How to Make a LEGO Wall and DIY Makerspace!
Create an amazing DIY LEGO wall using peel-and-stick plates. Perfect as a makerspace wall or use as a flat surface for building. Add a fun decoration with colorful vinyl and this free SVG cut file!
Hello Crafty Friends! Earlier this summer I started searching Pinterest for LEGO activities to do with my kids over the summer. They absolutely love LEGOs, and when I found ideas for creating makerspaces, I knew I wanted to create a DIY LEGO wall makerspace for our home.
I wasn’t too familiar with the idea of a “makerspace,” but after a little research, I found out it is just referring to a space where people can come together and experiment, create and tinker – a place to explore and develop new ways of thinking and exploring. I saw lots of images and DIY tutorials for making enormous LEGO walls for makerspaces in libraries and classrooms and loved the idea of making a smaller version to have at home.
My sister and I loved playing with LEGO as kids so it has been fun watching my kids enjoy them too. One thing we never did as kids was to play on a vertical surface. When I saw this idea it looked like so much fun and a completely different way to interact with LEGO.
There really are so many different ways you can make a LEGO wall! We wanted to use our wall for creative playtime as well as for creating marble runs. We would need a tall playing space for the marble runs and a wide enough space for creative playtime so both of our kids could sit in front of it.
To fit both of these needs, my husband and I decided to use a long 2’x4′ board that we could flip up or down, depending on what the kids were playing. The great thing about a board is that it can also be used flat on the ground or a tabletop for building, and it also stores easily under a bed.
Below you can see the board set up with one of our marble runs. The plates work well with DUPLO and our Hubelino marble run pieces!
For our board, we used Peel-and-Stick Baseplates we bought from Creative QT. It was SO easy to attach the boards that I’d definitely recommend these plates. They work perfectly with LEGO and were a more affordable option than buying LEGO brand baseplates. To make our board extra colorful and fun, I used my Cricut to add colorful vinyl to one end of the board that reads “CREATE” with a fun LEGO minifigure head!
LEGO Sets to Use with a Makerspace LEGO Wall
Open-ended LEGO sets are great for vertical building. They offer lots of colorful and unique pieces and kids aren’t limited by instruction-style sets which are would be tricky on vertical surface. Using the Makerspace board horizontally on a table or floor creates a perfect place for building cities and towns, marble runs and more! Below are a few of our favorite sets for using on a Makersepace LEGO board!
- LEGO Classic Large Creative Brick Box
- LEGO Classic Medium Creative Brick Box
- LEGO Classic Bricks and Gears
- LEGO Chain Reactions (great for horizontal board)
- Hubelino Marble Runs (great for horizontal board)
Supplies Needed for DIY LEGO Wall Makerspace:
- Free Cut file – Grab the free file by filling out the purple form at the end of this post
- Board – we used a 2′ x 4′ board we purchased at a hardware store
- Acrylic paint and roller/brushes
- Peel-and-Stick Baseplates by Creative QT – I bought one set (2 Pink/2 Purple) and one set (2 Blue/2 Green)
- Cutting machine
- Cricut vinyl in multiple colors – I used yellow, black, purple, blue, pink, orange, green and red.
- Painters tape
- Ruler and pencil
- LEGOS to use for positioning the baseplates – I used 2×4 bricks.
How to Make a LEGO Wall
Step One: Paint the board! We chose a blue/teal color and my son helped me paint the board with a small roller. We did two layers of paint on the inside and three along the outer edges where the board would be visible and not covered by baseplates.
Step Two: Attach the baseplates. Next, I measured and marked where I wanted the baseplates to be positioned on the board. They are two inches away from the top, bottom and right sides. I left more room on the left so I’d have room to place my vinyl decorations. I drew a soft pencil line on the bottom and right sides 2″ away from the edges.
I peeled the sticky back off the first plate and positioned it along my two pencil lines in the bottom right corner. After that I was able to attach the rest of the baseplates, using 2×4 bricks to help me position them along with my pencil lines.
The baseplates come with great instructions, so I followed along and used the 2×4 bricks to make sure my plates were spaced correctly.
I found it was easiest to attach two 2×4 bricks to one edge of a baseplate I was trying to connect. Next, I pulled the sticky back paper just enough to connect the plate to a plate already adhered to my board.
I added a brick on the other side of baseplate and then slowly pulled the sticky back paper out from under the baseplate. I wanted to be sure the plates were lined up before removing the backing.
Once all the plates were on the board, I let it sit for 24 hours as the instructions recommend!
Step Three: Decorate the board with vinyl! The next day it was time to decorate the board! I decided to add the word “CREATE” with a LEGO minifigure head on top. I used scraps of vinyl I had on hand, so some of the vinyl was regular vinyl and some was outdoor vinyl. I cut out the vinyl designs using my Cricut Explore. You can grab the free SVG cut file from my Resource Library.
I used painters tape to mark off where my vinyl pieces should be laid down. First, I put on the LEGO head at the top and the letter “E” at the bottom. Then I drew pencil marks on the tape to help me space out the rest of the letters.
Once all the vinyl was down, I removed the painters tape and the LEGO wall was ready to be used!
We’ve been having a lot of fun playing on it and experimenting with different ways to use the LEGOs on a vertical surface.
The wall is a fun space to write words, create pictures, layer the LEGOs and more! We also love using it for our marble runs, and it works really well as a beginning to chain reaction machines we have been creating. The LEGO book, Chain Reactions, has been a huge hit in our house this summer! The board is also great for using horizontal and playing and building as we usually do!
Do your kids love LEGOs? Would they love a LEGO wall? I’m happy we made this and am sure we’ll we get a lot of use out of it! Even if we aren’t using it vertically, I think it will be a great place to build and play!
More DIY LEGO Crafts from Crafting Cheerfully
Get the Free LEGO Makerspace Cut Files!
Fill out the purple form below with your first name and email address! The free file will be sent straight to your inbox! If you have already filled out the form below, don’t worry – you won’t be added to my list twice! This freebie is for personal use only. I hope you enjoy crafting something special. Please let me know if you have any questions :)
