What sort of paint for wooden dolls house?

[Rotterwallah]

I was going to get small tester pots but last time I did that they were emulsion rather than for wood and it dried all chalky

I have both the outside and inside to do

And if there are any crafty folk around - if I do the roof grey should I try and paint tiles on in a darker grey or just leave it plain?

Excited! I want it too look fab, it's an eBay purchase and a bit marked / scribbled on

If you prime it with a wood primer anything will go on better in which case you could use emulsion and maybe a spray varnish afterwards so it doesn't feel chalky. I personally would use acrylic paint (you can buy a set pretty cheap and mix your own colours from that) and if you find it a bit thick you can dilute it with a tiny bit of water. What surface is the house? If it's shiny like a glossed wood you maybe better off priming it first or the paint will slip

Thanks bebop

Yes I'll prone it first, it's not shiny, just raw wood.

In the past when I've painted wood with sample pots I used Annie Sloan wax on top which worked but I'm not sure how durable it would be

Are acrylics v expensive?

And I'm now thinking for the roof painting on tiles in varying shades of grey

this is it if you're interested :)

Wow that is so beautiful! Must post photos when it's done please! I'm jealous

I have never tried wax. I like spray varnish because it's so quick and easy! Yes acrylic paints can be very cheap! To a certain extent you might feel you get what you pay for as with anything though - there are a massive range of qualities for example I wouldn't buy poundshop own, but a brand like System 3 (by Daler Rowney) would be fine - Windsor and Newton slightly better.

More important is the quality of the brush! You don't need to by sable or an expensive hair - synthetic is fine and you can get different shapes for different strokes!

Where abouts are you roughly based I might be able to recommend somewhere to buy from - I used to sell art products can you tell haha

Useful free patterns for dolls houses, (wallpaper, exteriors etc. ) arranged by period, available at www.jennifersprintables.com - a real find I think.

showtime thank you what a fab site, I love the wallpapers. Ooo this is going to be such fun :)

And thank you bebop too

I'm in north wilts. We've got a pretty good art supply shop locally although I've always thought it very expensive

It's a beauty isn't it? And a bargain to boot

acrylics are usually a reasonable price and can also be used on fabric, However, I've used bathroom/kitchen paint testers before for painting wood and they have a nice, tough satin finish. B&Q have a good range of different brands and often they have 3 for 2 deals on them

not just magnolia or trad colours but have them in all shades of blue, green, pinks reds and orange.

as to the roof tiles- it really is personal preference. Try painting a piece of cardboard first- one half 'tiled' and the other side plain and see which one is most appealing

some lovely colours

www.diy.com/nav/decor/paint-woodcare/kitchens-bathrooms/-size%3Etester_pot?fl=1&fh_start_index=0

no idea but marking my place as we are getting our dd a very similar dolls house for xmas and were also going to decorate it!

you seem to be able to get off cuts of carpet/lino etc as well as patterns and wallpaper.

i had got as far as thinking we would need to prime the wood. i dont know if i want the house to have a 'shiny' finish rather than a matt finish. will gave to get some tester pots and experiment on a scrap bit if mdf to see what i like.

My mum and dad have got an unpainted dolls house for my brothers 2 girls for Christmas. I have ended up with the job of decorating it. I have got as far as finding a sticky backed lino floor tile for the bathroom/kitchen. I am going to make bedding and curtains, and find some wallpaper and carpets. Didn't give much thought to the type of paint etc to use on the outside. glad I came across this thread this morning !