DIY Hot Wheels Track Border
My son had a Hot Wheels themed Birthday party and received several track sets as gifts. When we were playing with the sets, I saw some straight pieces and had an idea. What if we could make a border out of track pieces in his bedroom? I asked my husband how many pieces we would need and if he thought it would be easy to do.
After I purchased enough track and got a few other tools together we were ready to start. This is one of the easiest DIY projects we have ever done, and the least time consuming. I was so happy with it, that we continued the border in his closet. The pops of bright orange and blue, along with the colorful cars really brightened up his grey room. I know he will enjoy this for years to come and it is a fun way to display some of his favorite cars from his collection.
Here is a supply list of everything you will need and step-by-step instructions.
Hot Wheels Straight Track-We used 12” pieces that came with connectors. I have also listed two 9” and 12” variety packs.
MATEL Hot Wheels Straight Track Pieces with Connectors (12” 4-Piece Pack)
Hot Wheels Car & Mega Track Pack (9” & 12” 43-Piece Variety Pack)
Hot Wheels Track Builder Straight Track with Car (9” & 12” 18-Piece Variety Pack)
Hot Wheels Cars-With some trial and error, I found that light weight cars and those with plastic bottoms were the easiest to stick to the track. Some of the cars with metal bottoms fell down. Also, trucks and cars with wheels not close to the ground do not work well either.
Double Sided Foam Mounting Tape-To secure the cars to the track. Foam tape doesn’t damage the cars or the track pieces and allows you take the cars down and replace them with different ones.
Nail Gun and 1 1/2” Brad Nails
Nippers or Heavy-Duty Scissors-Anything you have at home that will cut plastic.
Instructions:
Slide two track pieces and one connector together to make your first track section.
Start in a corner with your first track section. Place the section flush against the ceiling.
Using the nail gun, nail the section to the wall. Work your way around the room until you reach the next corner. Continue to slide together more track pieces and connectors as you go. You can cut the track into shorter lengths to fit as needed.
When you reach the next corner, snip one of the pieces to fit snugly into the corner where it meets the next piece. Below are 3 pictures to show you how we snipped the pieces to fit.
My son’s bedroom has two outside corners. We snipped those track pieces as well. Snipping those pieces made it easier to bend them around the corner and nail them into place. I’ve also included a picture to show you where we cut the piece to bend around the outside corner.
Customize the border with your favorite cars! Cut a piece of mounting tape and stick it to the bottom of the car. Add as many colors and types of cars as you’d like.
In some of my close-up pictures you can really see the nail heads, but from a distance they are unnoticeable. You could dab each one with a little orange paint if you’d like to completely cover them up.
And that’s it! You now have an inexpensive, unique border that you installed yourself!
Cuts for Inside Corners
One square shaped cut from the bottom of the left piece and one square shaped cut from the top of the right piece.
Pieces can now be easily nailed into place at the inside corners.
Cuts for Outside Corners
One small snip at the top and bottom, then bend to nail at the outside corners.
