Why do DIY projects always take so much longer than you imagine?! With that being said, I started the day planning on installing a whole bunch of wall tile - which would have taken much longer and probably caused me to lose my marbles. So I'm going to consider this a win. :) AND it was only $100...WHAT?!
Ever since moving in, I've wanted to do something behind our mudroom beverage center wall. After realizing I in fact did not have enough wall tile to do this project, I went in the direction of painted bead board to add some subtle texture. Bead board is a fairly inexpensive material with skinny linear bevels and is sold in 4'x8' sheets. Running about $35/sheet - it can really give any space an elevated look with not a lot of cost.
However, for this project - bead board was going to give us a few headaches. The first being the fact that we had existing cabinets with trim that we would have had to cut around. 100% chance I would have needed a degree from MIT to figure out all of those cuts. Due to the size of the wall and where my cabinets were hitting, we would have had to buy 4 sheets of bead board paneling resulting in quite a bit of waste . SO to get this same textural look with a little less effort (and money), we decided to cut 1" wide strips of 1/4" thick plywood and space them evenly apart on the wall. Then ultimately painting the strips and wall behind the same soft grey color (Sherwin Williams Amazing Grey). My husband thought I was nuts but I could semi picture this is in my mind and it was looking kind of sort of....I think...pretty cool. AND we would only need 2 sheets of plywood, totaling around $50. WIN.
Did all of these strips end up perfectly straight on my wall? Absolutely not. But since everything is being painted the same color, it really does hide a lot of imperfections. Praise be.
Pro Tip: Paint your wall base and/or crown moulding the same color as the wall. This will really give the illusion of a taller ceiling!
PROJECT INFO:
Wall Paint Color: Sherwin Williams Amazing Grey
Cabinet Color: Sherwin Williams Eider White
Plywood material cost: ~$50
Gallon of Paint + Primer: ~$43
Liquid Nails: $7
Project Total Cost: ~$100
Want to use this material but not sure where or how?? Below are a few other application ideas!
1. Powder Bath - for an even further cost saving measure, you could take the strips up to 4 ft and use a wood or stone top cap! Paint above.
2. Basement Bar Backsplash - since these bars don't typically go through the abuse like a regular kitchen, you could easily use a material like this in lieu of tile. Painting the strips in a gloss paint while the wall behind remains eggshell to give it a more formal elevated look!
3. Stained Strips - don't think you need to stick with paint! You could easily do oak or walnut strips and stain them in lieu of the plywood. Would be a bit more expensive but look so rich! If you go this route, I would still paint the wall behind, but in a color very close to the wood stain you choose so you still get that tone on tone texture.
4. COLOR - I opted for a more subtle look in a light grey color however this material would really add a wow factor in deeper tones like navy, forest green or charcoal grey. OR a blush for a girls' nursery?! Wow just wow, the possibilities.
If you are interested in doing this yourself, here are the steps we took!
STEP 1: BUY SOME PLYWOOD & CUT.IT.UP
Cut 1/4" thick plywood into 1" wide strips. You will need to purchase a 'sanded' plywood that has a smooth texture for painting. My ceilings are 8 ft high in this room, so we stripped down a 4x8 sheet of plywood.
STEP 2: ROLL ON SOME PAINT
Paint the 3 exposed sides of these strips with 1 coat of the paint you will be using. I recommend using a paint & primer in one because honestly who has time to prime anything anyway. We laid them out on a long table and used a roller for quick application.
STEP 3: FRAME OUTLETS
If you have outlets to worry about, frame around them with 1/2" wide pieces of you strips. This is in no way the recommended way to get your outlets out flush with the new strips - but it made sense at the time. So we went with it.
STEP 4: GRAB A TAPE MEASURE
At the top and bottom of your wall, measure out and make tick marks for where each strip will go. If they are going to be taller than 5 ft, I would place a tick mark in the center as well to make sure they remain in a straight line. Keep in mind that most walls and door openings are not built perfectly straight, so triple measure!
STEP 5: GET OUT THE TABLE SAW
Cut your stripes to the lengths that you need. You are going to need a lot of strips...
STEP 6: START GLUEING 'EM - YAY!
Run a small bead of liquid nails onto each strip and start placing on your wall, making sure to align with your tick marks. Using liquid nails does allow you to move the strips on the wall slightly after you put them up as you go along (and you will) to make sure they are straight!
STEP 7: REPEAT!...like a lot of times.
STEP 8: FINAL TOUCHES
Run a bead of paintable caulk along any uneven edges such as door casings, ceiling lines, etc. Let the strips dry overnight. Then FINALLY apply a top coat of your paint to the entire wall. Poor a glass of wine and give yourself a pat on the back!
I hope you all enjoyed this DIY! Make sure to leave any questions you may have in order to achieve this yourself! GOOD LUCK!
-Brandea
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