When we were in the process of updating our media room, one thing I really wanted to try out was a moody wall.
But I also wanted to create a feature wall of some kind using wood.
I racked my brain for ideas and eventually settled on a slat wall using pine lattice strips.
As I was wrapping my mind around the materials I needed for this project, I realized that to get the look I had in my head, it was going to cost around $400.
My whole goal for our basement refresh was budget friendly updates, so this just didn’t sit well.
So I gave myself $100 and decided I would get all the wood I could in that budget. Then, I would come up with a design accordingly.
I came home with some paint and 17 lattice strips. And as I was thinking through all kinds of different design options, I landed on an abstract wall.
And I was able to create it in just a few short days!
Here’s what I did…
CREATE AN ABSTRACT FEATURE WALL FOR LESS THAN $100 WITH THESE SIMPLE STEPS
First things first… the materials!
Here is what we used…
- Pine lattice boards (.25″ thick & 1.5″ wide)
- Brad nails (make sure you read what size nails your brad nail gun takes)
- Paint (we used Tricorn Black by Sherwin Williams
- Caulk
- Painters tape
- Tarp
And here are the tools we needed…
- HART Tools miter saw
- Brad nail gun
- Level
- Paint roller
- Paintbrush
We love figuring out ways to do projects with tools we already have on hand as to not add to the cost, so this project in total cost us under $100 for the wood and paint that we had to purchase.
Because we went with an abstract wall, we only used 7 of our 17 boards!
STEP 1: GATHER YOUR MATERIALS & PAINT A BASE COAT
Gather all your materials and start out by painting a base coat on your wall. It’ll be much easier to paint the wood with a second coat after it’s already on the painted wall!
Don’t forget to tape and tarp first for easy clean up!
STEP 2: DETERMINE YOUR ABSTRACT DESIGN
Next, determine what kind of design you want on your wall. Search around for some inspiration if you need to!
I decided to wing my design which is also an option! But just make sure you have somewhat of an idea in your head before you begin nailing wood to your wall!
STEP 3: INSTALL YOUR BOARDS
Once you have an idea of the design in your mind, grab a board and get started!
I decided that I would keep things simple by making sure my first few boards were cut at 45 degree angles and placed on the wall at 45 degree angles.
This would not only help keep the design clean, but it would ensure that all my cuts would be made at 45 degree angles!
To get started, I simply grabbed one board and mitered the edge to a 45 degree angle, placed it on my wall against the baseboard and made sure it was going up the wall at a 45 degree angle, and brad nailed it to the wall.
Then I grabbed my next board and laid it out to cross where the first board ended. I marked my cuts, cut that board, and continued developing my design!
There are no rules here. You’re simply creating a design you love using the wood you have!
I just continued holding my wood up to eyeball the design, made my cuts, brad nailed each piece into the wall, and repeated these steps as I went.
When I decided my wall was completed, I moved on to the next step!
STEP 4: CAULK
This is a tedious but important step! You want to caulk around all the sides and edges of your boards.
This will help them look cleaner, create a seamless transition from board to wall, and give your wall a finished look.
Simply run a bead of caulk down each edge where your board meets the wall.
Wipe it with your finger to seal the edge.
Then take a damp cloth or baby wipe and remove any extra.
Repeat for all the boards!
STEP 5: PAINT
Once you’ve finished caulking, add a second coat of paint! I ended up using a paintbrush to paint my wood, then I went over it with a roller to ensure a smooth finish.
STEP 6: THE FINISHING TOUCHES
Once my wall was painted, my baseboard and outlet covers stood out like sore thumbs!
I ended up going back for a few finishing touches to paint the baseboard of the wall and the outlet covers the same color as the wall.
This gave it a much cleaner, more finished look and feel!
For more feature wall inspiration, check out this herringbone wall I did using plywood!
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