The Starting Point: Vermont Farmhouse Jr. Dollhouse
Here’s what the Vermont Farmhouse Jr house looked like upon receiving it fresh from a Facebook Marketplace porch pickup. Isn’t she something? The missing porch, the plain furniture, the abundance of floral wallpaper, the glued down furniture — and not to be missed, the realistic attic with insulation and HVAC box.
I started by cleaning off every surface, scraping the glue and wallpaper off as best as I could. The easiest way in my experience to remove sticky residue is with lighter fluid. Yes, lighter fluid. Squeeze some on a paper towel and wipe your surface down. It will evaporate off and no further cleaning needed.
Mini Tip - Use lighter fluid to remove sticky residue from wallpaper or glue.
Exterior Dollhouse Renovation
After repairing a few broken roof shingles, I started off with a coat of white paint on the entire exterior. Basic interior latex paint works just fine for a dollhouse, and you can easily get sample colors mixed at a home improvement store. For the green shutters, I ended up mixing a bit more yellow into the color Ryegrass by Valspar.
I rebuilt the porch railing our of wood sticks and columns, painted it all white and assembled it using wood glue. Before installing the rail, the porch floor needed a little character. I used wood veneer, cut into 3/8 in strips, to make a hardwood floor. The veneer already has glue on the back, so you can simply iron your wood strips onto a cardstock template. Glue the cardstock and wood veneer right onto the porch base. The final touches included a black door knob and a mailbox.
Updating the exterior of the house was an easy way to kick off the renovation and feel like I had accomplished a lot, simply with a coat of paint and a couple fixes. I love how the pop of color on the shutters and wood porch floor brings some character and warmth into the facade.
Follow along on Instagram to see the progress on the interior rooms up next!