Miniature Tiles for Dollhouse Stairs

I created these miniature black and white talavera tiles for my dollhouse stairs using my printer, paper and Mod Podge.

While stuck at home during this past year, I kept myself busy with my food blog. But having all three teenagers home with virtual learning, even I was quickly burning out on cooking constantly for these big appetites.

I found inspiration online when I stumbled across a blog post on how a mom refurbished a dollhouse for her young daughter. I did this for my own daughter 10 years ago, refurbishing my own childhood dollhouse, which was unfinished.

I spent a frantic week scouring pinterest and instagram and learning that I was not alone in my passion for miniatures. And I wasn’t the only one who was looking for ways to enjoy our isolation being stuck at home.

Soon after, I recruited my 15-year old daughter and we began our weekly visits to Hobby Lobby and Michaels. I started following miniature lovers on instagram and began getting inspired to get crafty again.

Once virtual school ended, we found a week to focus on repainting the dollhouse. It went from a green-cream color scheme to a simpler black and white one. Many people are decorating their real homes and mini homes in farmhouse style.

I wanted a cross between Modern Farmhouse with European Old World and a bit of California Ranch. I have a long way to go!!

Living in San Diego, I have a passion for Mexican talavera tile and pottery. And that is when I wanted to add some of this tile to the dollhouse stairs.

Options for dollhouse tiles

There are a variety of ways that you can create dollhouse tiles. The deciding factor is usually personal preference. But you should also consider how it is going to be used.

This post shows how you create faux tiles using paper or card stock. You can also use photo paper, foam, paint or real tiles. If your dollhouse is going to be used by a child, consider wear and tear, spills and mess.

Real mini tiles are thick and can create height discrepancies if you are installing inside your dollhouse. Paper is usually preferred, but can look very fake.

Since I was creating faux tiles for the stairs of my dollhouse, I chose to print my design onto paper. Looking back, I wish I used card stock instead. Either way, I still love how it looks inside the house.

I also have a tutorial on making dollhouse tile flooring using photo paper. I used this technique for the bathroom flooring.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience (which means if you make a purchase after clicking a link I will earn a small commission but it won’t cost you a penny more)!  Read my full disclosure policy.

Supplies you need

The process to make these faux tiles is super simple and the supplies list is pretty short:

• White paper or card stock: the design will get printed onto this. You can use color paper if that is the design you are looking for.
• Scissors: To cut out the tile. You can cut them as individual tile squares or as a strip. I cut mine as a strip.
• Printer: A good quality ink jet printer is a miniaturist’s best friend.
• Mod podge: I adhered the paper tiles onto the wooden staircase with Mod Podge. You can use either Matte or Gloss, depending on your personal preference.. You can also use watered down white craft glue. Just be sure the glue dries clear.
• Small paint brush: To brush on the glue and finish.

How to make it

1. My dollhouse is 1:12 scale. I did not follow the exact dimensions as I wanted to make sure the faux tiles fit on my stairs. I found the design I liked and used photoshop to resize it to the dimensions I needed. I wanted square tiles so I could only fit 4 tiles across. You can also use Canva or Pic Monkey to do this. If you are putting these tiles on stairs, make sure they are painted and ready. Adding the tiles is the final touch.

2. Once you have the design sized and set up, print it out onto your paper or card stock.

3. When the paper tiles are dried completely, you can now cut them out. You can cut out individual square tiles or as a row.

4. Using your thinned glue or Mod Podge, brush a layer onto the stairs and then adhere the paper tiles. Brush with another layer of Mod Podge to seal the papers and give the tiles a bit of shine and texture.

5. Glue on the other tiles and let it completely dry before installing. If you cut out a row of tiles and want the effect of grooves for grout, gently score between the tiles using a scoring knife, butter knife or flat head screw driver. You can also use a scoring board to score the tiles before gluing them on.

PS If you try this craft, why not leave a star rating in the direction card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback.

You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram. Sign up for my eMail list, too!