DIY Mountain Nursery Mural
This post has been a long time coming because I actually painted this back in July. I made a promise that I’d complete Leo’s nursery mountain mural before his 1st Birthday and I’m pleased to say I DID IT! Hurray. And all for under £20.
I’m sure decorators and artists alike will be cringing at my skills here but I’m really chuffed with the results of this DIY nursery mural.
I didn’t prepare the wall in any way. No sanding down, a coat of white, nothing but that isn’t to say it’s not a good idea so by all means prep your walls first.
What you’ll need:
Three different shades of paint. One for the foreground mountains, one for the background mountains and one for the snow caps.
Masking tape
Scissors
A small roller
A medium/large paintbrush
A smaller detail paintbrush
A dust sheet - I used a waterproof table cloth but anything similar will do to protect your floor!
Step 1: Tape your mountains
Take your masking tape and tape triangles along the wall. I did this freehand but you can measure it if you want it to look a precise way. Make sure they’re different heights.
Also remember to tape along the skirting to avoid any paint splodges here!
You want your background mountains to be smaller than those in the foreground.
It’s not pictured here but remember to add masking tape along the skirting too.
Step 2: Paint your mountains
I picked a terracotta shade for this but you can choose whatever works with your nursery colour scheme. As this photo shows I did a really rough job of painting these and thankfully the masking tape worked a dream but I’d recommend trying to get the lines as precise to the masking tape as possible, to prevent the tape ripping off the paint as you remove it.
Step 3: Paint the background mountains.
I chose a greyish off-white shade for these. At first it looked as though all the mountains were the same white shade but once I painted the tops of the mountains you could instantly see the contrast. You’ll see I was much more precise painting these as well!
Step 4: Tape the snow caps
If you’d like snowy mountain peaks, wait for the initial paint to dry and then use the masking tape to create a zig zag along the top. This is where you’ll paint your snow tops.
Step 5: Paint the snowcaps
Using a white paint and a small paintbrush, paint your mountain tops. Again, try to get crisp lines.
Step 6. Remove the tape
Always wait for paint to dry before removing the tape but don’t leave it on too long either. I found 1-2 hours was the sweet spot. You’ll want to remove the tape carefully to reduce the chance of peeling off any paint. Our Victorian walls are a nightmare for air bubbles and peeling. Luckily they didn’t fare too badly but where there were bits of peeling or little chips or errors, I used a small paint brush to touch these areas up after.
Step 7: Embellish
Add any embellishment you like! I used a homemade hot air balloon stencil made from card to add a couple of hot air balloons floating above the mountains. I also added a few fluffy freehand clouds. As this was a couple of days before Leo’s 1st Birthday I also stuck his felt Birthday sun on the wall ready to use for his Montessori Birthday walk.
And that’s it! This cost under £20 for the small paint pots, mini rollers and brushes but it’s totally transformed Leo’s nursery.
It’s not perfect but then if you’ve been following this blog a while you’ll know we’re all about not letting perfect be the enemy of good.
Let me know if you have any questions and remember to tag me if you’re inspired by this idea - I’d love to see what you create!
