Paints give a polished and finished look to any wooden surface, even dollhouses. Painted surfaces last longer and the primer used as the first coat helps keep termites away. When you paint a dollhouse, you should consider the kind and color of paint you wish to apply and the brushes you need to finish the job. You should also protect the surfaces you are working on from getting dirty. Allow ample time to dry in between coats to help you get a neater finish.
Variety of Paints
Although most commercially available paints suit a dollhouse, you may not want to spend a fortune on it.
The cheaper options are decorators' paint, textured paints, gouache and acrylic paints. The other things that you would need are varnish, wood stain and model enamel.
Decorators' paints are available in inexpensive sample sizes. Textured paints will give your dollhouse a roughly plastered wall effect. Gouache is ideal to produce unusual glowing colors. Add a few drops of this to any water-based emulsion, dilute with water and color the walls of your dollhouse. Give a final coat of varnish as the paint is not waterproof.
Painting the Dollhouse
Mark and cut grooves in the dollhouse to insert electrical wires for lighting before you start painting. Mat non-acrylic paints suit dollhouses perfectly and is also easy to procure. Specialist paint meant for dollhouses are also available and these are known to provide better finish to the dollhouse. Apply the paint using either a craft brush or a sponge radiator roller. First apply a coat of primer by spray method. Use colored primer instead of white like gray as it will keep the corners and crevices covered. White primers show up an unfinished look.
While beginning painting, paint the loose small pieces such as staircase banisters and window trims first, as once glued it will be difficult to paint them. However, painting all the parts prior to assembly is not advisable as paint adds to dimension and some parts may not fit properly, particularly the ones with tabs.
Protect the areas that you don't want to paint with masking tape. Use big broad brushes (3/8 inch or ½ inch) to paint wide surfaces quickly and artist's brush (size 0 to 5) to paint minute details. Apply a thin coat and let it dry well before applying the second thin coat. Try to maintain the consistency of the thickness of the paint as well as the smoothness of coat applied. Apply another coat if you find any blank patches or inconsistency in painting. Keep the painted items on wax paper as newspaper tends to cling to the wet surfaces and you may have trouble peeling it off later.
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