How to Paint a DIY Wall Mural at Home in 5 Steps

The act of personalizing a home always comes with a well-known tip: It’s best to go bold with paint. But there’s another solution that happens to be even more of a personality pick-me-up, and it’s not as involved as it seems.

“I love the scale and the uniqueness of murals,” says Leslie Murphy, a designer from Memphis, Tennessee, who is the owner and creative director of Murphy Maude Interiors, and recently launched Mable to provide bespoke artwork alongside her designs. “It’s this wonderful conversation piece when you’re hosting people and it gives them insight into you, your personality, and your life.”

Murphy currently uses a production team to transfer the murals she, or a local artist, make from a smaller canvas to a larger installation, but the business began with a DIY approach of painting each mural directly onto a wall. Murphy admits that painting a mural is more time-consuming than difficult, particularly when it comes to the planning phase. “To keep myself motivated, I play music and dance,” she says. “Generally, I just try to allow the process to be therapy in and of itself. I find solace in painting a custom mural.”

To follow her brushstrokes, here are the five steps to transform a blank canvas of a wall into a work of art.

Step 1: Plan and measure

While you may be tempted to lean into your artistic side and start painting immediately, the best murals involve a lot of careful planning before you dip the brush into paint. “It’s imperative that you take good measurements of the space,” Murphy says. “If you’re hand painting, you can either map out a light grid and sketch out your composition first, or you can start with a high-resolution graphic of your piece of art and use a projector for correct placement.”

Step 2: Prep and prime

Remove or protect surrounding furnishings, paying special attention to the floors. “If you get paint on hardwood, drapes, or other surfaces, it can be a real nightmare,” she adds, advocating for drop cloths. Next, use painter’s tape to seal off any doorframes, baseboards, or vents.