Old Fashioned Washboard Tutorial

Hi, it’s Jenna!

Travel back with me to a time when laundry day meant gathering around a sturdy washboard, the hallmark of diligent household care. These vintage relics, with their worn wooden frames and ribbed surfaces, evoke nostalgia for an era when chores were both a necessity and a craft.

Building and painting a miniature washboard for your dollhouse allows you to capture this essence of yesteryear in a charming, small-scale project. You can do it!

Whether you're envisioning a Victorian laundry room or a cozy country cottage scene, I’ll guide you through each step—from materials selection to painting intricate details—making it accessible and enjoyable for miniature enthusiasts of all ages.

Supplies (I get these at my local Hobby Lobby):

• Jumbo craft sticks

• Thin craft sticks

• Aleen’s Original Tacky Glue

• Americana “Raw Umber” acrylic paint

• Folk Art “Silver Anniversary” acrylic paint

• Corrugated Kraft Paper (12in x 12in sheets found in scrapbook section)

Here are some photos as a visual aid to go with the directions listed below:

Cut List:

Cut thin craft sticks (x2) to 2 1/4 inches long. These are the washboard legs

For the washboard top trim piece cut thin craft stick to 1 3/8 inch long (x1)

For the bottom trim piece cut thin craft stick (x1) to 1 1/16 inch long.

For the washboard top piece, but the rounded end off a jumbo craft stick. Cut a straight piece from this that is 1 1/16 inches long.

For the washboard “body” cut your corrugated paper 1 1/16 inches wide x 1 1/16 inches long.

Assembly:

1. Glue the washboard top piece (edge) to your corrugated cardboard edge. See pics. Wipe away excellent glue. Let dry.

2. Now add your legs to the above structure. Run a thin bead of glue to each led edge and attache to your washboard body. Wipe away excess glue. Let dry.

3. Lastly, we’ll add our top and bottom trim pieces. Add a bead of glue to your top trim piece and attach to the very top of your washboard.

4. Repeat process with the bottom trim piece, making sure that all ends butt up firmly and remove any excess glue with a clean, wet paintbrush or your finger. Let assembly dry.

Paint:

Using a craft brush, paint everything except the corrugated paper portion of your washboard with your raw umber paint. You can add a little water to your paint to create more of a wash if you prefer more wood grain showing through like I did. I mix my paint and water on a foam plate. Let dry.

Now for the metal part:

Using your silver paint do two thin coats of paint on the corrugated piece. Let the first layer dry for about a minute or so. You can age the metal part if you would like by adding a little of your brown paint along the edges.

And that’s it!

I hope you’ll use this little tutorial and take the opportunity to craft a piece of nostalgic history to add timeless charm to your dollhouse collection.

If you’d rather simply purchase a completed washboard and tub set, they will be available in my next pop-up sale. See the link below.

Happy building!

Xoxo,

Jenna

Pop-Up Sales link (Sunday, June 30, at 3:00 pm Eastern):

https://www.etsy.com/shop/JennasSweetTeaStudio

See more photos and stories on my Instagram page:

https://www.instagram.com/sweet_tea_studio