How to Hang a Gallery Wall, Part 1

I have a confession to make.

You know how I advocate for color in your home and hanging up a bunch of art to express yourself through the way your house looks?

Well, this is what you see when you walk into my home:

“Landlord Special” gray and some art haphazardly slapped on the walls.

So I’m going to change that.

I’m going to paint this wall a nice deep blue and hang up a proper gallery wall.

And I’m going to take you along for the ride!

Obviously there’s more to this than just paint and art. The whole area is a mess, so some organization and cleaning is clearly going to be necessary.

But I have the wall taped up and I’m going to take it one step at a time.

And so starts our little series!

Step One: Swatches, Tape and Primer

Grace and I started off this little adventure with a trip to Home Depot for a handful of paint swatches. It’s important to understand that this is going to be a relatively cheap project, but it WILL take 2-3 trips to the hardware store. (More if you’re forgetful like I am!)

So on your first trip to the paint section, you’re going to grab four things:

At least 3-4 paint sample swatches that pique your interest
A nice big roll of blue painters tape
An appropriate amount of primer
Roller and pan combo

The amount of primer is going to depend on the size of the wall you’re working on.

For example, I’m doing a roughly 8×8 wall and a quart of paint or primer should cover about 100 square feet of wall space, so I only had to grab a quart.

If you have any questions about the paint itself, ask the person at the paint desk. They know the answer and they’re happy to help you out!

With the supplies bought, it’s time to tape up your wall!

Taped up corner. Can you see why I wanted to paint it darker??

Tape the edges, ceiling, corners and baseboard.

Also tape the outlets. I’m going to do that after I finish writing this.

Next, you’re going to take that primer, stir it up, pour it into your paint tray, get your roller ready, and slap a coat of primer on the wall!

Next time, we’ll discuss color choices and picking the right art for the space.

And in the third and final installment, I’ll show you an easy way to arrange and hang up the artwork.

Will this series also coincidentally lead up to the first big art fairs of the year?
Yes.

Did I also share this project with you in order to light a fire under my own ass so I can actually carry this vision out?
Also yes.

Are you excited for this series? Do you think it might help you decorate your house more meaningfully? Reply and let me know!

Brian Fritz