What floor to use in your dollhouse or miniature project? I tried five types of miniature flooring so you don’t have to!

Five types of miniature flooring: laminate floor, wallpaper, DIY floorboards, herringbone, carpet.

Any miniature creative knows that it takes research, patience and a lot of trial and error to get every detail just right in a dollhouse or mini project. Building materials, sizing, colour choices and selecting miniature decor are all carefully considered decisions. Choosing flooring is perhaps not as exciting as some of the other aspects of your design, but it is one of the details that can make a big impact overall.

Depending on what you are making, your decisions will of course be quite different according to the style. Is it a classic dollhouse? Fairy cottage? Miniature olde shoppe? Or maybe a modern style home? My current project is a cosy cottagecore style book nook and I could imagine a number of different flooring styles here, so what better opportunity to experiment with some to see how they all look? Not only was it a lot of fun, it also gave me a great insight into how the miniature floorboards and carpet looked and how to work with the materials for future projects. I’m sharing the results of my experiment here so you can see for yourself what you might like to do – or not do! – in your own project.

1. Wooden floorboard pattern wallpaper 

Using wallpaper with wooden floor board patterns is hands down the easiest option for miniature flooring. Super easy to cut into the right size and shape, realistic looking (though not perfect) and the best part is that it comes in so many different designs. 

The only downside is that it is, of course, just wallpaper so it will never look as authentic or have the satisfying tactile feel as the other styles of flooring. It can look a little flat if used on a large area but it's great in small spaces or styled with furniture and perhaps a miniature rug. Definitely a solid option.

2. Faux herringbone

I was so excited when I received the miniature herringbone wooden floor! It’s so beautiful and thought it would be perfect for this project. However, I’m not quite sure where I went wrong, but it was a total fail. The issue was where I had to cut the sheet down to size. It seems straightforward enough but when I glued it down, it lifted and buckled, looking terrible! In hindsight, I wonder if I had weighed it down with something very heavy that might have been the solution. I do want to give it a go in another project because it is honestly so beautiful. 

3.  Almost real laminate floor

The laminate flooring, hands down, ended up being my favourite wooden floor style. It’s very easy to cut to the size and shape of the space and it is truly so much like a real laminate floor. This made it so much more realistic and It looks very effective.

4. DIY hardwood flooring

I have used this technique of making your own miniature hardwood floor on a few projects and it is surprisingly effective. It’s especially good for more rustic aesthetics because it can look a bit rough, but in a good way. It also gives you lots of flexibility in deciding how big you want the planks and what shade to make the wood. It’s very simple and probably the cheapest option.

To achieve this effect, take a sheet of soft hobby wood that you can find in craft or hardware stores. I used this one from Bunnings.  Cut it to the size and shape of your miniature room with a craft knife. Use a lead pencil and a ruler to draw on the floorboard pattern, pressing down quite firmly to make indents in the wood. Next, use a varnish or make your own with a mix of brown paint and water. You can adjust the colour to any shade of brown or experiment with different colours. Brush it on the wood and you are done! You can add a clear varnish on top, depending on the final look you want for your project. 

This technique is helpful to know, but to be honest, now I’ve discovered all these other choices, I probably wouldn’t use it again unless I had something very specific in mind. However, I'd be curious to see results from other miniature makers and might want to give it another go!

5. Carpet

Ah, carpet. Depending on where you live or your tastes (or maybe your age!), this might be a slightly controversial topic. I personally am a huge fan of carpet and love it all through the house. It’s soft, cosy, and feels so lovely underfoot. However, I know most people nowadays do not share my affection, definitely preferring hardwood floors. 

I do get it, hardwood floors are beautiful, in real size and in miniature. But for this cosy little book nook, I decided carpet was the only flooring that would do. I went with this cream miniature carpet that I recently added to the store. 

Fun fact - it is actually a peel-off sticky sheet of faux suede that people use on their car dashboards. I was searching for miniature carpet and It came up in my search and I thought why not give it a go?! And I'm happy to report that it worked! Like the other peel and stick options, I just cut it to size and stuck it into place. The only negative is that it seems to attract lint and dust from anywhere in the surrounding area. Once it's in place, it is all good but it was a bit tricky keeping it lint free while I was using it. Overall though, it was the perfect choice for a cosy miniature room. 

Beige miniature carpet.

The Final Verdict

So carpet was the winner overall for this project, but I loved trying out all these types of miniature flooring. One option I didn’t try was tile, but this is down to my personal dislike of tile floors. I know, it’s weird - I accept tiles for bathrooms of course - maybe even a kitchen - but couldn’t imagine having it in any other part of the house. Especially not for a cosy book nook! However, I am interested in trying some miniature tiles, I bet they would look very cute. 

Let me know what you think, what do you prefer for your miniature floors? Is there something I have missed? I am very open to new suggestions!

Come back next time to see the great unveiling of the cottagecore book nook once it's finished - I'm planning a whole post about book nooks so if that's something you're interested in, I'll see you next time!