall. This will help you identify each room and choose the appropriate wallpaper pattern.
Electrification and Wallpaper
When electrifying your dollhouse with tape wire, it's helpful to create templates of all the walls before assembly. You can use thin foam core, poster board, or cardstock for these templates. While it's possible to make templates after the dollhouse is built, it can be more challenging.
Carefully plan your electrification, as some areas may become inaccessible once the dollhouse is assembled. Run your tape wire only through easily accessible areas to avoid future issues and facilitate wallpapering.
Assemble the unfinished dollhouse shell and proceed with electrification. Use double-sided tape to wallpaper your foam core or cardstock templates, ensuring the tape is suitable for scrapbooking or safe for printed paper. If you choose glue, opt for diluted tacky glue or a glue stick, applying it sparingly. Avoid heavy or wet glues, as they can warp and crease the paper templates and wallpaper.
Attach your wallpapered templates to the dollhouse walls using removable adhesives like museum wax, glue dots, or tacky strips. This method allows you to access the electrical tape if needed without damaging the interior of your dollhouse. All interior components should also be secured with non-permanent adhesives. This includes staircases, door and window trims, baseboards, and crown molding. Any wall with tape wire should not have permanent finishes, including ceilings.
Troubleshooting
Patching
Patching wallpaper is a common task, especially in oddly shaped rooms or when the wallpaper gets damaged. When patching, ensure the pattern matches as closely as possible. The edge of the wallpaper should always face away from you or downwards to keep it hidden.
Repairs
Always save a small piece of each wallpaper pattern you use for future repairs. Store these pieces in a folder, as many wallpaper designs can be discontinued. When making repairs, aim to match the pattern closely and use a glue stick instead of mucilage for better adhesion.
Running Out of Paper
If you find that you don't have enough wallpaper for a room and can't order more, consider printing your own. It's important to dry-fit the wallpaper first to identify potential shortages before applying it to the walls. Take a sample of your wallpaper to an office supply store and request a high-quality color copy on legal-sized regular paper, avoiding cardstock. While the print won't be identical to your original wallpaper, it should be quite similar. Use printed pieces on side walls or bays, where lighting differences can help disguise any color variations.
Stubborn Wallpaper
Some wallpapers, like glossy or photo paper types, may not adhere well to walls. In such cases, use double-sided tape instead of paste. Ensure the tape is suitable for scrapbooking or safe for printed materials.
Bubbling and Creasing
Bubbling can occur years after wallpaper application, often due to humidity. Wallpaper paste can absorb moisture from the air, even after drying. Proper storage of your dollhouse is crucial; avoid damp areas like basements. If necessary, use a moisture absorber like Damprid nearby.
If bubbles appear in your wallpaper, prick them with a pin or slice them with a craft knife, apply more paste inside with a toothpick, and smooth them out with a credit card. For creases without enough leftover wallpaper for a patch, you'll need to remove the damaged section and start over — this can be challenging in hard-to-reach areas.
Staining and Fading
Over time, staining may occur due to acids in wood, making proper wall priming essential before applying wallpaper. If you lack enough leftover material for repairs, the only solution is to remove the stained wallpaper and redo it. To prevent fading, keep your dollhouse out of direct sunlight and avoid placing it near windows. If fading occurs, removal is necessary for restoration.
