Spray painting is a quick and simple way to paint large areas, or to cover smaller, more detailed areas evenly. Painting a dollhouse can be a fiddly job, so does using spray paint make it any easier?
Spray paint can be used to paint a dollhouse kit before it has been built, or to paint the outside of an assembled dollhouse. Spray paint can be used for painting windows and doors before they are attached to the dollhouse. Furniture paint is the best paint to use to spray paint a wooden dollhouse.
Below, we look into the best type of spray paint to use for a dollhouse and how to apply it.
What’s the best type of spray paint for a dollhouse?
Furniture paint works really well on wooden dollhouses as it’s made to be used on wood and usually only requires one coat. Furniture paint is water-based so won’t have a strong smell, and you won’t need to prime the surface before painting.
Priming means adding a coat of white paint to the surface to avoid any colour from the previous paint showing through and to make sure the surface is a smooth as possible, it’s also known as an undercoat. Although you don’t have to prime wood before adding furniture paint, you may want to if the existing paint is particularly bright.
Furniture paint is available in a chalky, gloss, satin or metallic finishes. From my experience, chalk spray paint is a great choice as it has a matt finish, but you will need to seal the paint once it’s dry as chalk paint is more susceptible to wear and tear when compared to other types of paint.
How do you prepare wood for spray painting?
I’ve found that it’s best to thoroughly clean and dry the wood first and then sandpaper over the existing paint so that the new paint can adhere to it more easily and it has a super smooth finish. .
Sanding paint creates a powder that gets everywhere, so it’s best to wipe this away as you go and then once you’ve finished sanding, wipe down the dollhouse with a wet cloth to remove any last bits of dust and let it dry completely.
As mentioned above, if the existing paint is particularly bright then you might want to add a coat of primer to it first. If you do use a primer, then make sure it is 100% dry before applying the spray paint. I had all kinds of issues when I applied a second coat of spray paint (I didn’t like the colour of the first paint I applied) before the paint was dry. It resulted in cracking and chipping and looked all kinds of awful. I ended up having to sand both coats of paint off and start again!
If you’re painting your dollhouse kit for the first time, you should still prime the wood as it will help give better results when it comes to the colour and paint coverage. If you’re unsure whether to decorate your dollhouse kit before or after constructing it, read my post Should You Paint A Dollhouse Before Assembling?
What parts of a dollhouse can I spray paint?
In my experience, the best parts of an assembled dollhouse to spray paint are the outside and anything that you can detach, such as the stairs, doors and window frames.
When I renovated my dollhouse, I removed the window and doorframes using a wallpaper scraper. It was pretty easy to do and meant that I could easily paint them without having the fiddly job of avoiding getting paint onto the main house.
I’d also recommend removing the doors and window frames before spray painting the outside of your dollhouse. I originally tried to cover these with masking tape but I still managed to get spray paint on them.
If the stairs in your dollhouse are removable, then spray painting them is a great way to easily update the look of the stairs without having to use carpet.
Top tips for apply spray paint to a dollhouse
- Shake the can really well before you start. The instructions on the can I had recommended shaking it for a least a minute. Your arm will get tired but it’ll be worth it! If you don’t shake the can for long enough then the paint won’t mix properly with the propellant, so you’ll end up with super thin paint and the propellent will run out quickly, so you’ll be left with paint inside the can.
- Spray outside if possible, or in a very well ventilated area and wear a mask. I tried to spray paint my dollhouse in our kitchen and it was a disaster. I accidently spray painted our kitchen table and even though the window was open and I wore a mask, the fumes were still unbearable! It’s best to apply the paint outside, ideally if you have a box big enough, you can put the dollhouse in the box when you spray paint it to avoid the breeze carrying off your paint!
- Read the instructions carefully and spray the paint in thin layers. It can be tempting to blast paint onto the dollhouse in order to get it painted quickly but patience is the key with spray painting. Take your time to apply thin, smooth strokes to the dollhouse to avoid the paint running or bubbling. You may need to apply several coats, but as long as you’re applying them thinly, you should get a smooth finish.
- Things may not always go to plan and that’s OK. Spray painting my first dollhouse was a real learning curve for me and one that eventually reduced me to tears. You can find out more about what went wrong in the video below.
Where to buy spray paint from?
Most paint and hardware stores will sell spray paint. I bought mine from Homebase, which is the UK equivalent of Home Depot. I swear by using Painter’s Touch from Rust-Oleum, I’ve used for a number of projects and it has fantastic results.
You can buy Rust-Oleum paint online and it does tend to be cheaper than buying in store, however, it’s easier to get a more accurate idea of the colour in store.
Although this blog post focuses on painting wooden dollhouses, you can also use spray paint on plastic dollhouses. Just make sure to check the label of the paint to see if it bonds to plastic surfaces and sand your dollhouse before spray painting it to help the paint stick.
If you’re new to decorating dollhouses and want to find out more about the best paints to use, then I’ve written a step-by-step guide including prices, recommendations and examples in in my post What Paint Is Best For A Wooden Dollhouse?