Can you believe it’s already the middle of May? Since the snowstorm-free season is finally here, we are diving into more projects around the house. I’ll be sharing our newest accent wall in this post with some tips and tricks along the way!
Materials
Miter saw
Brad nailer and brad nails
Liquid Nails (adhesive)
1 x 2 x 8 primed common boards
1 x 4 x 8 furring strip boards
Paint and painting supplies
Caulk and wood filler
1. Paint the Wall
With a tightly spaced slat wall, I would highly suggest painting the wall prior to any woodwork. The paint color we chose was Windsor Green by Benjamin Moore. We tried Fatigue Green, but the green didn’t show through as much as I would’ve liked.
Windsor Green 
Fatigue Green
2. Choose the right wood
We initially went for the cheapest wood that we could find, 1 x 2 x 8 furring strip boards (right). The first batch actually wasn’t too bad and I spackled, primed, and painted the first several cut boards. It was time-intensive, but I figured that we had the time so we went ahead with it. It wasn’t until we received the terrible second batch that we started thinking otherwise. Too many boards were bent and the cuts were rougher. If we could pick out the boards ourselves maybe this could’ve worked out, but we decided it just wasn’t worth the additional effort.
In the middle of the project, we changed to 1 x 2 x 8 primed common boards (left). These let me jump straight into painting and the finish was so much smoother. Changing materials meant that we had to re-do the previous boards, but it was definitely the right way to go.
TL;DR I would highly recommend getting primed boards for your DIY projects! It will save you time and money in the end.
3. Install baseboards (optional)
We made a new baseboard using 1 x 4 x 8 furring strip boards to match the slat boards.
4. Figure out the spacing
We based our spacing on two boards on either side of the window to avoid making vertical cuts (we don’t own a table saw). Unfortunately, it wasn’t a standard length so I had to make our own spacer: a random drill bit with painter’s tape wrapped around once!
5. Cut and paint the sides
We used a miter saw to cut the boards with our unique spacing and the sloped ceiling in mind (shout out to the hubs!). The sides of the boards were painted before installation. I would recommend being thorough with the paint because they will show despite being tightly spaced. We had to touch up many spots with a small paintbrush and it was a tedious experience.
6. Install and paint the front
For each board, we spread the Liquid Nails adhesive and nailed them in with a brad nailer at the top, bottom, then as needed in the middle to fix any bowing or warping. We used the homemade spacer throughout this process. I chose to paint the front of the boards at the end to save time. It worked out great!
I was so excited to start painting that I forgot to take a “before” picture of the unpainted wall!
The Reveal
We love how it turned out! All of the lumps and bumps left by previous owners are now covered up and the poorly installed window trims are gone. We did consider framing the window but we didn’t like that the top trim would be thinner than the other sides. I think the the spacing between the boards are narrow enough to create a clean look around the window.
Up next: furnishing and styling the space! See the reveal here.
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