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January 31, 2020

Staircase Gallery Wall

Thanks For Sharing!

is post is sponsored by HART Tools at Walmart, all opinions are 100% my own!

Do you ever complete a project and then look back and wonder why it took you YEARS to do it?! Since we moved into our home 5.5 years ago I have wondered what to do with our staircase. It was one big greige box with 12 ft ceilings, no windows. It was blah. But it was a staircase after all and not a huge priority over the years, so I thought…. over the past few weeks I worked with my brother to give our stairway a complete makeover including a bold staircase gallery wall!

Learn how to create your own DIY Feature Gallery Wall with wall moulding and large prints!

I cannot wait to show you the before and after pictures of this space, it is truly incredible. I worked with Hart Tools to complete this project. You can find all of their tools at your local Walmart and online! I truly believe that anyone can complete this project!

Ready…..

Staircase Gallery Wall

Spruce up your staircase with an oversized gallery wall and accent paint color.

I seriously cannot believe this is our staircase now. And I don’t know why it took me so long to do something decorative here. When I asked my husband what he thought of the final look he said it definitely took our house from basic builder grade to custom home and that was music to my ears!

This custom gallery wall took a builder grade staircase into a custom modern look with a bold accent wall and oversized gallery wall.

I don’t think I realize just how much of an impact it would make on the rest of the house. Since you can see the 12′ wall from our main living area downstairs, it definitely makes our entire downstairs feel more connected now. It carries the design up and it definitely catches your eye. Slowly but surely our house is becoming one cohesive look that I absolutely love.

This custom gallery wall took a builder grade staircase into a custom modern look with a bold accent wall and oversized gallery wall.

If you are new here, I have a pretty distinct style of black and white with pops of wood and natural elements. I like clean modern lines and I pick simple yet bold pieces that make a big statement. And that’s exactly what I did with this wall. I wanted a large accent wall to bring dimension to the staircase and wanted to create a gallery that popped.

This custom gallery wall took a builder grade staircase into a custom modern look with a bold accent wall and oversized gallery wall.

Let’s take a look at how easy it was to create this look! I also updated the chandelier with this more modern one! It was really reasonable for the size.

Staircase Makeover

You guys, can you even believe this is the before? I forgot to take a pic of it before we started painting, but it was literally one greige box with marked up walls from the kids and a chandelier that didn’t fit my style. That’s it.

We started by painting the walls and ceiling the same shade of white that is in the rest of the house (we have slowly been painting over the greige over the past few years). Then added a black accent wall in the same shade at the bonus room, Rebel by Kilz, you can find it at Walmart too! I LOVE this color because it is a shade lighter than a true black. It’s more of a super dark charcoal. I love it so much.

DIY Wall Moulding

Not it’s time to bring out the tools! These are all tools that everyone should feel comfortable using. So I hope this inspires you to do a project like this in your own home!

Tools You Need:

  • HART 22OZ Steel Hammer, Nail Starter
  • HART 25-Foot Pro Grade Tape Measure
  • HART 9-inch Torpedo Level
  • HART 48-inch Aluminum I-Beam Level
  • HART 20-Volt Cordless Brushless 1/2-inch Drill
  • HART 10-inch 14 Amp Compound Miter Saw

Materials You Need

  • 3″ pre painted trim (amount will vary per space)
  • Paint
  • Finishing Nails
  • Wood Filler
  • Picture Hanging Hardware

How To DIY Your Own Moulding Accent Wall

Start by painting your moulding. I like to buy the pre painted trim because it has a smoother finish and then I give it one coat of paint before I attach it to the wall.

Cut your moulding down to size. I LOVE the HART 10-inch 14 Amp Compound Miter Saw . It is so easy to use and makes the cuts so precise.

I like to lay the whole frame first, so the bottom and top pieces and then the side trim. Then I fill it in with the vertical pieces. You’ll want to measure the full distance in between the outside moulding pieces and find the equal distance between each of your vertical pieces.

