Top 10 Mural Supplies

Written By Rebecca Lorenz
 
 

If you’re painting a fun personal project or just starting out painting murals, all you really NEED is paint and something to paint with. However, as you start painting more and more large scale pieces, you may want to invest in products that you’ll use for years to come. After experimenting with products, here are my top 10 mural supplies that I recommend investing in… and a few honorable mentions at the end :)

Leave your favorite supplies in the comments!

#1 - Paintbrushes

There are countless paintbrushes on the market made to be used with certain types of paint. With murals, I usually paint with acrylic house paint (I usually go for Behr brand) so I tend to stick with these wooden brushes. Honestly, any brand will work, but these have never let me down! I much prefer the wooden handle over plastic. The angled brushes are my favorite, and I like to collect them in lots of different sizes (I reach for the 1 inch a lot!)

For more detailed work or tiny corners, make sure you have some smaller brushes on hand.

#2 - Chalk

When I project a mural onto the wall, I prefer to trace with chalk. Regular old white chalk works great on a darker wall, but if you’re tracing on a white wall, go for the colored.

Chalk comes off much easier than pencil - just wipe it over with a dry rag.



#3 - Tape

I love using this Frog Tape to tape off straight edges - it sticks SO well to the wall, and they have different types depending on what texture you’re working with. Taping always takes a while to do, but I think it’s so worth it when you get to painting.

#4 - Projector

I have two projectors. This one is expensive - it’s a short-throw projector, so it’s great for projecting your image when you don’t have a lot of space, and it doesn’t have to be completely dark for it to work.

This mini projector is perfect to start with (I still use it all the time) and it’s so small which makes it perfect for travel. You’ll want a tripod to make sure it is even and an extension cord as well if you’ll be tracing for awhile. I usually have my image on my iPad and this projector connects wirelessly to it with it’s own wifi.

#5 - Paint Cups

If you’re using anything bigger than a sample size paint jar, you’ll want cups to pour a small amount of paint into. Dixie cups work great, or these plastic ones are sturdy and reusable.

#6 - Rags

You’ll definitely want a handful of rags to wipe off chalk, to clean paint brushes, or to wipe up any spills. These shop rags are really good and very cheap. Throw them in the wash and use them again and again.

#7 - Water Bucket

You’ll want a water bucket or two to soak your brushes in between colors so they don’t dry out. Any bucket will do, but this one is a great price at Home Depot and top-quality.

#8 - Flexible Phone Holder

If you’re filming yourself painting for a reel or timelapse video, this is a great flexible phone holder! It attaches to pretty much anything and can twist every which way.

#9 - Drop Cloth

You’ll want a drop cloth (the plastic ones work too!) to have on the floor underneath your painting, or even on your scaffolding if you’re renting it. This one is huge so you can cut it up into different sizes, and it’s thick enough to catch any paint spills without leaking through.

#10 - Tool Kit

Now that you have all of your supplies, you’re going to want a tool box to fit all of it! This one is suuuuper sturdy and big, so it fits almost everything you need to bring with you (besides the big gallons of paint).

Rebecca Lorenz
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Painting on a Corrugated Wall