It’s no secret I’m really into statement walls right now. Most of the time they’re completely cosmetic, which means I can probably do it myself for cheap.
I saw the amazingly talented Angela Rose Home do one for a friend and was immediately obsessed! It seemed so simple and was an easy way to incorporate natural wood and greenery into our laundry room that’s completely white.
My husband had gotten this cordless brad nailer for his birthday and we LOVE it, so this wall seemed like the perfect chance to get to use it 63826x.
What you need:
- Tape measurer
- Table saw
- Brad nailer
- Cedar 1x2s (we will calculate how many in a bit)
- Faux plants of your choosing
What you do:
You first have to figure out the length and width of the wall you’re wanting to create. Ours was kind of predetermined because we have a clothes rack above the counter top and cabinets above the washer and dryer. But you can make yours whatever size you want!
First, I want to explain why we chose cedar:
- 1. The smell is amazing!
- 2. We love the look of cedar and have used that color tone/type of wood throughout our home.
- 3. I knew I didn’t want to stain wood and stink up that entire enclosed room, so I wanted a wood that would be pretty just left alone.
Since we will be “ripping” the cedar 1x2s eventually and spacing them the same 1” width apart, you can determine how much wood you need by deciding the length of the wall and dividing by 2. (Example- each slat is 1” and we are spacing them 1” apart, so a 60” wide wall will need 30 one inch slats.)
Then you need to decide how long you want each piece. So if your wall will be 60” high, then you know you need 30, 60” long slats.
These cedar 1x2s typically come in 6 foot lengths and you you can get 2, 60” ripped slats per board. So, if you need 30…. Boom! You need 15 cedar 1x2x6s.
Have I lost anyone yet??
I like to always get 2 more boards than I think I need because it inevitable that I’ll mess one up or it’ll get broken. So that’ll hopefully save you a trip to your home improvement store!
Now, if you’re like me up until a few months, you have no idea what “ripping” means.
Ripping means to cut a piece of wood parallel to the grain (long ways). Hence why you need a table saw. I don’t even know if it’s possible, but it would be a nightmare to try and rip wood with a miter saw!
Time to get started!
So once you’ve calculated how many piece you need and you ripped them, now it’s time to get started!
Take your brad nailer, press your first piece flush against the perpendicular wall (or wherever you want to start), and pull that trigger!
For the spacing, I just used a spare piece that I ripped, held it next to my first piece as a spacer, then placed my second piece to be nailed against that… removed the spacer, and repeated!
I can get kind of trickery around any outlets, but just measure the length above the outlet, make a slat piece that long, then measure below the outlet, and make a piece that length. Easier than you think!
To make the shelf, I decided to go with a 1×6 piece of cedar for the width of the washer and dryer. That way I can put faux plants on the shelf for a touch of greenery AND a hanging plant with hide the ugly cords for the washer!