When installed the vertical moulding, keep a level handy to make sure your pieces are going up straight. I like this HART 9-inch Torpedo Level because I can keep it in my back pocket for easy use!

Attach the moulding using finishing nails.

Once you have all your moulding up, fill the seams and nail holes with wood filler and then sand them down to a smooth finish.

Give it another coat of paint for a fresh finish.

Hanging A Gallery Wall

Now it’s time to hang your gallery wall! I had mine gallery wall all pre-planned out when I ordered my prints, so I didn’t have to worry about figuring out placement. I’ll be doing a separate post on some tips for creating a gallery wall soon!

I wanted a clean modern look to my gallery wall so I did a grid style. Tree across, three down. Hanging a gallery wall takes patience and a lot of measuring.

Because this is a staircase that we walk through a million times a day and I have three little kids who run up and down it, I didn’t want the prints being too low, so I purposely had them hang a little higher.

We hung the middle row directly onto the center piece of moulding, so we could nail directly onto them. This HART 22OZ Nail Starter Steel Hammer. If you’ve never used a nail starting hammer before they are so cool! There is a small magnet piece in there and a spot for the nail to sit and you can literally put the nail in and hammer right into the wall and it will start it for you. So great if you only have one hand free while in the middle of a project.

For the prints hanging off to the side, we used dry wall screws to add some extra support.

You can read this post on the prints I choose for the gallery wall and where to get them! Once the prints are up, whip out that level and make sure everything is straight!

I am SO happy with how this staircase gallery wall turned out. It looks night and day compared to what we started with. It really took a basic builder grade staircase into a unique bold look. You may notice that we also changed out the light fixture to something more modern to finish off the space!

This custom gallery wall took a builder grade staircase into a custom modern look with a bold accent wall and oversized gallery wall.
This custom gallery wall took a builder grade staircase into a custom modern look with a bold accent wall and oversized gallery wall.

Here are easy links to all the Hart Tools I recommend for this project! Next time you are at your local Walmart, check them out!

About Taryn Whiteaker

Hi! I’m Taryn! The voice behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. I launched this brand over 11 years ago when I became a stay-at-home mom. What started as a small craft and mom blog eventually grew into a full time design and DIY site. My goal has always been to inspire others (especially women!) with design ideas, DIY tutorials, entertaining ideas and give you the tools you need to complete them yourself!

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Filed Under: ALL POSTS, Before and Afters, DIY Home Decor, DIY Projects, Our Current Home, Our Home Projects, Room Reveals, Sponsored

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Paula says

    February 1, 2020 at 11:54 pm

    I love your wall…What a transformation!
    I am having a hard time finding nice prints.
    Where did you purchase yours?
    I think that I am going to do the wall at the bottom of my stairs like this.
    Was also thinking of putting up old pictures of my
    Grandparents and my parents as children.
    What do you think?

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      February 3, 2020 at 2:23 pm

      That sounds like a wonderful way to feature family photos. I will be doing a separate post on the prints really soon!

      Reply
  2. Lauren says

    February 11, 2020 at 7:12 am

    What size are the picture frames?

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      February 17, 2020 at 8:33 pm

      They are size 20X28″ frames with 16X20 prints.

      Reply
  3. Mariah says

    May 8, 2020 at 5:50 pm

    Love it!
    Where did you buy the pre printed trim moulding?

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      May 10, 2020 at 8:28 am

      Hi! I got it from Home Depot, you can get pre-painted trim there, and then I gave it a few coats of the Rebel color. It has a nice smooth finish.

      Reply
      • Mariah says

        May 10, 2020 at 12:58 pm

        Thanks Taryn! Found it girl girl!
        Is the paint flat or semi gloss! I am doing this next weekend.

        Reply
        • Anita says

          April 13, 2021 at 7:49 pm

          Did you get to do your project; if so did you use flat or gloss on your wall?

          Reply
  4. Mariah says

    May 8, 2020 at 6:05 pm

    Pre-painted Trim*
    I can’t seem to find it anywhere online.

