If you have decided on a dollhouse kit that does not come with a roof already complete you can add a professional look to the exterior of your dollhouse with the addition of shingles. Some kits come with the shingles included as part of the kit while with other kits you will need to purchase the miniature roof shingles separately. The type of shingles you purchase should be determined by the style of dollhouse you are putting together and the finished look you would like the dollhouse to have.
The most popular dollhouse shingle comes in a rectangular shape. However, you can now find other shapes if you want a different roof design. Perhaps your dollhouse would stand out with the addition of octagonal shingles or hexagons and even fish scale designs. You can find shingles that are made out of cedar, asphalt, hand split pine and plywood. If you want something else entirely there is also roofing material for dollhouses such as slate roofing paper, adobe tile, aluminum roofing and tin roof materials.
For wooden shingles you may want to dye them or stain them. Dyeing shingles is easily done and can make a huge difference in the look of the dollhouse. There are several colors that can be used for shingle dye such as gray and different shades of brown. Dyeing shingles is done before applying the shingles to the dollhouse roof. You can stain dollhouse shingles after they are attached to the dollhouse roof but be sure to use penetrating stain and make sure to work in a well ventilated area.
When attaching shingles to a dollhouse roof be sure to start the process by adding guidelines on the dollhouse roof where you want the shingles to go so that the rows of shingles will line up straight. Using heavy duty glue such as Liquid Nails apply glue in a thin line working across a row. Place each shingle down one at a time on the glue. This should make it less likely that you end up with glue oozing through the shingles. Be prepared to cut shingles to fit as you work across the roof if you have to shingle around windows, dormers and other roof features.