– 1 x 4 Select Pine (10 pcs at 12′) – Finish nailer – Miter Saw – Level – Caulk – Wood glue – Power sander – Measuring tape – Paint – Paintbrush – Paint roller – Painter’s tape – Drop Cloth
First, you’ll want to make sure you have all of the right tools and materials to do this project.
Imagine this look like stepping stones in a step ladder. This one looks awesome in a surround shower pattern and makes the space feel larger and more open. It’s definitely a different layout and not one you see often but as you can tell makes a great statement. Consider the step ladder in a niche in the shower or as a more creative subway tile layout in the kitchen.
- Once you know your measurements, it’s time to make your design plan. We used Chief Architect to sketch out this wall design. - And if you’re a visual person like us, you can also use SketchUp or Illustrator to mockup your design. Otherwise, a hand sketch will do just fine.
We did 5 squares by 5 squares. This wall was 133″ wide and 108″ tall. If your walls aren’t as tall or as wide or are even larger, the number of horizontal boxes and the number of vertical boxes do not have to be the same. Here are the measurements for our wall design. To figure out spacing we took 133″ (the length of the wall) -21″ = 112″ We then divided that number by 5. 112″/5= 22.4″ Which gives us the size for each space. 22.4″ – 133″ is the overall width – 21″ is the 6 vertical boards multiplied by 3.5 (1×4 is really 3.5″ wide) – 5 is the number of spaces we will have
- Get your level out and pencil in your design. We used a laser level, so Jamie can see the light and follow it perfectly along for a straight line. - And then he uses a hand level to pencil the lines in. He also uses that to trace along.
Then, you’ll want to border your edges with the wood. The sides, bottom, and top are probably not going to be perfectly straight or level/plum. To get yours level and plum you can scrib, which just means to fit the woodwork to the wall or the ceiling, the boards to the wall or ceiling. Or if the gaps are too big then use caulk to fill the gaps.
- Once your border edges are nailed in place it’s time to hang all of your horizontal boards. Follow your pencil markings and hang and nail them into place.Locate studs and nail them if possible for a more secure installation. - We also placed wood glue on the ends and adhesive on the backs of all of the boards to help hold it into place as Jamie moved and nailed along. He was a one-man show when doing this part of the process.
- Once the horizontal boards were all in place, he moved on to cut, fill, and nail the vertical boards into place. Going off of the design plan, he knew the accurate measurement of the length of each board should be cut too. - However, he measured twice before running out into the garage, on the job site, to cut before putting it into place. And even though he still had his pencil lines to follow the design, he also had his laser level on to ensure accuracy
Once all of the boards are in place it’s time to sand using an electric power sander. This ensures a smooth-to-the-touch finish for your shaker panel wall.
Once you’re done sanding it’s time to caulk. Caulk around every square inside and out. Wherever the wood touches the wall you’ll want to fill in that space. This fills in any gapping and will make the painting process a lot easier.
- And then get your painting on! For this statement wall, we painted it in Graphic Charcoal by Behr. - We also have a few painting hacks, tutorials, guides, and all things paint for you on C2S.
And ta-da!! So much better than before! Such a simple and perfect way to make a BIG difference and statement in any space.