    Reply
  5. Jessica says

    June 2, 2020 at 9:12 pm

    May I ask where you found the new light? It’s exactly the look I’m going for in my staircase! You did a great job!!

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      June 3, 2020 at 7:29 am

      Thank you! You can find it here: https://amzn.to/30bkKeK

      Reply
  6. AMY says

    June 16, 2020 at 9:25 am

    Hi there!

    Can you please share where you found your frames? :)
    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      June 18, 2020 at 8:48 am

      HI! You can find all the info on the prints and frames here: https://tarynwhiteaker.com/tips-for-creating-a-gallery-wall/

      Reply
  7. Liz says

    June 18, 2020 at 8:47 am

    Can you please tell us where the prints are from?? I’ve gone down a rabbit hole trying to find something similar but I’m unsure where to find prints that look as good as those :(. Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      June 18, 2020 at 8:48 am

      HI! You can find all the info on the prints here: https://tarynwhiteaker.com/tips-for-creating-a-gallery-wall/

      Reply
  8. Brad Adsms says

    June 28, 2020 at 12:05 pm

    Couple things for anyone trying this, from someone who just finished it.
    1. It looks awesome
    2. Unless your wall studs magically line up perfectly with the trim boards you’re putting up, you will need some adhesive along with the finish nails. I used liquid nails. Little more of a pain but not optional.
    3. We needed some command strips to stabilize the pictures otherwise the side ones kind of sit slanty on the trim.
    4. Have fun realizing that the straight looking corners and walls aren’t that straight. :)

    Reply
  9. Molly says

    July 15, 2020 at 9:44 am

    I love this.
    My biggest concern is my light fixture. Will it be in the way of the photos. Will it look crowded?

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      July 15, 2020 at 4:12 pm

      I don’t find that it is over crowded. The light fixture is more minimalistic, I find that it works!

      Reply
  10. Princess says

    August 28, 2020 at 1:59 pm

    Can you please tell me what did you use for wall

    Reply
  11. Ludhi says

    August 31, 2020 at 8:39 am

    We just did your gallery wall!! And I’m in love! We used our family pictures and it turned out amazing!! Thank you!!

    Reply
    • Taryn Whiteaker says

      September 1, 2020 at 7:23 am

      Oh that’s awesome! Thank you so much for letting me know, it means a lot!

      Reply
      • Bhargavi Srirangapurapu says

        December 24, 2020 at 6:32 am

        Hi Taryn,
        Can you please tell, what is the exact color code?

        Reply
        • Taryn Whiteaker says

          December 28, 2020 at 4:18 pm

          Hi! I don’t know the color code, but the color is called Rebel by Kilz Paint

          Reply
          • Bhargavi Srirangapurapu says

            December 29, 2020 at 9:18 am

            Thank you Taryn.

  12. EM says

    December 3, 2020 at 10:23 pm

    What is your spacing between the frames? 2 inches ? 3 inches? And did you have to cut the mats to fit the pics?

    Reply
  13. Corrie Hill says

    January 8, 2021 at 8:52 pm

    This wall is beautiful! I’m planning to do this as well!

    What is the measurement from your ceiling to the top of the frame on the top row? Same question for the bottom.

    What is the measurement from the floor to the bottom of the frame on the bottom row.

    Also what are the measurements from the side of your wall to the side of the frames?

    What are the measurements in between the frames?

    Reply
  14. Rachel says

    July 23, 2022 at 6:12 am

    What is the width between the frames and the frames from the wall and floor? Or what is the width of your whole wall? I’m doing the same thing but think my wall isn’t quite wide enough for 20-inch wide frames. Mine is 76 inches wide which only leaves 4 inches from wall or between frames. Is that enough?

    Reply

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Taryn Whiteaker

Hi and welcome! I'm Taryn and the voice of style behind Taryn Whiteaker Designs. Sharing our journey of modernizing our European style home in Dallas. Thanks for stopping by and don't forget to subscribe to my mailing list to get all the latest updates! Read more...

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