Wall Treatment for Less Than $50

5 Materials
We have lived in our current home for almost 8 years, and in that time, I haven’t done much to our dining room. When we moved in the walls were a tan and dark brown, with an oddly placed chair rail. A few months ago I decided it was finally time to update the walls, and I wanted some texture without spending a fortune. So, I came up with this cost efficient solution.
The picture above is the before.
I bought three 4′ x 8′ sheets of 5mm thick plywood. Then I had them cut into 3″ strips at the hardware store.
I made a template for the spacing and cut enough pieces for one wall. Then I measured the height of the wall from the top of the baseboards to the ceiling and cut all my long pieces.
I used a nail gun and didn’t want to worry about hitting a stud every time, so I made sure all the pieces were attached close to the ceiling.
Once I had all the wood up on the walls, I installed crown moulding at the ceiling to hide all the imperfections and gaps at the top, but you could skip this step. I used a paintable caulk around all the pieces to fill in any holes or gaps and painted everything the same color.
So, here’s the finished walls!! They turned out even better than I had hoped. They give just the right amount of texture and create interest.
For more detailed directions and tips, be sure to check out my original blog post!
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Unexpected Elegance
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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  • Annie Annie on Aug 10, 2018

    I love this! But, as I am a terrible decorator, can I hang a picture on this wall or would that look bad?


  • Laurel Galvan Laurel Galvan on Aug 11, 2018

    I am asking the community their opinion. Our house has natural light brown wood trim throughout. I want to do this wall treatment in a guest room on a wall that has two windows (one on each side of a king bed).

    1. Do I paint ALL four wall and window trim in the guest room white?


    2. Or do I leave all the window trim natural and just paint the new wall trim white?


    3. Or do I paint all the trim on the updated wall white and leave the other three walls with the natural wood trim?


    I am open to all your opinions.

  • Reva Hodges Reva Hodges on Aug 13, 2018

    Would you be able to use wood slats , that are already cut & smooth ?

    This is a beautiful upgrade.

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  • Gena Duke Gena Duke on Sep 09, 2018

    Love it , I am remodeling a small home now, gonna use it for sure. Just adds comfort and style.

  • Vicki Vicki on Oct 01, 2018

    What a great transformation. Absolutely love the look. Love the light fixture too in photo.

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