This is a perfect project for beginners to working with clay, and there’s no special tools required. Use our free printable templates to make your air dry clay house in 2 different sizes!
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Grab the free printable house templates here:
Click the links below to open the pdf template, and then print the template on regular 8.5 x 11 inch printer paper. The large clay house is the one we made for this tutorial.
Free printable house template – LARGE«<
What size clay house do the templates make?
The large template makes a clay house candle holder that is approximately 6 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 2-3/4 inches deep. Our small template makes a clay house that is about 3-3/4 inches tall, 3 inches wide, and 2-3/4 inches deep. The width of the house will be determined by the thickness of the clay you roll out (it should be about 1/4 inch thick).
What type of clay should I use to make my house?
We used DAS air dry modelling clay and it worked really well, with very minimal warping and no cracking. Because it’s air dry clay, there’s no baking required and it dries at room temperature. The clay is a grey colour when wet, but it dries a nice white colour, so no painting required!
How much clay do you need to make one house?
We bought a 1 kg (2.2 pound) package of clay and we were able to make 2 houses out of it, with enough left over to make another smaller house. So you will need about 1/3 of a 1 kg package for one house.
How long does the clay house take to dry?
Our clay house took about 48 hours to dry, and we flipped it a lot (4 – 5 times per day) during the drying process. Drying times will vary, based on room temperature and humidity, but it will take anywhere from 1 – 3 days for the clay to air dry.
What type of glue holds the clay together best?
We used Aleene’s Tacky Glue to put our house together, and it holds the clay together really well! You could also use a super glue, like Gorilla Glue. At first we tried to use hot glue to stick the house together and it didn’t stick to the clay AT ALL, so we definitely don’t recommend hot glue.
What type of knife is best to cut out the clay house’s windows?
You should definitely use a sharp tipped craft knife if you can. The pointed craft knives have precision tips that allow you to do a much better job of cutting the windows (on both the template and the clay itself).
How can I fix the cracks of where my clay house is joined?
We left our clay house “as is”, but you can definitely get rid of any gaps to create a smooth, polished look for your house. To do this, wait for the house to dry. Then simply add more wet clay in any gaps where the house is connected. Let this new clay dry completely and then sand it down to make it smooth!
Can I paint my clay house candle holder?
We love the white “ceramic” look that our air dry clay has, but you can definitely paint your clay house if you’d like! Acrylic paint works the best on clay, or you could even use paint pens if you want to paint finer details on the house.
We love the minimalist look of this clay house, inspired by the ceramic houses you see at Christmas time. It turned out so well, and we think it would be so fun to create a whole Christmas village in different sizes!
Here’s even more clay craft ideas:
How to Make Clay Mushrooms
Dried Flower Ornaments
How to Make a Clay Frog
Our book Low-Mess Crafts for Kids is loaded with 72 fun and simple craft ideas for kids! The projects are fun, easy and most importantly low-mess, so the clean up is simple!
Where to buy:
