One Wall, Big Statement

If you have been thinking about doing an accent wall in your home but haven't started yet, here is your sign to DO IT! I'll say it again for the people in the back, DOOOOO ITTT!

An accent wall is a sure fire way to bring a room together and create a statement all in one. An easy and cost effective way to do this is with a board and batten accent wall. I love how there are so many options when it comes to board and batten, depending on what look or vibe you are going for.

I decided, for our space, we wanted to go with more modern take and do a fun geometric pattern.

Let's get right into it.

Step One: Create Your Design

The good news, there is no right or wrong way to design your accent wall!

First, get a piece of paper that matches your wall ratios. Our wall is rectangular so a standard piece of paper worked for me.

Next decide on your angles.

I knew I wanted to keep all of my angles at 45 degrees just to keep everything simple and consistent. I also knew I wanted to keep all of my lines going in the same direction (diagonally).

This is what I came up with after playing around for a while. I felt it had enough visual interest with the different size spaces between boards but also wasn't so busy that it detracted from other decor aspects of the room.

Step Two: Prep Your Space

If you have flat walls you can skip this step, yay!

If you have textured walls, like we do, I recommend skim coating your wall to create a flat surface (post on that to follow). You CAN do board and batten on textured walls, but I wanted a more clean and professional look. This wall was only the second time I ever did skim coating, the first being the wainscoting board and batten in our entryway, so I am no professional.

More good news, if I can do it, so can you!

Step Three: Measure + Purchase

Measure each board placement on your wall from your design drawing. This does not have to be exact because the beauty of this project being geometric is if the board doesn't fit or is to short you can just move it!

Now head to your local hardware store and grab your boards.

I used pre-primed PVC Lattice Moulding from Home Depot.

A few reasons I love working with this product are that I don't have to prime, I don't need to sand, and I do not have to remove my baseboards to use it. (Momma doesn't have time for all that extra work, let's be honest) However, the biggest reason is that I know all the boards are straight and I don't need to take the time to find the straightest boards in a pile of wood, all while I have 2 crazies running around the isles!

I used 15 pieces to complete this project which cost me about 70 dollars.

Step Four: Cut + Attach Boards

Now that you have all of your boards it's time to cut and get them on your wall. This is the fun part where you get to go from your paper idea to real life!

As I mentioned, I cut all my angles at 45 degrees and eye balled where I was placing them on my wall with my design sheet as a guide. This wasn't exact once it was on my wall. I used a compound miter saw to make all of my cuts.

To attach to the wall, I used liquid nails and 1-1/2 in nails with a brad nailer. The nails are used to help hold the boards in place until the liquid nails dries, so don't worry about hitting studs.

Step Five: Wood Fill + Caulk

This step is the step that takes the longest and is the least fun in my opinion, but 100% necessary and worth it for the end result. It makes your project look so clean and complete

I use wood filler on any place that is easy to sand. I use it to fill the small holes from the nails and where any boards attach to one another. I over fill my holes and sand it down till flush.

Then, as a rule of thumb, I use a paintable caulk anywhere the board meets the wall or the baseboard. I create a small bead and use my finger to smooth it out. I have a baby wipe on hand to wipe off any excess caulk from my finger to help keep the lines clean.

You are almost at the end, the finish line is in sight!!

Step Six: Paint

The final step is to decide the vibe and feeling you want your space to give off. Now run to your local paint shop and pick out the color for your accent wall!

I went with SW Mystic Mauve. This wall is in the girl's playroom so I wanted a warm color that brightened up the space.

Finally, stand back and admire your work, because, you worked DAMN hard + completed it for under 100 dollars. Momma on a budget, am I right?!

Be proud of yourself and don't forget, it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks as long as YOU are in love with it....Honey, Be You.

XOXO,

Momma Mageed