When I first built our Epic LEGO wall back in Sepetember 2014, I had no idea how much the concept would resonate with people. Since then, I’ve seen dozens of amazing LEGO walls and variations of LEGO walls (including several in Canada!). I’ve seen people create mobile walls, walls that can covert into tables, LEGO circulation desks, LEGO endcaps of shelving units. It’s amazing.
But while my original post goes into all the details of creating one, it doesn’t offer much on maintaining one. In the two and half years that I’ve had my LEGO wall, I’ve had to repair baseplates several times, so I figured it was time to make a tutorial. Here’s a step-by-step tutorial to help you repair a loose baseplate:
Step 1: Carefully remove loose baseplates
You don’t want to warp or bend the plates, so gently remove them from the wall. You might have to pry some of the sticker parts with a tool like a scraper, but do it carefully.
Step 2: Remove dried glue from wood
Scrap off the old, dried glue so that you can start with a clean-ish slate. I used a chisel scraper from Home Depot that did the job pretty well. This part might take awhile. Be careful not to accidentally loosen or damage other plates during this part.
Step 3: Sand back of baseplate and wood
Sand both the back of the baseplate and the wood where the baseplate will go. You want to have a nice, porous surface for the glue to adhere to.
Step 4: Reglue the baseplate
Put plenty of glue on the back of the baseplate. I like to do the edges, an x in the middle and some extra dots. And don’t be like me in this picture – use a caulking gun. It’s cleaner, more efficient and a lot easier on your hands.
Step 5: Reattach plate and use LEGOs to secure
Reattach the plate to the wall and use some extra LEGOs to secure it in place. This will ensure that you can build across the plates
Step 6: Let dry at least 24 hours before building
It’s torture, I know, but let the glue dry for at least 24 hours (preferably longer) before building on it again.
Do you have a LEGO wall? How do your students like to use it?