How to Paint a Polka Dot Wall

With a new baby on the way, we had to do some rearranging of our second floor. That meant the playroom was turned into my office/gym, so we could use the 3rd bedroom as a nursery. So, we decided to put the playroom on the first floor in the empty dining room. While I love the idea of a formal dining room, we simply aren’t entertaining enough to use it as one with covid. And, we use our playroom several hours a day.

That meant time to make this blank space a little more fun for our little girl! My biggest worry was making the space fun while keeping it relatively neutral, as its the first space you see when you walk into our home.

So, I decided an easy way to do that would be to make a polka dot accent wall. I could keep most of the walls white and just add some small pops of color. That way the space still felt fun, without feeling overrun with kid stuff when you walk into our home.

So, today I’m going to share how to paint a polka dot wall. It’s a super easy project any beginner can complete in a few hours if you already like your wall color (or a weekend if you have to paint the walls too)!

• Active Time: 1-3 hours (depending on if you need to paint the base color or not)
• Total Time: 1 hour-2 days (allow drying time for paint if you’re having to paint the base color)
• Cost: $50-$150, depending on how much paint and how many of the supplies you need
• Power Tools Needed: None!
• Difficulty Level: Beginner

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Supplies Needed

• Base Paint Color– I used Sherwin Williams Emerald Satin Paint in Extra White
• Paint tray
• Paint roller with cover
• Painter’s tape
• Paint brush
• Drop cloth (or newspaper)
• Sample sizes of the colors you need for your polka dots (I used 3 different colors)
• 2 large sponges
• Scissors
• Sharpie
• Paper plates
• Step stool

If you’re just painting polka dots, and don’t need to paint the base color, you just need to grab:

• Drop cloth (or newspaper)
• Sample sizes of the colors you need for your polka dots (I used 3 different colors)
• 2 large sponges
• Scissors
• Sharpie
• Paper plates
• Step stool

Quick Note Before Starting

If you don’t need to paint the base color on your wall, skip to Step 3 and we’ll dive right into how to paint a polka dot wall!

Step 1: Prep Your Space

If you need to paint your wall, get your space prepped first to make it as easy and as neat as it can be when you start painting. That means clearing out any furniture, cleaning the walls, taping the ceiling and moldings off, and putting down your drop cloth.

Step 2: Paint Your Base Paint Color

Now, paint your walls your base color.

Even though my walls were white before, I still had to do 3 coats of our new white to get them perfect.

So, this step could take 1-2 days, depending on how much coverage you need.

Want to save your brush and roller between coats, without cleaning them? Wrap them in tinfoil! It keeps them wet and ready to use for your next coat, better than any plastic wrap, plastic bags, or special containers ever have!

Once you’re done your last coat of paint, remove the tape and clean up all your supplies. Let the paint dry 24 hours before starting on your polka dots.

Step 3: Cut Out Your Sponge Circles

Ok, now that you’re ready to fancy up your wall, let’s dive into how to paint a polka dot wall! First step: make your sponge circles!

I got the idea of using sponges to make my circles from Oh Oh Deco. For me, the perfect size circle was the inside of my painter’s tape roll. So, I traced that with a sharpie on my sponges. Then I used scissors to cut them out.

I was using a sponge left over from another project, so I only cut out 2. But, I would recommend having as many sponge circles as you do colors. I had to stop and wash my sponge circles in between colors, which added a little time.

Once you have your sponges ready, practice making dots on a piece of cardboard first, so you can get your technique right.

I found a very small amount of paint and turning the sponges in a circular motion after you pressed them on the cardboard, made the best circles.

Step 4: Paint Your First Color Polka Dots

Ok once your technique is perfected, you’re ready to start. I started with my dark pink and just randomly placed them on the wall. I wanted more on the top and less on the bottom, so that’s what I focused on.

The trick here is to try and keep it random. Try not to focus on getting things evenly spaced out (it won’t look as fun if it’s too perfect).

And, don’t get carried away with putting tons on! Less is definitely more here, and you can always go back and add more after you put the other colors on.

Step 5: Paint Your Second Color Polka Dots

Now, you’re ready for your next color! Follow the same steps in Step 4 and add your second color dots on.

Step 6: Paint Your Third Color Polka Dots

And, here we are–last color time! Add your last color dots to your wall. How fun does that look?!

Step 7: Touch Up Time

After you’ve done all your colors, take a step back and look at your wall. Do you need to add more of one color? Or, do you need to add more dots in one part of the wall?

Now’s the time to add them while you’re paint is out and your sponges are wet.

After you’re done adding dots, wash your sponges and let them dry.

And, lastly, using a small paint brush (think one you would use in art class), you can touch up the circles so they are perfectly round.

I skipped this step and let them be a little imperfect. The imperfections don’t bother me that much for a playroom project, and I plan on putting some artwork up on this wall anyway.

Reveal Time!

Here’s the final product! What do you think of our polka dots?!

The best part about this project was showing my almost 2 year old daughter. She ran into the room and yelled “bubbles!” And, now almost every day, we sit on the couch and “pop” the bubbles on the wall.

So, here’s where we stand with the dining room-turned-playroom project:

• Refinished kids table completed
• Refinished bookshelves completed and hung up
• Accent wall completed
• Cordless blinds installed

Now, we just have a few more steps to get the playroom looking perfect:

• A cover for the couch
• Mounting a small tv for watching Minnie
• Organizing the play kitchen area
• Adding a washable rug
• Replacing the chandelier with a more playroom friendly light
• Mounting some of Emmy’s artwork in a gallery wall over the couch
• And, figuring out a solution for keeping the toys contained in the room (aka a large baby gate across the opening into the entryway)

I’ll share each step as we get them done on social media, and I’ll reveal the final playroom right on the blog here when it’s complete!

Have Questions? Looking for More Playroom DIY Projects?

If you liked learning how to paint a polka dot wall, check out our posts on Refinishing a Kids Table, How to Hang Cordless Blinds, and Replacing a Light Fixture!

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Last but not least, please review our Disclaimer before completing any project we describe here.