• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

A House We Built

Custom House Designed by Husband & Wife Team | Modern Farmhouse Inspired

  • Sources
    • All Sources & FAQs
    • Kitchen Sources
    • Pantry Room Sources
    • Living Room Sources
    • Dining Room Sources
    • Home Office Room Sources
    • Laundry Room Sources
    • Mudroom Sources
    • Entryway/Foyer Sources
    • Gallery Wall Sources
    • Guest Bedroom Sources
    • Master Bedroom Sources
    • Master Closet Sources
    • Master Bathroom Sources
    • Buffalo Check Bathroom Sources
    • Powder Bathroom Sources
    • Basement Bathroom Sources
    • Basement Sources
    • Theater Room Sources
    • Game Room Sources
    • Paint Colors and Stain Recap
    • Cleaning Sources & Routines
  • Tutorials
    • How to Build a Slat Wall
    • How to Stencil a Wall
    • How to Make Textured Canvas Art
    • How to Build a Sideboard
    • How to Build Bypass Barn Doors
    • How to Install Shiplap
    • How to DIY a Faux Brick Wall
    • How to Make Paper Mache Bowls
    • How to Make Clay Links
    • How to Make Wood Block Art
    • How to Build a Round Table
    • How to Install Open Shelves
    • How to Make a Sofa Pit
    • How to Texture Bowls & Vases
    • How to Make a Wood Bead Garland
    • How to Build Cabinet Doors
    • How to Build a Wood Countertop
    • How to DIY a Nightstand Charging Drawer
    • How to Make a Wheat Wreath
    • How to Hang Gallery Wall Frames
    • How to Build a Console Table
    • How to Build a Farmhouse Table and Benches
    • How to Stain Stairs and Paint Risers
    • How to Build a Paneled Accent Wall
    • How to Build a Window Seat Cushion
    • How to Build Industrial Stair Railings
    • How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments
    • How to DIY a Modern Mantel Christmas Tree
    • How to DIY a Wooden Christmas Village
    • How to Build a Christmas Tree Box Stand
    • How to Make Paper Christmas Trees
    • Neutral Christmas Present Wrapping
  • Cats
    • Cat Room Tour & Litterboxes
    • Cat-Related Sources & Cleaning Tips
    • How to Stop Cats from Scratching Furniture
    • How to Stop Cats from Playing with Decor
    • How to Train Cats and Kittens
    • How to Cope with Cat Allergies
    • How to Introduce New Kittens to Older Cats
    • How to Cat-Proof Christmas Trees & Decor
  • Cleaning
    • House Cleaning Routines & Tips
    • Minimalism: How To Get Started
    • Cat-Related Cleaning Tips
  • Recipes
    • Apple or Blueberry Crumble Recipe
    • Apple Turnovers Recipe
    • Baked Pumpkin Donuts Recipe
    • Blueberry Lemon Cake Recipe
    • Cheese & Cracker Snack Boards
    • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
    • Cinnamon Pumpkin Donut Bites Recipe
    • Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
    • Coconut Curry Squash Soup Recipe
    • Creamy No-Cheese Pasta Sauce Recipe
    • Easy Garlic Flatbread Recipe
    • Easy Veggie Pasta Recipe
    • Fresh Rolls Recipe
    • Gingerbread House & Cookies Recipe
    • Healthy Hearty Salad Recipe
    • Hearty Vegetable Soup Recipe
    • Molasses Cookies Recipe
    • Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
    • Pesto Pasta Recipe
    • Potato Chickpea Curry + Naan Bread
    • Puff Pastry Christmas Tree Recipe
    • Pumpkin Oat Muffins Recipe
    • Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Recipe
    • Vegan Bolognese Pasta Sauce
    • Vegan Pad Thai Recipe
    • Veggie Lasagna Recipe
  • Past Decor
    • Christmas Decor 2020
    • Fall & Halloween Decor 2020
    • Summer Decor 2020
    • Spring Decor 2020
    • Christmas Decor 2019
    • Fall Decor 2019
    • Summer Decor 2019
    • Spring Decor 2019
    • Winter Decor 2018
    • Christmas Decor 2018
  • Christmas
    • Christmas Decor 2020
    • How to Make Paper Christmas Trees
    • Neutral Christmas Present Wrapping
    • How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments
    • How to Cat-Proof Christmas Trees & Decor
    • How to Make Modern Tabletop Trees
    • How to Make a Wooden Christmas Village
    • How to Build a Christmas Tree Box Stand
    • Holiday Cheese & Snack Boards
    • Christmas Decor 2019
    • Christmas Decor Preview 2019
    • Gingerbread House & Cookies Recipe
    • Puff Tastry Christmas Tree Recipe
    • Christmas Decor 2018
  • About Us
  • Q&A
    • Website Roadmap
  • Blog
    • Privacy Policy

How to Build a Slat Wall

January 27, 2021 by admin Leave a Comment

We created this bold slat accent wall at the top of our stairs and I’m going to share how we made it here! I’ve loved this wood-and-black slat wall look for a long time and was eager to find a spot in our home to do it. I love to go bold in small nooks because I feel like they’re the perfect place for a fun accent!

