When I see a wood plank wall, I actually have to stop myself from saying “Hubba Hubba!” So it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone that a focal point in my new office would be a snazzy wood wall. There was just one problem, it was a bit more expensive than I expected. If you think this girl wasn’t going to find an affordable solution, you are just plain silly!
Here was my problem…First, I try to use salvaged materials in many of my projects, but I just didn’t have enough material to complete this wall. Next, I thought I would buy inexpensive pine boards and either age them or paint them. However, this (inexpensive) option was still going to cost about $700. BOO! $700 was still more than I wanted to spend on this wall detail.
What was my solution? PLYWOOD TO THE RESCUE!
As I priced out paint grade sheets of plywood, this seemed like the answer to my plank wall dreams! What is paint grade plywood, you ask? Plywood is a combination of many layers of wood glued together. With paint grade plywood, the top layer is a finished wood veneer meant for painted or stained projects. (To learn more about plywood, this is a great site.) The sheets I used are sold in 4’x8′ or 32 square feet. I needed 96 square feet or 3 sheets. GUESS HOW MUCH THIS SOLUTION COST? No really guess? Ok I will just tell you, only $126.00! You might be thinking “that is great for you Ms. Tisha, but not all of us have a fancy saw to cut plywood sheets into planks” Oh don’t you fret, I didn’t need any fancy tools. I had the very nice people at the lumber store cut the sheets for me. I wanted a varied look with my boards, so I had them cut 2 of my plywood sheets into 12″ width boards and the last plywood sheet into 8″ width boards.
I wanted a white wash look. To achieve that, I used a mixture of 3 parts paint, 1 part water, and a roller to paint each board. Then using a dry cloth just wipe off any access paint.
Once the paint was dry I used a nail gun, (ask for one for Christmas if you don’t have one:)) to attach each board to the wall.
You will notice I tried to keep a randomness with the color and size.
In this picture you can see how I completed the edge with corner round. I think it adds a nice clean finishing touch.
This wood wall went up in a day and was SO affordable! I hope you have been inspired to infuse your space with some texture and interest. Please share or give me your comments, I love to hear what you think!