Are you feeling a little uninspired when it comes to what to do with that “fabulous” accent wall in your kiddo’s room? Say no more, check out my ombre rainbow gradient wall tutorial post below on how to create an ombre wall for cheaper than you think.

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Put a smile on your kiddo’s face every morning when she wakes up and sees her rainbow ombre wall made for her by you. 🙂
So you’ve decided to give your daughter the bedroom makeover of her dreams with an awesome accent wall. Problem is, you have no clue what to do, where to even start, and your inspiration well is running dry & you need some inspiration stat!
Not sure where to look? Check out her closet, as in her wardrobe, for some quick ideas on what she’s into and what makes her say, “ewww.” Find out what her favorite clothing pieces are and build your design inspo from there to create something that is unique and one of a kind to her personality.
For example, for us, it was my daughter’s T-shirt that she received as a birthday present from her grandparents. The inspiration piece for her rainbow ombre wall came from this ethereal unicorn T-Shirt. We picked out the paint sample colors that closely resembled those colors on the shirt that inspired our rainbow ombré gradient accent wall in her bedroom.

The Dilemma (aka The Wall Before):
The before pic was a real mood killer and gave off a completely opposite effect of what she was hoping for. The charcoal says moody but she wanted exuberance instead. So we covered it up and started with a clean blank slate using a white paint & primer in one so that our rainbow colors can shine through boldly and vibrantly each morning when she wakes up.
My daughter’s room had a dark gray charcoal accent wall from the previous owners’ boys bedroom. Needless to say, this was not what she pictured as her “new big girl room,” at the time we moved in when she was 4 years old. But we made do with what little time we had pre-covid in between all the after-school and weekend activities.
(By the way, in case you missed that, it took me 4 years to finally find the time to work on her bedroom makeover.) If there was ever a silver lining throughout this whole global pandemic ordeal, it would be that I finally had the time to stay home and give my kid the bedroom makeover that she always wanted for so long. Not an excuse for why it took forever to work on her room but still, I think I made it was worth her 4 year wait… 😬😳😊

Here is what you’ll need to create your own rainbow gradient ombre wall.
TLDR? Grab Your Basic Tool Kit Checklist here:

Supplies Needed:
- 1 cup of cold water for quick clean up
- 2-3 paint brushes for blending
- 1 quart white flat paint
- 1- 8oz sample jar pink paint
- 1- 8oz sample jar chartreuse paint
- 1- 8oz sample jar mint green
- 1- 8oz sample jar purple paint
- 4- extra plastic cups
- Latex gloves
- Safety goggles
- Large bucket for soapy water
- Cleaning rags
- Dawn dish detergent
- Sand paper (medium to fine grit)
- Sand paper card holder
Materials:
- Large plastic sheeting
- 1 drop cloth
- 1 paint cover bunny suit
- Clean paint clothes only for diy projects
- Plastic expandable shoe covers
- Paint tray kit
- Plastic shopping bags
- Wire paint brush scraper
- Plastic baggies for wet paint brush
- Extendable pole

Instructions:
- 1-Prep:
- Lay down the drop cloth to cover up and protect the flooring and carpet inside the room.
- Use painter’s tape to secure the edges of the drop cloth to the tops of the baseboards to protect them from paint splatter.
- Move all of the furniture and belonging to the opposite wall of the room and cover it all with a large plastic sheeting.
- Tip: Did you know that you can get plastic sheeting and strings from the entryway of your local hardware store?
- It is used to protect the insides of your car from getting dirty and scuffed up whenever you bring home your newly purchased plants, soil, etc.
- Instead of throwing out the plastic sheeting, just wipe it down and reuse it to cover up your furniture while you paint mess free! 😃
- 2-Wash, Dry, Sand:
- After protecting your furniture, floors, and trim work with drop cloth and tape, it’s time to work on your accent wall.
- Grab a cleaning rag and a bucket of warm soapy water to wash your walls. This is a great time to wash the entire room from top (ceiling, corners, trim) to bottom (baseboards & floors) because who knows when was the last time you’ve actually done that?
- Use a dry cleaning rag to wipe down your walls after you’ve washed them and allow about 1-2 hours for your walls & surfaces to dry making sure that the windows are open and the room is well-ventilated.
- Using an extendable pole, attach the sandpaper & card holder to it and begin lightly sanding your accent wall before you start painting it.

- 3-Paint By Layer:
- Now measure the height of your accent wall and divide it up by the colors you will be using
- For example: Our wall is about 10 ft. tall and we plan to use at least 5 colors. So that 10 /5 = 2 ft of width in between each color
- We measured and taped off about 24 inches (which is equivalent to 2 ft) in between each color. This is our starting base to make sure our lines were evenly horizontal.
- As we finished painting a color (pink), we would remove the tape and start painting the next color (chartreuse) using a paint brush per color.
- While the 2 colors are still wet, we’d start blending it with a 3rd paintbrush of the blended color (orange)

- 4-Dilute & Blend In Between Layers:
- When blending, be sure to use the extra cups of water to keep your brushes wet and clean in between each use.
- Do not let it dry out or you’ll be wasting time cleaning it later on.
- Instead, try keeping your brush sealed in a plastic bag if you need to stop and take a quick bathroom break or a quick snack.
- So here is the order:
- 1st step- paint the top few inches pink, remove line 1 tape.
- 2nd step- paint the next few inches chartreuse, remove line 2 tape.
- 3rd step- blend the two colors together in the middle, orange and let it dry.
- 4th step- paint the next few inches white, remove line 3 tape.
- 5th step- blend the two colors together in the middle, light yellow, and let it dry.
- 6th step- paint the next few inches mint green, remove line 4 tape.
- 7th step- paint the next few inches purple, remove line 5 tape.
- 8th step- blend the two colors together in the middle, blue violet, and let it dry.

Sick of looking at your ugly house? Let’s Fix that!


The Solution (After):
Yes, you did it! 😃
Now stand back, take a pic, and enjoy your beautiful new ombré rainbow gradient accent wall. You’ve just created a beautiful accent wall that is fit for a little girl’s unicorn-themed room.
The colors really pop on a bright white background. It’s like cranking up the volume to the music but with color. What a difference a change of paint color can do to bring out the happy mood in a room!
To recap, here’s the problems we solved:
- 1-Prep
- 2-Wash, Dry, Sand
- 3-Paint By Layer
- 4-Dilute & Blend In Between Layers
Other Helpful Resources:
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