The general concept of this paneling style is created by painting a wall black and attaching boards to the wall with even spacing. However, you can get really creative with it so there are many possible variations. For my wall, I did a mixture of vertical, horizontal, and diagonal narrow boards and I mostly spaced them evenly apart, except for a few spots where I left one board out to create a separation pattern.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

  • 1x2x8 boards: Home Depot (Note 1: you can create a slat wall with any size boards you prefer and you can even vary the sizing as you go, but I chose to use only 1x2s. Note 2: I suggest getting a good grade of lumber for this project because you really need the planks to be straight and not warped to achieve even spacing between them. Note 3: my wall design required 21 1x2x8s. Note 4: be sure you check your boards for straightness before using them, they cannot be warped.)
  • Paneling adhesive: Home Depot | Amazon (and adhesive gun)
  • Painter’s tape: Home Depot | Amazon (if you’re using 1x2s like I did, then I suggest getting ~1.5″ painter’s tape as it is close to the size of the 1x2s and you can use it for templating)
  • Black paint: I used BM Black Panther (matte), but you can use any background color you like
  • Stain: I used Special Walnut (Home Depot), but you can use any color you like

TOOLS NEEDED:

  • Nailer: Home Depot | Amazon (I used 1″ nails (3/4″ into the wood + 1/4″ into drywall). With a slat wall, there’s no way to get all your slats over studs and I made sure my nails were short enough not to puncture straight through the drywall so that they wouldn’t hit any wires or plumbing)
  • Miter saw: Home Depot | Amazon
  • Measuring tape: Home Depot | Amazon
  • Carpenter’s square: Home Depot | Amazon
  • Level: Home Depot | Amazon

INSTRUCTIONS:

  1. Design your wall. There are no rules to this step, just create whatever you love. You can do all vertical, all horizontal, all angled, or a mix of all 3 as I did.
  2. This is an optional step, but since I was doing a small wall, I found it helpful to template out my wall with painter’s tape just so I could see my design from different angles and make adjustments easily. Tip: All my angles were 45° so a way to ensure that your tape follows the correct angle is to simply fold a piece of paper and use that as a guide. Templating is very helpful because as you can tell from the end result of my wall. My final design changed quite a lot from my original templated idea.
  3. Paint your wall black (or whatever background color you choose).
  4. Stain your 1x2s and allow them to dry overnight. I always apply stain with a rag: bunch the rag up to create a firm bundle-o-rag, dip it in the stain, rub over the board until evenly coated. I use just enough stain to create color, but I do not do the whole “wipe-on-wipe-off” thing. I also did not end up sealing my stained boards but you can if you want. It just didn’t feel necessary to me here.
  5. Cut your 1x2s to size and attach them to your wall using a combination of paneling adhesive and nails. I recommend cutting as you go instead of cutting all the boards up front to ensure the most accurate measurements. Use small cut-offs of 1x2s as spacers between the 1x2s you’re attaching to the wall to create a consistently even spacing between boards. I attached my 1×2 flat to the wall and used another flat 1×2 between them. So my spacing went: 1×2, 1.5″ gap, 1×2, 1.5″ gap, etc. I recommend starting with verticals or whatever your primary main board style is. (Note: there is an outlet in the lower part of my wall so I designed my paneling around the outlet so that no board crossed the outlet, then painted the outlet black to make it disappear.) Finally, always remember to constantly use your level as you build your wall to make sure that your boards are always straight! The pictures I’ve shared below chronologically show my progress and process creating the wall.

FINISHING TOUCHES:

  • Square frames: Crate & Barrel | Similar: Pottery Barn | West Elm | Michaels | Amazon
  • Basket (similar): West Elm | West Elm

I also like the idea of maybe doing a potted (faux) tree in a basket for the corner:

  • Olive tree: Wayfair | Target
  • Basket: McGee & Co | Crate & Barrel | West Elm

BEFORE & AFTER:

If you liked this tutorial, you may enjoy some of our other similar tutorials:

  • How to Install Shiplap
  • How to Create a Faux Brick Wall
  • How to Build a Paneled Accent Wall
  • How to Build Industrial Stair Railings
  • List of all our tutorials

For our daily progress, follow us on Instagram @ahousewebuilt.
To explore the other rooms in our house, click here.

