How To Build a Fireplace For An American Girl Doll House

Left, there is just enough space inside my faux fireplace to hold a "iron grate and some small wood logs.
I used a wooden picture frame to finish off the fireplace opening. Right, the height of my handcrafted
fireplace is perfect for all of our 18inch dolls; it measures 22" tall and 10" wide.

       In my humble opinion, a fireplace is one of the most romantic features of any home. That home could be for a doll but it could also be for a person. 

       Fireplaces for dolls are constructed with very strong cardboard or wood. I chose to build mine using old paper mache techniques that most older kids can certainly manipulate with only a bit of practice. 

       A fireplace may be any size or shape you desire; these come in as many materials as you can imagine! 

       If you look closely at my example, you can see that my stone-faced, 18inch doll fireplace is actually detached from any wall. I build my doll furnishings so that they may be conveniently packed away in storage. Free standing doll furniture is not only easy to store, but also easier to sell, move and manipulate into any photoshoot.

Click to see stonework details.

Supply List:

• plastic knife
• cardboard
• small sample tiles
• white, yellow and black acrylic paints
• Gorilla glue
• stain for the wooden mantle
• brick
• wooden picture frame
• wood for mantel
• Claycrete paper mache
• Mod Podge 
• clear acrylic sealer (spray or liquid)
• wood glue or Gorilla Glue
• sponges (optional)

Step by Step Instructions:

1. First I had to decide on a standard height for an 18inch doll house room that I would be constructing for photography purposes in the near future. 
2. Then I measured and cut a wall suited to those measurements. 
3. Using wood glue, I attached a shallow heavy cardboard box to the cut wall and covered the form entirely with masking tape.
4. Then I cut a mantle made from wood and adhered it to the top of my shallow box with wood glue. 
5. I weighted this mantle board down with a brick and let the glue dry for several days before staining it.
6. I then cut a floor board to attach at the bottom of my fireplace so that I could tile the floor a few inches in the front of the facade.
7. I glued the tiles down all a once because I purchased these on a small mat. Then I applied my grout and wiped away the mess with a sponge and water. 
8. I let the grout dry over night.
9. Then I cut away the lower half of a simple, wooden picture frame. And glued this to the opening of my firebox. I weighted this down and gave it time to dry.
10. Finally, I was ready to mix the Claycrete and mold it into a stone pattern around the front and side surfaces of my doll fireplace.
11. After letting this stone surface dry for a couple of weeks, I then painted it a dark grey entirely.
12. Then I mixed several lighter grey colors and dry brushed these alternately across the surface of my stones to give them dimension. If you are not familiar with this technique, I would suggest you use a dry sponge to work the paint in and out of the surfaces. instead.
13. When you are satisfied with your paint work, seal all the surfaces with a acrylic spray fixative.

Left and Center, I attached a shallow heavy cardboard box to the cut wall. Right, I weighted this mantle
board down with a brick and let the glue dry for several days before staining it.

Left, you can see the brick at the top weighting down the mantle till it dries. Center is a close-up of
the wooden picture frame used to trim out the facade of my fireplace. Right, I've used a bit of wood
 putty to fill in cracks around the frame.

Here are some shots of the stonework as I molded it with my hands and a plastic knife. It is a very simple
 process; just mush it on and flatten it out a bit as you go. These are only rocks after all!

Above is the decorative wire soap dish used
here for faux fireplace grate.

        I found a small soap dish that reminded me of a cast iron fireplace grate at my local thrift shop. As you can see on the right, it also has a daisy motif on the front of it. Then I stacked small wood stems on top of it. These stems are frequently sold at our dollar store down the street. If you can't find these, just cut up twigs from your lawn after a storm to make convincing logs for your doll's fireplace instead.

More Fireplace Crafts for 18inch dolls:

• History of fireplaces by Noah
• DIY cardboard fireplace for 18" American Girl and Journey Girl Dolls
• Cozy Festive Fireplace for American Girl dolls
• American Girl Doll Fireplace Craft Tutorial
• DIY Modern Marble Fireplace for American Girl Doll
• Cover a box for an American Girl doll
• Froggy designs a doll fireplace using boxes and contact paper