There are a variety of ways to make different types of doll house stairs. To make outdoor stairs, you might use foam board and clay to create a stone look. If you would like to make interior doll house stairs, you might use balsa wood or heavy cardboard and triangular molding to create your staircase. You might also purchase doll house stair kits that include pre-cut pieces for your doll house stairs. This allows you to assemble your stairs without having to cut pieces for the staircase.
If you choose to use foam board and clay to create outdoor stairs, it is easiest to create a semicircular staircase. After determining the scale of your doll house stairs, you should figure the rise and run of your stairs. The rise is how tall each step is, and the run is how long each step is. For most doll houses, one of the various sizes of foam board should be sufficient.
Using a compass or a round template, cut your semicircular shapes in decreasing sizes, making sure that your bottom step is the biggest and your top step is the smallest. Also make sure that the back of each step is flat and joins perfectly with the backs of the other steps. After your pieces are cut out, glue them together to form your staircase. After the glue has dried, you might cover the stairs in clay that air dries and then paint them to look like stone.
When making interior doll house stairs, balsa wood or strong cardboard and triangular moldings usually work best. You should first measure the length and width of your staircase and then cut your balsa wood or cardboard to this length and width. Triangular molding allows you to have the same rise and run for each stair, so you need only to cut the molding the width of your staircase. Glue each stair to the base, and allow the glue to dry completely before attaching any other pieces. Although it is not necessary, you can use additional pieces of wood to create treads for the stairs.
After the steps and base have dried, cut and glue the stringers to the stairs. These are pieces that line the sides of the stairs from the floor to the top, so they should be only as wide as your stairs are high. After these pieces are dry, you can attach your newel post, spindles and banister. These same principles are employed when using a doll house stair kit.