Filed Under: Tutorials

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

  • Sources
    • All Sources & FAQs
    • Kitchen Sources
    • Pantry Room Sources
    • Living Room Sources
    • Dining Room Sources
    • Home Office Room Sources
    • Laundry Room Sources
    • Mudroom Sources
    • Entryway/Foyer Sources
    • Gallery Wall Sources
    • Guest Bedroom Sources
    • Master Bedroom Sources
    • Master Closet Sources
    • Master Bathroom Sources
    • Buffalo Check Bathroom Sources
    • Powder Bathroom Sources
    • Basement Bathroom Sources
    • Basement Sources
    • Theater Room Sources
    • Game Room Sources
    • Paint Colors and Stain Recap
    • Cleaning Sources & Routines
  • Tutorials
    • How to Build a Slat Wall
    • How to Stencil a Wall
    • How to Make Textured Canvas Art
    • How to Build a Sideboard
    • How to Build Bypass Barn Doors
    • How to Install Shiplap
    • How to DIY a Faux Brick Wall
    • How to Make Paper Mache Bowls
    • How to Make Clay Links
    • How to Make Wood Block Art
    • How to Build a Round Table
    • How to Install Open Shelves
    • How to Make a Sofa Pit
    • How to Texture Bowls & Vases
    • How to Make a Wood Bead Garland
    • How to Build Cabinet Doors
    • How to Build a Wood Countertop
    • How to DIY a Nightstand Charging Drawer
    • How to Make a Wheat Wreath
    • How to Hang Gallery Wall Frames
    • How to Build a Console Table
    • How to Build a Farmhouse Table and Benches
    • How to Stain Stairs and Paint Risers
    • How to Build a Paneled Accent Wall
    • How to Build a Window Seat Cushion
    • How to Build Industrial Stair Railings
    • How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments
    • How to DIY a Modern Mantel Christmas Tree
    • How to DIY a Wooden Christmas Village
    • How to Build a Christmas Tree Box Stand
    • How to Make Paper Christmas Trees
    • Neutral Christmas Present Wrapping
  • Cats
    • Cat Room Tour & Litterboxes
    • Cat-Related Sources & Cleaning Tips
    • How to Stop Cats from Scratching Furniture
    • How to Stop Cats from Playing with Decor
    • How to Train Cats and Kittens
    • How to Cope with Cat Allergies
    • How to Introduce New Kittens to Older Cats
    • How to Cat-Proof Christmas Trees & Decor
  • Cleaning
    • House Cleaning Routines & Tips
    • Minimalism: How To Get Started
    • Cat-Related Cleaning Tips
  • Recipes
    • Apple or Blueberry Crumble Recipe
    • Apple Turnovers Recipe
    • Baked Pumpkin Donuts Recipe
    • Blueberry Lemon Cake Recipe
    • Cheese & Cracker Snack Boards
    • Chocolate Chip Banana Bread Recipe
    • Cinnamon Pumpkin Donut Bites Recipe
    • Cinnamon Rolls Recipe
    • Coconut Curry Squash Soup Recipe
    • Creamy No-Cheese Pasta Sauce Recipe
    • Easy Garlic Flatbread Recipe
    • Easy Veggie Pasta Recipe
    • Fresh Rolls Recipe
    • Gingerbread House & Cookies Recipe
    • Healthy Hearty Salad Recipe
    • Hearty Vegetable Soup Recipe
    • Molasses Cookies Recipe
    • Oatmeal Raisin Cookies Recipe
    • Pesto Pasta Recipe
    • Potato Chickpea Curry + Naan Bread
    • Puff Pastry Christmas Tree Recipe
    • Pumpkin Oat Muffins Recipe
    • Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Recipe
    • Vegan Bolognese Pasta Sauce
    • Vegan Pad Thai Recipe
    • Veggie Lasagna Recipe
  • Past Decor
    • Christmas Decor 2020
    • Fall & Halloween Decor 2020
    • Summer Decor 2020
    • Spring Decor 2020
    • Christmas Decor 2019
    • Fall Decor 2019
    • Summer Decor 2019
    • Spring Decor 2019
    • Winter Decor 2018
    • Christmas Decor 2018
  • Christmas
    • Christmas Decor 2020
    • How to Make Paper Christmas Trees
    • Neutral Christmas Present Wrapping
    • How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments
    • How to Cat-Proof Christmas Trees & Decor
    • How to Make Modern Tabletop Trees
    • How to Make a Wooden Christmas Village
    • How to Build a Christmas Tree Box Stand
    • Holiday Cheese & Snack Boards
    • Christmas Decor 2019
    • Christmas Decor Preview 2019
    • Gingerbread House & Cookies Recipe
    • Puff Tastry Christmas Tree Recipe
    • Christmas Decor 2018
  • About Us
  • Q&A
    • Website Roadmap
  • Blog
    • Privacy Policy

Where We Shop

Amazon

Wayfair

West Elm

Crate & Barrel

CB2

Pottery Barn

Overstock

Rejuvenation

McGee and Co

Joss and Main

All Modern

Target

Home Depot

World Market

Etsy

H&M Home

Lulu and Georgia

Serena & Lily 

Schoolhouse

Anthropologie

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Copyright © 2021 · Metro Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in