Keeping it real

DIY Monochrome Wall Mural

This post is sponsored by Handy Products.

I took on phase 1 of my son’s big kid room with a DIY wall mural. My goal was to paint something simple yet eye catching over the existing black shiplap wall I love so much. In staying true to the HofE style I stuck with black, white, and gray.

Here is how I did it:

I decided on a starburst-y design. I love colorful murals but they don’t fit my style. This monotone one will feel right at home here! I used twine and some nails to mock up a design that felt just right. The twine method kept me from wasting pricey painters tape.

Once the twine was good to go, I taped off the sections and made sure to seal the edges for super crisp clean paint lines. There are many ways to seal edges. Manufacturers instructions call for running over the edge of the paint with a damp sponge. To make sure I didn’t have any bleed thru what so ever, I painted over the edges with a clear polyurethane.

Instead of buying different paints, I mixed up a batch of custom shades of gray using black and white paints I had on hand. Having the Handy Pro Pail liners was perfect to mix the paints in and have them standing by to go into the red pail.

The ergonomic handle feature on the pail made it easy to hold as I moved around the wall painting the mural.

By far my favorite feature of the Handy Pails is the magnetic paint brush holder. It allows for hassle free storage of the paint brush as you go. The stripes went up super fast, I just had to make sure I got in the seams of the shiplap.

Each stripe needed 2 coats of paint for good coverage. In between coats I kept the paint in the liners fresh and free from debris using the Liner Covers.

With the white in the center of the mural starburst, I used the variegated shades of gray on the sides. I totally free styled this design. I love the idea of customizing a mural any way you want and go with what feels right.

An important bit of info when working with hand painted murals is to get the tape up before the paint fully dries. This way you don’t risk pulling up any of the paint with your tape. Pulling up the tape is one of the most satisfying parts of any paint project. Look at these crisp lines!

This was a one day project that immediately left a HUGE impact on an accent wall. Clean up was a breeze with the disposable liners and my Handy Pro Pail is clean and ready for the next paint project!

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