Lauan/Luan Plywood for Scale Buildings and Dolls' Houses

If you are planning on building a Christmas village display, or creating a scale building or dollhouse as a gift, you may want to know more about the common materials used for scale buildings. Luan or Lauan plywood, also sometimes sold as Philippine mahogany, is a common wood used in kit dollhouses which are built using tab and slot construction. Lauan, Mdf and Baltic Birch plywood are the three most common woods used to create scale buildings. Each has pros and cons, Lauan is thin and less expensive, but tends to chip and warp and needs care when gluing and finishing. MDF is heavy, and Baltic Birch Plywood is often the most expensive option in a kit or finished form.

Another option for those who don't mind gluing, is gatorfoam or gatorboard , which is growing in popularity as a base material for lightweight scale scenes.

It may be a bit early, but planning now can save you from a number of all night work sessions leading up to Christmas!