Doll house flooring can simulate wood, tile, carpet, or earth. The choice of flooring depends on the style and period of house you are decorating. It can be fixed in place or made removable for access to electrical components. Commercially made options are available through catalogs and hobby stores. If budget is a consideration, you can make flooring from all sorts of found materials.
Collectors’ doll houses are often decorated in a period style. Knowing which flooring went with the period of your house will help you decide how your house will look. With diligent research and imaginative use of materials, you can create doll house flooring that is authentic and realistic for the time when your house would have existed.
In houses that aren’t electrified, doll house flooring can be glued to the subfloor and left in place. The most common lighting involves copper tape adhered to the floor and walls under carpet or wallpaper. If a broken connection occurs and the tape must be repaired or replaced, the flooring should be removable to allow access. You can apply flooring to a substrate made of very thin wood or cardboard, which is then fastened to the doll house floor with double-sided carpet tape or sticky wax.
Very realistic doll house flooring is available through catalogs and in miniature stores. Wood and stone veneers in scale patterns are sold in sheets or squares that cover a given amount of space. They may be printed, acid-free paper with a finished surface or actual wood veneer laminated to a backing. Most of these can be varnished just like a real floor. Specially-made doll house carpeting resembling velveteen comes in a variety of colors and usually has a foam backing.
Miniaturists have many do-it-yourself (DIY) options. Adhesive shelf lining and wallpaper with small-scale patterns work great for linoleum and vinyl kitchen or bathroom floors. Many people construct wood floors from ice cream pop sticks or other hobby woods and stain them appropriately. Velvet is good for carpeting, especially the thin kind with a very short nap. Skillfully done DIY flooring is often indistinguishable from commercial doll house flooring.
For a child’s doll house, all materials should stand up to rough play and possible spills. Plastic tile sheets can be glued to the floor and will tolerate a great deal of abuse. In a homemade dollhouse, bits of linoleum, fabric, or printable facsimiles found online can make acceptable doll house flooring. Felt and upholstery scraps in solid colors or tiny patterns makes a good substitute for carpeting.