How to Paint a Brick Wall Mural

Livening up a quiet corner or decorating a plain wall does not require wallpaper. Here is a neat way to paint your own personalized brick wall mural without the expense of having to use wallpaper.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Interior paints
• Brushes
• Roller (optional)
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Ladder
• Drop cloth

Choosing Your Design

1. Choose what paint colors you would like to use. If you are able, you might like to simply use the extra bits of paint from other colored walls in your home. Not only would that minimize your expense, but it would also help the rooms to coordinate, given the right colors. Remember that bricks are usually not made exactly the same. You will need one color for the "mortar" (background) and usually two or three other colors for the bricks, having one of these as the main brick color. Consult a professional in the paint section of your local home improvement store for advice.

2. Calculate and determine the size of the bricks you would like to paint and determine the distance between each of the planned bricks. Be sure to calculate the dimensions based upon the size you would like the mural to be.

3. Consider any added elements you might like on your brick mural. Ivy, grape vines or bird houses could also be painted onto the mural, considering its outdoor look.

Painting Bricks

4. Paint a solid background to the wall area you want the mural to be on. The solid background color will serve as the mortar between the bricks.

5. Trace the planned bricks onto the dried background. Make sure they are correctly lined up to one another. Also, keep each brick row staggered, just as a real brick wall is made. The edges of the mural should be partially made up of incomplete bricks, suggesting the viewer's eye the idea that the bricks continue underneath the other regular painted walls. If you do not have the patience to trace out each brick, you can simply mark the intended corners for each brick. However, careful painting will be required to correctly paint them in.

6. Paint each brick carefully with the main chosen brick color. Make sure that you follow your traced pattern and wipe off any unintended drips on the mural while the paint is wet. Remember that real bricks are not completely uniform. If desired, minor imperfections to the bricks can be made as long as the paint does not stray onto the planned locations for the other bricks.

7. Paint the highlighted brick colors onto the dried bricks. Remember that real bricks are not uniform. Have fun with this step and make dashes or small blots on your bricks in a random fashion. If you are uncertain of how you would like them to turn out, you may want to try a few bricks on a sturdy scratch paper or board.

8. Paint any additional items onto your brick mural once the brick wall has dried.

Tips & Warnings

• Be sure to use caution when painting up on a ladder.
• Remember to use a drop cloth to protect your floor and anything else around the area you are painting.