How to Make a Cheap Dollhouse Roofing
Working from top-down in dollhouse roofing is the best strategy to start. That way if any dust, debris, or glue fall, it won’t fall on beautifully remodeled parts of the dollhouse.
In this second dollhouse remodel roof post, I explain how to cheaply make asphalt dollhouse roof shingle using simple 220 Grit Multipurpose Sandpaper Sheets, an X-ACTO Knife, Acrylic Craft Ruler, and Rubber Cement
My first step was to sand all roof thoroughly using 220 Grit Multipurpose Sandpaper Sheets
How to find the dimensions of your dollhouse.
Now you will need to know how large or small you need to make your shingles. The best way is to find out the scale of your dollhouse.
Measure one of your rooms from floor to ceiling. All of the rooms in my dollhouse were nine inches. Knowing that a typical Victorian home had ceilings between eight to ten feet tall, my measurement put mine squarely in the middle at nine feet tall in real life. This measurement made a 1:12 scale as my nine inches equals nine feet. This measurement is a typical dollhouse measurement and makes things easy to convert.
Dimensions of your asphalt shingles.
I used the 1:12 scale to figure out the proper asphalt roof shingle measurement for my roof. As I didn’t purchase a premade dollhouse roofing material from an online dollhouse store, I needed to come up with it on my own using sandpaper. This method is not only fun but inexpensive.
Firstly, I looked up a typical asphalt three-tab shingle online sample and found that the measurement is 36″ in length and 12″ wide and also 12″ long for each tab. With the 1:12 scale, each shingle set is 3″ long and 1″ wide, and each tab is 1″ long as well.
As I started cutting, I decided to make my shingle sets slightly wider. Instead of one inch wide, I chose one and a half-inch width which gave me more material to glue on to the roof later. Also, I chose to make large sheets of shingles instead of three tabs long. The complete strip gives a cleaner look on the roof.
Prepare the Asphalt Shingles
Next, using a Self-Healing Cutting Mat
To give the shingles some depth, cut a sliver off the next tab. It will give a slim gap in between each tab found on a regular size asphalt shingle.
As a tip, I found it to be easy to make the first cut with the Exacto knife and then to use a pair of scissors to trim the gap. When I cut the sliver with the knife, the sandpaper moved too much and ripped. Also, it is best to change out the blade on the knife often. The sandpaper will dull it fast, making it hard to cut.
Measure and Glue Shingles to Roof
Pick the part of your roof you want to work on. I chose a section that I didn’t need to do any major renovations. First, paint any parts that may be near your shingles that you will not be able to get to later.
With the long strips of cut tabbed shingles, I laid the first one against the bottom part of the roof. My tower had an angled roof, and I needed to trim the shingles. A pencil makes a great line on sandpaper. Cut a slightly large piece as you can always trim the excess later to make sure the shingles fit perfectly. I will explain why later. Then begin to glue with the contact cement glue. Be sure to apply glue on the roof and the back of the shingle strip for proper adhesive.
Make an Attic Window with Stained Glass
If you have an attic window or skylight then you would want to get those pieces ready after all your roof shingles have been glued down. My Dollhouse Round Window w/Interior Trim and Glass 
The plastic “glass” insert was already taken out to paint the wooden trim. I didn’t want to leave it blank but to spruce it up, like turning it into a stained glass piece. You can buy special pre-made stained glass inserts online, but they cost more money. I had a perfectly good piece of plexiglass, so I made my own for free.
First, I cleaned it from all debris and fingerprints. Then using a penny, I made concentric circles around the plexiglass with a fine tip Sharpie. Next, I colored in the parts with different colored Sharpie markers. The coloring will rub out the Sharpie black lines, so color with care. Mine ended up turning out in the picture. Lastly, using light glue, I attached the dried, stained glass into the painted window trim and pushed it through the pre-cut hole in my shingled roof.
Using Roof Trims to Finish
Now it is time for the finishing trim. This part makes the roof look finished and look amazing. There are also many different types of trims.
The first and cheapest is using the shingles for the corners. When gluing shingles to the corners, it leaves an unfinished look. I like to cut small and long slivers of shingle and glue them folded over the edges. Look to the picture for more detail. I love this finished look on the roof tower of my dollhouse.
The second trim is the picket detail trim I used on the top of the tower. This is optional and can be found at almost any dollhouse site online. I measured and sliced the trim strips with my razor blade on both sides and then snapped the wood in two. Next, I painted each piece on all side and glued down with cement glue.
A third type is a 3/8″ corner wood molding. This type works great for gabled edged trim on the roof. It covers the unsightly edges of the cut shingles. The same holds true for roof ridge trim which covers the ridge of the roof and gives the dollhouse roofing a classic Victorian style. Painted in white, it pops along the brown roof
Like the other wooden trim, score the wood on each side and snap to your measured size, paint, and finally, glue down with cement glue.
Cost of Dollhouse Remodel
So far here is my running total for this dollhouse.
- Dollhouse $15
- Sandpaper $10 for a box of 25 sheets
- Contact Cement $4
- White Acrylic paint $6
- Round Attic Window $8
- 3/8″ Corner Moulding $8
- Picket Roof Fence $6
- Picket Roof Ridge Trim $10
- ROOF TOTAL: $52
