My house wish list is long on wants and short on cash. While prioritizing projects for our pending empty nest, we set our eyes on our basement. I just completed this one-hour corner home office project, when I realized the room needed a little something with a “wow” factor on the opposite wall. This is how to create a feature wall with reclaimed wood.
This feature wall update came together when I found these weathered, hardwood boards at Home Depot. The wood boards provided an authentic, reclaimed barn wood appearance without having to find a dilapidated barn.
When I found it was cheaper to plank a feature wall with wood boards than to refinish/install wood floors, the feature wall project moved to the top of our DIY wish list.
And, that Happy Meal analogy was my pitch to my DIY partner on how to create a feature wall for his basement home office/sports lounge.
To appreciate the after I have to share the before photo.
How to Create a Feature Wall (Before)
It was like a Happy Meal for DIY enthusiasts.
On a Saturday, in between work and travel, we nailed this feature wall project. The project took less than seven hours, cost under $300 and added a layer of warmth to a room that needed a cozy update.
The only prep for the planked wall was to paint the wall before we installed the wood planks. The install instructions suggested to paint the walls a darker color to disguise any gaps between the planks.
I did a quick prep with leftover paint in the garage. The paint was left over from the Tuscany inspired period almost two decades ago.
You could also check the “oops” section in the paint department at Home Depot.
Supply List for Feature Wall
- table saw/chop saw
- nail gun (+ air compressor my husband gave me on Valentine’s Day)
We (mostly my husband) used a table saw (chop saw) and an air compressor nail gun to create the easiest, most hassle-free project ever.
The only math needed for this wall was when we measured the width and height of the feature wall. We started in the bottom right corner and worked to the left and up. Because we had an “open wall” on the left side of the feature wall that became our endpoint.
We positioned a plank horizontally to trim the open ended wall.
After spending months on this bathroom remodel, this project made a huge impact in our basement in a few hours.
The barn-like planks took an unfulfilled, uninspired wall and turned it into a conversation starter.
