Primitive Wooden Houses DIY

There’s something so simply charming about little wooden houses. Maybe they draw us back to childhood – to imaginative play: dollhouses filled with happy little figures, long hours with endless possibilities – back when life seemed simpler.

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Or maybe they transport us even further back than we can remember – to an era of carved tools, furniture, and toys – when everything was handmade and nothing was plastic or mass-produced.

Either way, simple wooden houses evoke a sense of calm and charm.

Here is how I made this set of 3 primitive wooden houses for $0.

(Disclaimer: I already had the necessary supplies on hand – if you don’t, it will cost a little money, but not too much)

I found some wood in my husband’s scrap pile and drew the house shapes on them with pencil.

My husband cut them out for me since I don’t do power saws (I have legit reasons for not doing so, not just fear).

For reference, my houses ended up being approximately 14″ x 8.5″ x 1.5″ for the large one and 8″ x 5″ x 1.5″ for the small ones.

I painted all sides of them white with Rustoleum “Chalked” Paint in “Linen White.” (already had it on hand).

Then, using a ruler and pencil, I lightly drew the design: a straight line across to mark off the roof area and roughly penciled in somewhat straight lines for the windows and door. I didn’t worry about making them too straight or perfect – I wanted them to have character!

I then painted in the windows and the roof with Fusion Mineral Paint “Coal Black” (again, already had it).

Let it dry completely.

Finally, I used Fusion Mineral Paint’s aging wax along with a wax brush over the entirety of each house.

This was my first time using furniture wax – I’m definitely no pro – but it’s pretty straightforward and from what I hear, the more you practice the more you are able to control little nuances in the appearance.

But for all intents and purposes, I just lightly brushed it on with the wax brush, then buffed it off in a circular motion using one of my husband’s old cotton socks on my hand. At one point I had it talking like a sock puppet – ha!

The aging wax really makes such a huge difference! It gets down in all the little grooves, toning down the stark white and adding tons of character.

Just note that it takes furniture wax 30 days to fully cure (or whatever your particular product states – just read the directions). 😉

I chose to paint mine white this time, but I really want to make another set in deep blue at some point!

(The tutorial for the twig trees pictured can be found here.)

I hope this has inspired you to create some of your own little charming, primitive wooden houses! If you make them, I’d love to see – feel free to send me a photo or tag me on social media!

Blessings,
Melissa