DIY wall marble run for only $10!

Every kid loves a good marble run to play with in their house. So look no further than this easy-to-make marble run that can be assembled in minutes and provide hours of fun. Plus, it’s not a big eye sore either. Check it out.

I don’t know what it is, but kids love marble runs. But sometimes they are hard hard to install onto a wall. And you have to build the free-standing marble runs every time you want to play. So, I found a quick and easy solution. Here’s how you can build one yourself.

Purchase your marble run supplies

You only need to purchase three items to make this fun toy for your kids. Here’s what you’ll need:

12 1/2′ “J” Channel: I bought two of these at Home Depot for $5 each. You can also get them online at Amazon using the above link. They use “J” Channels to create weathertight seals around doors and windows.
Small screws
Marbles

Measure and cut the “J” channels

The best part about the “J” channels is that they have little slots perfect to screw them in the wall. Plus they are lightweight and white so it matches most walls without being an eye sore.

So, I estimated how I wanted to lay out each piece of the run. It doesn’t have to be exact. It’s whatever you want. Then I cut each piece with a miter saw. I used a Hot Wheel track to measure about how long I wanted it.

Cut your pieces using a miter saw or whatever tool you have available.

Attach to wall

I wanted a really long piece and then some alternating pieces that led to the floor. I didn’t even cut the first “J” Channel. I simply screwed it into the wall with some small screws. They are really light weight so they don’t have to be screwed into studs.

I just eye-balled my zig zag pattern for the rest of the run. You’ll want to make sure they are placed at a steep slant so the marbles don’t go up instead of down as they fall. You can simply put a bucket at the bottom or screw something to catch the marbles at the bottom to the wall.

This marble run literally took less than an hour to build. It was so easy. And my kids actually play with it … a lot! I can hear them downstairs dropped the marbles one by one, over and over. It was the best $10 I’ve ever spent! And once I’m tired of it, I can just take it off the wall. But I have a feeling it will be there for a long time.