Essential Dollhouse Tools & Materials List

Getting started with dollhouse making can feel equal parts exciting and overwhelming . . . especially when it comes to figuring out which tools and materials you actually need. This essential dollhouse tools and materials list is a living resource I’ll continue to build as I learn, experiment, and refine my process! From everyday tools and adhesives to lighting, electrical components, and building materials, this guide is meant to support both beginners and fellow makers who want a practical, realistic starting point for creating and customizing a dollhouse.

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Your first dollhouse starts here

A curated checklist of every tool, material, and decision you’ll face before your first build so you can start with clarity instead of 47 open browser tabs.

grab the guide

This isn’t a sponsored roundup, just a curated list of dollhouse-making products that have been used along the way! This post includes affiliate links and if you click and make a purchase, I might earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you), which helps me keep creating and sharing projects like this.

Tools

Shop tools

Glues, Tapes & Paints

Shop the glues and Paints

Masking Tape
E6000 Industrial Strength Adhesive
Aleene’s All Purpose Tacky Glue
Loctite Super Glue Ultra Gel Control
Gorilla Wood glue
Paint Brushes
Foam Brushes
Baking Soda (for adding texture to exterior paint)

Lighting & Electrical

Shop electrical

Building & Fixture Materials

Shop buld materials

As my dollhouse-making journey continues, this list will grow right along with it. I’ll keep updating it with new tools, materials, and lessons learned as projects evolve and skills expand. If you’re building alongside me, I hope this resource saves you time, sparks ideas, and makes the process feel a little more approachable. Bookmark this page, check back often, and feel free to adapt what works best for your own dollhouse vision! Remember, there’s no one right way to make something miniature and meaningful.

Build alongside us in Lina’s Dollhouse Collective

If this build feels lonely, that is exactly what the Collective is for. Lina’s Dollhouse Collective is the Facebook group where we share ideas, put the free tools to work as part of our process, and cheer each other on through every glued finger and crooked shingle.

Inside the group you can ask the questions you do not want to post publicly, show off a build at any stage (the messy ones too), and pick up tricks the rest of us learned the hard way. We talk scale, paint, wiring, sourcing, kits, scratch builds, and yes, snack recommendations for long glue-drying breaks.

Bring your tools. Bring your scale ruler, your color palette, and your scale conversions. Bring your wins and your roadblocks. We will meet you there.

Join Lina’s Dollhouse Collective on Facebook