Guest Room: Wood Wall Plan


Last week, we revealed the big news…we’re working on one heck of a makeover! My guest room is getting a complete overhaul, and we’ve vowed to complete every DIY project by ourselves. Verdict is still out if that was a crazy declaration to make.

The bamboo curtains and accent pillows in this guest room pop against the gray walls.
The dark stained wood floors in this guest room contrast well with the lighter bedding.
In order to keep things organized and on-schedule, we have broken up the makeover into a few stages.

  • Stage 1: Install Wood Wall
  • Stage 2: Paint Room
  • Stage 3: Build Fauxdenza
  • Stage 4: Install new lighting
  • Stage 5: Hang art, swap out furniture, accessorize (our favorite part!)

Stage 1 is happening THIS WEEKEND. We carved out our entire weekend to get the wood cut and up on the wall, and to say we’re a little freaked out would be an understatement. But we keep telling ourselves that we’re smart girls and we will figure it all out together. If we fail, that’s a-okay. The only thing we need to worry about is being careful with the power tools <– legit scariest part of any DIY project.The neutral tones throughout this guest room make it look relaxing.

Okay, so back to the wood wall (which will go behind the bed). I want to go into detail about our exact plans for the wall. Here are some of my inspiration pictures.This accent wood wall behind the bed adds dimension to the room.

Image via Bower Power Blog

This simple white wood wall adds texture to a neutral guest room,

Image via Life on Virginia Streetย 

This chic wood wall adds drama and draws attention to the guest room. Image via Thrifty Decor Chick

I really think the wood will draw the eye up and make the room appear even taller. I also think it will be a subtle way to add some texture and interest to the small space.

With my inspiration pics in hand, I volunteered Finn to help me figure out the math for the wall. I knew I wanted larger boxes, and I wanted them to be long and rectangular…not too square. It was just a matter of figuring out how many rows and columns we could do based on our wall’s height & length.

Luckily he is a math whiz (hence the reason why he is the blog’s CFO), and had all of the measurements figured out in no time flat. And when he was done doing all of that math, he drew up this little diagram for me to share with you (what can I say, he’s a keeper!). The entire wall will be painted navy, but we just highlighted the wood to make the diagram easier to read.

Here is a graphic of the typical measurements of a big board and batten wall.

Here are our measurements:

  • Wall Length = 124.5 inches
  • Wall Height = 107 inches
  • Wood MDF (this is what we got from Lowe’s) = .656 inches x 3.5 inches x 12 ft
  • Inside of each rectangular box = 31 inches x 26.5 inches

So if our calculations are correct, we’ll have to cut our wood to end up with….

  • 2 – 124.5 inch pieces
  • 5 – 100 inch pieces
  • 8 – 26.5 inch pieces

We think our plan works because it will allow each vertical board to be nailed directly into studs. We’re planning to also use liquid nails, but it’s always a good idea to nail right into the studs for extra holding power.

The guest room closet doors contrast well with the other white furniture in the space.With our plan in place, and all of our supplies & tools on-hand, we’re ready to get started! The next time you see this wall, it will no longer be bare! We can’t wait toย walk you guys through the step-by-step process of cutting the wood and getting it secure on the wall. I’m sure we’ll learn a lot along the way, so we’ll be sure to document it all for you guys.

Casey

Here’s the part 1 and part 2 for this wood wall tutorial. You can come see the finished product!

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The Year of Casey

Hey there!

Iโ€™m Casey Finn, the voice behind The DIY Playbook. I’m a Chicago gal teaching you how to design, DIY, and maintain your home…by yourself! Learn more about me right here.