Easy DIY Wooden Dollhouse Stairs and Ladder- 5-Minute and $5 Dollhouse Stairs

This is going to be a quick tutorial because these DIY wooden dollhouse stairs are ridiculously cheap and ridiculously easy.

We’re talking $5 and 5 minutes—yes, really.

If you’ve been around for a while, you know I originally built a Montessori-style wooden dollhouse for my daughter when she was two. And the very first thing she said when I gave it to her?

“Mama, where are the stairs?”

Fast-forward three years, and for Christmas, she requested a brand-new dollhouse. She wanted a third floor, a garage, a backyard, a ceiling fan (yes, really), and, of course, stairs.

I documented the full dollhouse build in this blog post, but today, I’m breaking down exactly how I made these super affordable, super easy DIY wooden dollhouse stairs.

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Why Build DIY wooden dollhouse stairs instead of buy?

I searched everywhere for dollhouse stairs I could just buy, but nothing worked.

Most pre-made dollhouse stairs are 1:12 scale, which is too big for the 3-inch figurines my daughter plays with. Since I had already customized the dollhouse dimensions, I needed a stair design that would actually fit.

So, I made my own!

DIY wooden dollhouse stairs supplies

To make these stairs, you’ll need:

1x4x8 board (this cost me about $5)
Wood glue (this is my fav, but whatever you have on hand will work)
Clamps: I love these mini and 12″ ones
Sandpaper
Wallpaper scraps (optional, for decorating the risers)

No screws, no fancy tools—just some wood, glue, and five minutes of your time.

How to Build DIY Wooden Dollhouse Stairs

Step 1: Make the Cuts

I started with an 8 ¼-inch tall first step, because that is the height of my second floor, and each subsequent step was ¾-inch shorter than the one before.

Here’s the breakdown:

8.25” (first step)
7.5”
6.75”
6”
5.25”
…and so on until the smallest piece was ¾” thick.

In total, I cut 11 pieces. The smallest one was just a tiny rectangle—¾” x ¾” x 3.5”.

Honestly, the cutting process took less than two minutes.

Step 2: Assemble the Stairs

Take the largest piece and lay it down flat.
Grab the nest smallest piece, Stack the next biggest piece on top.
Repeat the process—glue, stack, glue, stack—until all 11 pieces are assembled.
Once I got a little over halfway, I clamped that section to dry before finishing the rest.

For the smaller steps, I only clamped pieces at a time to keep things from slipping around.

Once everything dried, I attached the two main sections together, let them dry again, and then gave the whole thing a quick sand to smooth out the edges.

Step 3: Add Wallpaper to the Risers (Optional, But Cute!)

I had extra wallpaper scraps from the dollhouse interior, so I decided to add them to the risers (the vertical part of each step).

It not only made the stairs look cuter but also covered up the raw edges of the wood.

To do this:

Cut wallpaper strips to fit the risers.
Attach them with glue or Mod Podge (optional, but more durable).

The Finished DIY Wooden Dollhouse Stairs!

I haven’t glued these into place yet because Emme likes to move them around—sometimes using them on the second floor. But if they start getting tossed across the room (which feels inevitable), I might glue them down later.

For now, they’re sturdy, functional, and way cheaper than anything I could have bought pre-made.

Bonus: The Quickest DIY Dollhouse Ladder

I also made a ladder to go with the stairs—because why not?

For the ladder, I grabbed:

A thin trim board from Hobby Lobby (it was like a 1/2″ by 3 or 4ft)
An X-Acto knife (yes, no saw needed!)
Wood glue
Clamps

I cut thin strips for the rungs, spaced them about an inch apart, and glued everything together. No screws—just glue and patience. I did clamp them gently!

Wood glue is surprisingly strong, so this has worked perfectly for such a lightweight project.

Final Thoughts (And Why I Should Have Done This Sooner)

The funniest part of this whole thing?

Emme asked me every single day for two months when I was going to finish the stairs. And yet, it took me literally five minutes.

So, if you’re building a DIY wooden dollhouse with stairs and want a cheap, easy, and customizable option—this is the way to go.

More DIY Dollhouse Projects

If you loved this, check out these other easy DIY projects:

Would you ever build your own DIY dollhouse stairs? Let me know in the comments!