DIY plank accent wall in less than an hour

Creating a stunning plank accent wall is surprisingly super easy and cheap. Plus, it’s gorgeous and adds so much rustic warmth to any room. Anyone can do it too. Here’s everything you’ll need to know.

This plank accent wall, which is similar to shiplap, only cost me a cool $40. I have to give a shout out to my friend, Tanja, who gave me the idea in the first place. She created two beautiful plank accent walls in her own home. So, here’s how to do it.

Prep your plank accent wall

Since you are using wood planks and not shiplap, there will be tiny gaps between the boards. If your wall is white and your planks are a dark color, the white will show through. So, you’ll need to paint your wall a color similar to your planks.

Lay out your planks

To visualize how you want your planks installed, lay them out on the floor. Measure your wall to make sure you’ll have enough planks too.

I bought my planks at Lowe’s for $40. You can also buy weathered wood planks here.

Start gluing and cutting

Start from the bottom of the wall and work your way up. To begin with, my husband attached each plank by squirting a generous amount of caulk onto the back of each plank. Line each plank up carefully and make sure there are no gaps.

If you have a corner that you need to finish, attach a long strip of planks vertically along the edge. It will give it a professional look without much effort.

Obviously, all of the wood planks won’t fit perfectly on the wall. You’ll have to cut them to size. We used a miter saw. But you can also use a sawzall or a good old fashioned hand saw.

Fit planks behind outlets

To correctly fit your planks around any outlets, remove the outlet cover first. Then measure and cut the planks to the correct size. Then, carefully unscrew the outlet enough that it pulls away from the wall. If you’re not familiar with electrical work, turn off power to the outlet first. Place the planks snugly around the outlet and then replace the cover.

Staple loose boards

As a last and final step, after you have glued all of your boards to the wall, staple any loose boards with a staple gun. You don’t want to leave any boards improperly secured to the wall. That increases the likelihood of them being pulled off by a rambunctious little boy.

I was amazed at how fast everything came together. Of course, if probably would have taken me a lot longer if I didn’t have my wonderful husband doing all the work. Ha ha!

The whole reason we put in the plank accent wall was so we could have somewhere to hang our dart board. Now I don’t have to worry about my boys making a million holes in the wall.

What tips do you have to building a plank accent wall? Leave your comments below.

Related link: Seven things I wish I knew before my basement remodel