Mama’s Amazing DIY Accent Wall

I’ve said it before, but my mom is pretty much amazing at everything (see: 4 Home Decorating Tips from My Ingenious Mama). I love bouncing ideas off her to get inspired. When she gets an idea in her head, there’s no stopping her. As was the case with her accent wall!

My parents moved to Arizona a couple years ago and I couldn’t wait to see what they would do with their new home. As crazy as it sounds, one of my favorite parts has become their entryway – you can see why.

My mom put up this accent wall ENTIRELY on her own, from beginning to end (like I said, pretty much amazing), for only $125! I want to do something similar in our master bathroom, so I got the inside scoop and I’m sharing every detail! Here’s my Q&A with the woman herself: Mama.

How did you plan out the accent wall project?

Mama: At first I wanted a reclaimed wood wall. I went to a place in Phoenix called Porter Barn Wood. While they had an amazing selection and a lot of the wood came from barns in Iowa (I love a story behind my materials!), the size of this do-it-myself project was a bit too daunting for this wood. I’ll definitely keep them in mind for a smaller project.

I ended up getting packs of tongue-and-groove pine boards at Lowe’s. They are lightweight and took the stain and paint nicely. Plus, the price was right! All the materials for my project including paint and stain were about $125! Of course I HAD to get a Brad Nailer tool – it was an absolute must for this project! I spent one full week on the project between staining the wood and constructing the wall.

How did you pick your colors and stains?

Mama: I used a scrap of a 1X4″ pine to experiment with my technique and colors. In the end, I picked 3 techniques I liked and did a third of my boards in each.

1. I stained all my wood with Minwax water-based stain in walnut
2. I put on layers of a White Wash Pickling Stain and watered down paint
3. I sanded lightly to reveal the wood grain in each piece – that may sound labor intensive, but the sanding went quickly.

All stains were water-based so I actually covered my kitchen counters in plastic, laid out all the wood, and stained them there! Good thing hubby was traveling that week!!!

So, how did you actually put up the boards?

Mama: After all my boards were stained, I started from bottom. As I went, I used my miter saw to cut the boards varying lengths. I drew lines on the wall where the studs were so I could nail into those and keep the boards secure on the wall.

It took a bit of planning to not end up with too much of one color left for the top pieces. The boards are light, so assembly was a breeze… until I had to use the ladder! 10′ ceilings made it a bit of a challenge but I got ‘er done!!

It sounds like a lot of work! Would you do it again?

Mama: I’d absolutely do it again! It really helped having a full week to dedicate to the project and since my hubby was out of town I didn’t feel like I had to put everything away every night (and actually use my kitchen for meal prep!). It also helped having my miter saw and trusty brad nailer.

Tell me about your adorable hanging door!

Mama: While the wall stands alone I wanted to hang something on it. I spotted the door at a vintage sale and loved how it completed the look! I attached the black and white photos behind the glass panes but it would look great without the pics too!

Pin Mama’s Accent Wall for later!

Hi, it’s Hayley again. My mom always seems to make things look easy, but as with any DIY project we know there are bumps along the way! If you have any questions about the DIY Accent Wall, just comment below and Mama and I will get back to you!