I scooted the bed over just enough to squeeze a ladder in there, but you don't need too much space to work in.
Accent Wall + Headboard
6 Materials
$125
2 Hours
Easy
This slat accent wall + headboard is super affordable and an easy DIY project done in just a few hours.
Instructions:
- Find the studs you’re going to attach the eight-foot vertical boards to. The studs were four feet apart which means there will be a foot of the horizontal board hangover on each side. Our bedroom ceilings are nine feet tall so I had to cut two, one-foot pieces from the third board. Use wood screws to attach the vertical boards that go from floor to ceiling.
- Start at the ceiling with the five-inch header board. Attach the header board with the brad nail gun. Make sure to measure a foot of hang-off on each side of the vertical board. All your other boards will line up with this one.
- Use a 1.5” board on it’s side as the spacer board between each horizontal board. There is .75” of space in between each board – it’s aesthetically pleasing and easy to do by using a board you already have. I used a ruler to line up the ends of the horizontal boards.
- The pattern I followed was: small - small - big - small – big. Once you get going and in a groove, it goes really quick. Before you start, line up your boards in the pattern you choose. Also be sure to look over each board and make sure the best side of the board is the one showing when you install it. Avoid buying bowed boards.
- Once I got to the bottom, I decided to use a three-inch board because it covered the end of my vertical boards best and it worked as a cap to finish the accent wall. It overlaps my baseboard a bit, but I like the finished look it creates.
- If you don’t want the brad nail marks to show, you can use wood filler. I personally like the look of the nail marks. You can also run a bead of white caulk to finish the connection between the header board and ceiling. I decided not to, but it is an option.
Tools:
3 – 1.5” x 8’ pine boards (these are the vertical boards)
1 – 5” x 6’ pine board (this is the header board at the ceiling)
1- 3” x 6’ pine board (this is the bottom board that overlaps the baseboard)
22 – 1.5” x 6’ pine boards (referenced as small boards)
15 – 2.5” x 6’ pine boards (referenced as big boards)
brad nail gun and 2” nails
electric screw driver/drill and wood screws
stud finder
level
ladder
After locating the studs, I pre-drilled through the pine board and into the sheet rock and stud. I also had to adjust the torque on the drill so that I didn't strip the screw. Pre-drilling and adjusting the torque help the wood screw to go in clean and quick.
I'm getting the five inch wide header board in place - measuring the hang-off on each side to make sure the board is centered.
I'm half way done! You can see the spacer board - it's on it's side between the slats. Once I nail in this side, I can just pull out the spacer board and move it down to add space again.
If you layout your boards and make sure the side showing looks good and the boards aren't bowed, you can install them very quickly with the brad nail gun.
I removed the headboard from her current bed and just pushed it up to the new slat accent wall. It doubles as a headboard and looks so grand going from floor to ceiling.
We brightened things up with a new comforter from Target and some white linen curtains from Home Goods. The new light color scheme and softness looks so great with the organic and natural accent wall.
Our teen loves her new $125 headboard! And we love the wall accent - it completely elevates this simple small bedroom.
Resources for this project:
2.5" x 6' select pine boards
1.5 " x 8' select pine boards - three
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2 of 121 comments
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Alee Santiagoon Feb 9, 2020So going to try this ! Absolutely beautiful
![Flipturn]()
Flipturnon Nov 16, 2020This type of headboard would instantly provide a "no damage to the drywall" solid surface on which to mount the fairy lights that are trendy right now.
They could be simply wrapped around the slats, needing no additional hardware.
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Have a question about this project?
I have a king size bed and a vaulted ceiling; but I like this look. Do I just get longer boards? And would I only take it up about eight feet.
Hi Bill,
I'd use the 8' boards for a king mattress. You could take it as high as you want. It might look really cool going all the way until the wall turns into the vault, or it would look more like a headboard if you had a stop point.
How do you dust behind it?
Canned air just blows the dust around ... leaving it to land again.
With all the fabrics (bedding, clothing, window treatments) the bedroom is the dustiest room in the house (no matter how frequently you change the filters). Not only are all those slats dust magnets, but also the wall behind the slat headboard. There is no way to access that wall. What happens when the walls need re-painting (or even washing)? Just isn’t something I would do in my living space. Glad your teen likes it tho.
Yes, anyone who has been frustrated trying to keep venetian blind slats dust free would agree that this project is not for the them.