Adding Texture to a Room: DIY Plank Wall
Spring is right around the corner and I have quite the honey-do list ready for our backyard, which means we need to wrap up indoor projects quickly! I want to be able to work on outdoor things soon when the weather is consistently warm; but for now, I’m excited that we have been blessed with two wonderfully warm weekends here in the Midwest. I have spent them working on updating a shared wall within our main living space using plank panels and wanted to share just how easy this project really was as well as its cost effectiveness.
As we all know, shiplap has become the go-to for many home updates these days. It fits the parameters of current décor trends for those seeking a farmhouse style interior. Actual shiplap can come at a higher cost for those of us that don’t live in an older home, especially for larger projects. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to pull back the sheetrock and find a surprise like that anytime soon within my cookie-cutter home. I wasn’t looking to spend much and I also wanted something a little different. I felt like I needed to add texture somewhere within our open-floor plan to make each room feel a little more like its own space. Everywhere I looked to for inspiration I saw creative uses of shiplap, “faux” shiplap (many methods to achieve this), or some form of pallet look applied to a wall. While each look was beautiful, I wanted something just a bit different and a bit cheaper. That’s why I ultimately settled on pine planks to get the job done.
I would like to note beforehand that we chose to “wrap” our shared wall with planks, which did increase the price overall with this project. Our largest area that needed to be covered is approximately 140 sq. ft. (living room), while the other side of the wall is just a little over 100 sq. ft. (kitchen).
Here are the main materials used to create this project. We stopped by our local Lowe’s Home Improvement store for these items. The pine boards are from EverTrue and labeled as “economy plank paneling,” and some boards are quite frankly just that. Some aren’t perfectly straight while others may be splintered in a few places. We had pretty good luck with what we got and they aren’t too thick or heavy. Each pack comes with six pieces that are all relatively similar to one another and around $11/pack. The boards are all 8 ft. long and just over 3 ½ in. wide. We purchased 17 packs total to allow room for potential errors. After we finished this project, we were able to return a few of the unopened packs that we had leftover.
The bright yellow spacers were needed to bump out the light switch/face plates in order to remain flush with the planks. They also can be found here. We had never used these before and it was incredibly easy to snap the appropriate amount together in order to get the perfect fit, and we spent maybe 5 minutes adding these to each outlet. Safety always comes first, so be sure to shut off the power to whatever outlet you intend to work on before adding these. Finally, we picked up some brad nails for the nail gun. We went with 2” nails just to ensure that each piece was firmly adhering to the wall and holding the pieces that stacked on top of one another.
Other materials used include:
- Miter saw
- Jig saw
- Nail gun
- (Optional) Trim
- Level
- Tape Measure
- Wood Filler
- Protractor
- Step Ladder
We opted to not remove our baseboards beforehand, simply because the planks aren’t that thick to begin with and are already pretty Similar to the style of existing trim we have.
We started on this wall by using an uncut 8 ft. piece and ensuring that it was level before attaching it to the wall with the nail gun. Each plank has a groove on the bottom that enables it to be stacked. Pressing down on each plank and “snapping” them together before attaching it to the wall will assist with keeping your work level and narrow the gap between each plank. Occasionally I would check other pieces throughout our progress to ensure that they were also level, but the first piece is the most crucial. I also wanted to alternate the size of each plank being stacked on top of one another, so we did cut some smaller sizes as well to give the wall a nice layout. We got carried away at times with the nail gun, but that’s where the wood putty came in handy!
Some of our trickier cuts came about when we had to accommodate the angled ceiling. We completed this wall before our protractor was delivered and I must say, my husband did a fantastic job without one. I think I will still add a piece of trim just to give it that “complete” look, but I’m happy with it so far! The jig saw also proved to be most beneficial for cutting around our banister, and later on, our countertops.
On the kitchen side, we chose to remove the molding from our cabinetry and then reattach it later once the planks were up. While my husband worked on finishing up with the last remaining planks, I went around with wood putty and filled some of the knots, seams, and nail holes that I didn’t want to show through later after painting.
Before and After
After we were all finished
installing the planks and applying wood putty where it was needed, we added the additional trim pieces on the corners and painted as well. The color I chose is called Alabaster by Sherwin Williams. I never knew I could be picky about white, but it’s the best creamy/milky shade to match our farmhouse/shabby chic interior style. It’s not ultra-bright or reflective and it’s enough to lighten up our space, especially our kitchen. What I like most about our project is that it isn’t perfect everywhere. There are some areas that I chose not to fill with putty or swap out planks because I like the imperfections. Years down the road I might not but regardless of if or when that time may come, it’s an easy fix. If you’re looking for a way to add texture to a room, consider dressing up your walls with planks. The installation was simple, the overall cost fit our ideal budget, and we spent our weekend making our home just that: ours. Please feel free to leave comments or questions regarding this project, or perhaps you have your own design idea you’d like to share. Thanks for stopping by!
See also DIY Furniture Upcycle Using Chalk Paint
