DIY Alphabet Border

Make your own alphabet borders for your nursery, classroom or child's room. You can use letter decals to complete an entire border rather than using wallpaper borders or paint and stencils. Using the decals allows you to reduce the mess from paint and the hassle of hanging wallpaper. Decals also give you the creative freedom to place the letters of the alphabet how you want them to look, rather than how a designer has arranged them.

Things You'll Need

• Painter's tape
• Bubble level
• Tape measure
• Calculator
• Sponge
• Rubbing alcohol
• Fine grit sandpaper
• Vinyl letter decals
• Vinyl shape decals
• Plastic putty knife

Instructions

1. Apply strips of painter's tape along each wall, directly below where you want the bottom of the border to be located. Use a bubble level to make sure the lines are straight.

2. Measure along the tape on each wall with a tape measure and add the length of the walls together with a calculator.

3. Divide this number, the total length, by 26. This will give you the number of inches that should be between the left side of each letter to space them evenly. If you want a fuller border, consider dividing just the length of each individual wall by 26 and placing an entire alphabet on each wall, instead of spreading the letters out further.

4. Make marks along each strip of tape where the left side of each letter should be applied. Use the tape measure to space them, according to the final number you got when you divided the length by the number of letters in the alphabet, using that number of inches between marks.

5. Clean your walls above the tape line with a sponge. Wet the sponge only slightly with a mixture of one part rubbing alcohol to two parts water. Allow the wall to fully dry.

6. Sand away any bumps or paint mistakes with fine grit sandpaper and wipe a tack cloth over the sanded areas to remove dust.

7. Remove the backing from your first decal, starting with the letter "A." Line the left side up with one of the marks on your painter's tape strips and match the bottom edge of the decal flush against the top edge of the tape.

8. Apply the rest of the decals, following alphabetical order and lining up the left side of each decal with the marks you made. Be sure the bottom edge is lined up with the top edge of the tape.

9. Apply decorative shape decals, like baby blocks for a baby's room or flower shapes for a girl's room, between the letters to thicken the border. Place one after each letter or space them every two to five letters to spread them out.

10. Gently scrape over each decal with a plastic putty knife to ensure full adhesion.

References

• Lowes: Creative Ideas: How To Apply A Wall Decal