It’s a mid-century modern look often found at high-end hotels or designer homes.
Installing wood slats on a wall can be a bit time-consuming, but it isn’t complicated at all.
Plus, you have a couple of time-saving options.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
One method, using dimensional lumber slats, is easier and faster but it’s much more expensive.
Use this guide to learn how to DIY a wood slat wall for an eight foot stretch of wall.
Add more wood and supplies as needed to cover the space you’re working with.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Each wood slat is from 1/2-inch to 2 inches wide.
Wood slats tend to be more on the narrow side.
Alternatively, you might use sheet goods.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Building With Dimensional Lumber
Dimensional lumber is one-by-two strips that have been precut for easy installation.
Each one-by-two is actually 1-1/2 inches wide.
To cover an 8-foot stretch of wall with a 3/4-inch space between boards would require 48 strips.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Hardwood strips are three times more expensive than softwood but require less finishing work.
Be sure to start with wood conditioner so the stain will evenly cover the wood rather than looking blotchy.
One sheet of plywood yields around 90 to 92 strips, each 1/2 inch wide.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
One chief difference between using sheet goods anddimensional lumberis thickness.
Stay alert at all times.
The wood slats should be spaced about 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch apart from each other.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
To avoid a zebra-stripe effect, spaces between the slats should be less than the width of the slats.
You may want to choose a dark background, such as matte-black, for a dramatic, modern look.
With dimensional one-by-two lumber, the strips would be 3/4 inch thick.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Use a cordless bradnail guninstead of dragging an extension cord behind you as you work.
Unless you plan on movinglight switchesoroutlets, the wood slats need to work around them.
Plan for about 1/2-inch of space around the faceplates.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Slat walls can be constructed in a vertical or horizontal format.
Vertical slat walls give the illusion that the walls and ceilings are taller than they really are.
Paint the Wall
Paint the wallthe intended color, for a contrast with the wood slats.
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Roll out the paint with two coats.
If you are using pre-cut dimensional lumber slats, skip this step.
trigger the plywood lengthwise through the table saw to cut 1/2-inch-wide slats or your desired width.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Experiment with slat-width and with the spacing between the slats to find the perfect combination that suits your tastes.
Using the putty knife, fill these in with wood filler.
Sand Wood Slats
Wearing heavy gloves,sand each woodslat individually.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Cup the sandpaper in your hand and lightly fire off the slat up and down to remove stray splinters.
The layered sides of plywood do not sand down smoothly, so attempt to remove the roughest areas.
Paint or Stain Wood Slats
Lay out the wood slats.
The Spruce / Kelsey Hansen
Paint or stain the front and both sides of the wood slats, but not on the back.
Avoid large drips on the back that will harden and prevent the slats from laying flat against the wall.
Measure and cut the slats one by one since floor-to-ceiling heights typically vary across the width of a wall.
Begin in a corner and set up the first wood slat.
Position it vertically with the laser level’s plumb feature or with a bubble level.
Nail the slat in place.
