Easy DIY Accent Wall Tutorial

Hey Friends,

I’m sharing an easy DIY accent wall tutorial with you and how you can achieve this look on your own. I shared plans on my youngest’s room makeover a while back. The room is slowly coming together as I tackle other projects in our home.

When putting the plans together, we always knew we would have a feature wall. She is a girly girl and loves everything whimsical. Unsure how her taste will change over time, it was important to have something that could transition styles and still look great. You can also check out our other daughter’s tween room here.

An easy DIY wood accent wall is a budget friendly home decor idea that adds character to your space.

I did a lot of research on feature walls including DIY wall panel molding, board and batten accent wall, wallpaper. I decided a simple DIY wood trim accent wall or plank wall will be the best way to go. Once I figured out that I was going with an accent wood wall. It was time to figure out the pattern.

I’m a bit old school when it comes to drawing up plans and typically put my plans on paper.

 

After drawing up a couple of different patterns, the herringbone board and batten pattern was the top pick.

 

I really love this wall by Christine from Honey Built Home and used it as inspiration for ours.

 

We decided on 8 sections based on the measurements of the wall. It was time to get materials. Below is a list of what was used-:

 

Supply List:

1. 1X2 boards (I got 1x2x8ft)
2. 2 inch Finishing Nails
3. Caulk
4. Spackling paste
5. Painter’s Tape
6. Roller paint brush
7. Angle Paint brush
8. Primer for wood
9. Paint of your choice

 

Tools Used:

1. Miter Saw
2. Brad Nail Gun
3. Stud Finder
4. Leveler tool
5. Sanding Tool
6. Tape Measure

 

Attaching the decorative wall molding:

Once supplies were delivered, it was time to get the wall prepped. You always want to make sure that you find the studs on the wall prior to attaching anything. Using the stud finder, I marked up the wall. The next step was to figure out the 8 sections with multiple spacing to avoid studs. I went through and marked up the wall using the spacing that was configured.

Tip: Always remember to consider the width of your wood when figuring out your spacing to ensure you have symmetry.

 

Once this was done, it was time to frame the wall and add the vertical boards. The walls in this room are taller than 8 foot, so it required piecing wood together seamlessly to create each lined section. This was achieved by accurate measurements and using the leveler tool to ensure that the spacing was accurate from top to bottom. The wood sections were attached using the nail gun.

 

Tip: When attaching the panels to the wall, make sure to have you nail gun at a slanted angle and rotate 180 to the opposite angle on the next nail. This ensure that your wood attached to the wall properly. Attaching the nails straight into the wall without angling causes less grip.

 

The next step was to start adding the sections to create the herringbone pattern. I used a digital angle finder to get the degree for my cuts, the edges are all at a 45-degree angle, so I knew it would be less. However, if you do not have this on hand, you can grab a piece of wood and make a mark on where you would like the cuts to be. With a little trial and error, you can figure out the miter cuts you need to make. Mine was right at 30 degrees.

When you have figured out your angles, it is time to cut away. Based on my plan, I needed 6 angled pieces per section.

Tip: Measure your sections before cutting pieces for that section. Each section will vary by a few millimetres. As such you want to accurately measure each section prior to make the angled cuts.

 

You can attach the angled cuts to the wall after cutting for each section or you can make all cuts before attaching. If you go with the latter, I recommend keeping each section separate.

At this stage, your herringbone pattern should be complete, and the next phase will be finishing.

 

 

Spackling and Caulking:

This stage is critical to ensuring that your accent wood wall DIY looks like a professional finish. I started out by covering all the lines where wood meets wood with spackling paste. This process allows you to hide the joints and gives it a seamless look. Once applied, use a sanding tool to remove excess to create a flush look with the wood.

 

The next step is to caulk all areas were the wood meets the wall. You also caulk to fill in holes created by your brad nailer and any additional holes naturally occurring on the wood.

Tip: Spackling and caulking properly produces better results after paint is applied.

 

Priming and Painting

Cover all edges with painter’s tape, apply primer to the wood portion using an angled paint brush and allow to dry. You could skip this step if you bought your wood already primed or if you primed it prior to application.

Once dry, you are ready to paint. Apply two coats and allow to dry in between. Due to the section sizing, I found that a 3-inch paint roller was easier to use for paint application. Inspect to see if there are any spots that were missed and fix prior to removing painters’ tape.

 

Your wall is finally done and it’s time to decorate. Here is the final product.

 

We are still working on this room and look forward to sharing this finished space with you soon.

I hope you found this easy.  DIY accent wall tutorial helpful. Thank you for stopping by.