Train Room DIY Wall Train Tracks
Get ready for this train room DIY Wall Train Tracks tutorial. When my mom first moved to Austin she rented a home less than a block away from a railroad crossing. Every time we visited Granny he’s run over to the window to watch the trains go by. This would happen at least twice an hour.
Then, we went to Disney World. We knew our already train-obsessed toddler would love the Walt Disney World Railroad. Little did we know just how much he would love not only that magical train around Magic Kingdom, but every single ride or vehicle that resembled a train. From the parking lot trams, to the monorail, to the PeopleMover, he was in heaven.
If we had a dollar for every time he said “choo choo” throughout our trip, we would have enough money to fund our next three Walt Disney World Resort vacations.
If you didn’t know it already, he LOVES trains.
DIY Train Room Wall Tracks
But now that I’ve driven that point home, it explains why I’m converting his gender neutral whimsical jungle nursery into a train room fit for a mini train enthusiast.
The room isn’t complete just yet, and this isn’t a grand reveal, but I’m off to a good start and wanted to post a tutorial for making these train tracks on the wall.
I first came across a photo on pinterest from an unknown source, but the blog that had shared the photo didn’t know how it was done, she just assumed it was “easily” done by bending aluminum piping. Well let me tell you, that’s not as easy as it seems. So I went my own route and found a way to get the same look for much less work, and less money.
It took some trial and error to figure this out but in the end, it turned out way better than I thought it would and my train-lover is thrilled with the choo choo tracks on his walls.
So here’s how you can make your own!
Train Room DIY Wall Train Tracks
Supplies
- 2-3 long pieces of wood lumber (you’ll be cutting these down)
- 6-7 yards of 1.5in Piping filler cord (rope) (it looks like this)- I got mine at Hobby Lobby
- Heavy duty mounting tape
- Finishing nails
- 1-2 cans of metallic spray paint or like this
- 1 can of black spray paint
Other handy supplies you have around your house:
- Scissors
- Tape
- Ruler
- 3 sheets of paper
Step 1:
Before I left the hardware store I had an employee cut the wood into slats the length I wanted. The first time I had them cut into 18in pieces but it felt way too long, so I had them cut again into 13in pieces, which I think is perfect.
Step 2:
Spray paint all of your wood black. Be careful to get the front and back as well as the sides so they’re black from all angles you look at it.
Step 3:
Spray paint the rope silver. Since the rope is fabric and a bit more absorbent it may take a couple coats and a second can of spray paint. I tried to keep my can of paint closer to the rope, and tried to roll the rope up so that as the paint blew all over, it was more likely to fall on more rope.
Step 4:
As your pieces dry you can begin to mark where you want your track to go. I found the easiest way for me to do this was by cutting up strips of paper, and taping them to my wall where I wanted the tracks to lay. It gave me a good visual without having to draw and erase all over my walls. It was easy to move the pieces around, step back, and move them again and again. I also used a ruler to help keep my tracks evenly spaced. Just remember your track pieces will be wider than your trips of paper. Finished, mine are each about 6in apart.
Step 5:
Cut small pieces of heavy-duty mounting tape and attach them to the back of each piece of track. Then trade a piece of track with each piece of paper on your wall. Don’t press too hard in case you need to rearrange a piece. Once you have them all lined up the way you want, go back and press firmly on each piece of track.
(Optional: You can also nail them to the wall at this point).
Step 6:
Using more strips of mounting tape, start at one end and slowly attach your rope as the rails for your train track. I put my rails about 2.5in in from the edge of the track. I measured as I attached to each piece of track to make sure the rails would stay parallel all the way down.
I started on one side of the track, went all the way down, THEN cut the rope and used the remainder to go back on the other side. I only bought 6 yards (it was only $.99/yard) and was cutting it very close. I could have used another 3 inches.
Step 7:
Once you have your rails lined up where you want them, go back and use finishing nails to permanently attach them to the wood. (Or not, I haven’t done this all the way down yet because the tape is working just fine at the moment).
And you’re done! Now step back and admire your handy work!
Hope this tutorial was helpful. If so, please pin and share away! If you have questions about this DIY Train Room Wall Train Tracks tutorial leave them in the comments and I’ll answer as soon as I can.
What do you think? It feels nice getting crafty again!
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Tags: crafting, diy, makin monday, trains
Here’s an idea for spray painting the rope. Put it in a garbage bag and spray it in there. Squish the bag around the rope to get the rope all the way covered with paint.
That’s a really good idea! I bet that would work great and waste less paint! 🙂
where is his comforter from? if you dont mind me asking, thanks 🙂
I don’t mind Christina 🙂 It’s from Amazon: http://amzn.to/2032l9q
Love this!!! It came out great!
Thank you so much!!
I love this idea! If you don’t mind me asking, about how much did it cost in supplies?
My 2 and 4 year old boys are obsessed with trains..this is perfect!! Thank you for the easy step by step instructions 🙂
Glad you found it helpful! Thanks for leaving a comment and come back and let me know how it goes!
Would you be willing to make one of these and ship it?
AMAZING!!!! Thanks for sharing! How wide are the pieces of wood? How many inches?
Do you make these and sell them? If so how much are they? My son would freak out if we had that! My dad made him a ding ding ding that is really cool and these tracks would go perfectly. My problem is lack of time.
Love love love this!
Hello,
I hope all is well. I must tell you the track looks very professionally made. My toddler is a train fanatic as well. He wakes up and goes to bed with trains on his mind. If you don’t mind, how thick was the wood you used for the tracks?
Thanks
Hi Kassandra! Awww, I love little train fanatics! So ours are about 1in thick! Super light. I think I got the cheapest wood 🙂 Hope that helps.
I love this idea, and I totally want to steal it for my son’s room! Do you know if there might be any other options for the tape besides the heavy duty mounting? I just don’t want the paint on the walls to possibly get torn off once I have to take it down.
Steal away! And you know, I’m not sure, I bet you could try a lighter mounting. Or long but skinny nails maybe! Let me know if you find something else that works!
So it was finally something that we can call upon.
This is such an awesome idea! We are getting ready to move into a new house and my son wants a train room. I am definitely stealing this. And maybe for mounting use a few heavy duty command strips to hook each piece. It’s definitely what I’m going to try!
Hello,
Can you provide dimensions of the wood pieces ( length x width x thickness ) ?
Thanks!!
Oh yes! They are about 16in long, 3 1/2in wide and 1in thick
Hi really love this idea and I am going to steal. Where did you get the other 2 stickers (the yellow and the white one from)
Thanks so much for posting this great project! I think I will adapt this for our classroom using black foamboard and silver duct tape. Super awesome ♡
Going to steal this idea. Where did you get the bedspread.
Thank you! I think just Amazon or Walmart!
I stole this idea for my son’s room but we used 3 inch finish nails to secure it all. I taped paper to the wall where i wanted the tracks, we pre-drilled the nail holes in the board then pushed the nail through the cord and pounded it through the board into the wall.
Wonderful idea! Loved the step by step instructions and visuals! We are about to create this in a grandson’s room.