What's the best way to Preserve a Gingerbread House?

by Richard
(Nederland, CO)

I have photos up on this blog (Harriman House) and I am at the point to try and preserve it for next year. What initial ideas are best? Best products and poor chemicals for spraying on?

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Sep 28, 2023
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Preserving a gingerbread house
by: Rita

I want to make the gingerbread house pieces and then seal it with a polyurethane then decorate it.
Will the frosting stick to the polyurethane surface?

Jan 20, 2017
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Floral Hall Barn
by: Kit Glenn McKinley

Thank you very much for the instructions on
preservation of gingerbread house. A reporter
for the Lexington Herald Leader along with his
wife made a replica of a historic Round Barn
in Lexington, Ky. It was featured in our
local paper with many visitors to see the
results. We hoped to see if last longer and
your instructions will certainly help.
The builder of the house was Tom Eblen and
his wife Cindy.

Feb 05, 2008
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Preserving Gingerbread Houses
by: Kelly

I've heard this question quite a bit!

Believe it or not, I've never actually tried to preserve a gingerbread house. We just haven't had the storage space (we do now, so maybe next year!) AND I think it's more fun to start new each year.

Here are some suggestions I've heard from others though:

Spray the house (inside and out if possible) with a non-water-soluable polyurethane spray (in a well-ventilated room or, better, outside.) Brush-on varnish is likely to result in broken details.

Once the varnish is completely dry, store the gingerbread house in a dry place (preferably somewhere with a dehumidifier) in a sturdy box or several thick trash bags (tied securely or twist-tied.)

Since most of us cannot emulate an air-tight, temperature-controlled container, no gingerbread house will last forever... except in photographs and memories!

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