Dynamic Accent Wall

Turn a blank wall into a showpiece that transforms the entire room!

One-dimensional walls are so ordinary—here’s how to make them 3D!

This might be the easiest it way to totally transform the look of a room. Once you’ve created your design, using this simple glue-and-stick application, you can finish it up in a weekend.

1 SKETCH OUT YOUR DESIGN

Make a scale drawing of your wall and draw different designs until you’re satisfied. The internet is a good source of inspiration. A CAD program like SketchUp makes this process easy and accurate, but pencil and paper is fine.

2 PAINT THE WALL

Choose your paint color and paint the entire wall. It’s easier to paint it before the strips are attached, and the results look better too.

3 RIP THE STRIPS

Using your design plan, estimate how many linear feet of strips you’ll need, and rip them to 1-1/4 in. wide on the table saw. We used 1/2-in. MDF because when ripped into thin strips, it’s thick enough to create a shadow yet flexible enough to follow minor wall irregularities.

4 SAND THE STRIPS

A sharp corner doesn’t hold paint well, so sand the sharp corners on the faces of each strip with a sanding block. It doesn’t take much—just enough to turn the sharp corner into a tiny bevel.

5 PAINT THE STRIPS

Spread out the strips on your work table and roll on a coat of primer. This is an important step with MDF; paint causes it to get really rough. Shellac-based primer is a good choice because it dries fast and sands very smooth. When the primer has dried, sand the strips with a 220-grit sanding sponge. Wipe off the dust and paint the strips. They’ll probably require two coats.

6 LOCATE THE STUDS

Find the studs and mark them with tape. We relied mainly on adhesive to hold the strips in place, but it’s helpful to know where the studs are. If a strip needs a little more convincing to stay put, you can shoot a brad nail into a stud.

7 LAY OUT THE FIRST STRIP

Set up a laser level to get the long lines accurate. We used a self-leveling cross-line model from Skil ($60 at home centers). It doesn’t shoot a 45-degree line, but if you use a large Speed square and the level’s locking mechanism, you can set it at 45.

8 GLUE THE FIRST STRIP

Cut the 45-degree angle on one end of the first strip, and then glue the back. Apply glue sparingly so the glue doesn’t keep the strip from seating fully on the wall. We used a fast-grabbing construction adhesive (Loctite Power Grab) for this project. It has a fast initial tack, so it stays put as soon as you press it into place. If necessary, you can still shift it until it cures.

9 PRESS THE FIRST STRIP INTO PLACE

Line up the strip with the laser line, and then press it against the wall. Since this first one is so long, tacking it on with a brad nail every 2 ft. will help keep it straight.

10 ADD THE SECOND STRIP

The first line in our design requires two pieces, butt jointed together. Make the 45-degree cut on the second piece, hold it in place and then mark the butt joint. Cut the strip to length and glue it to the wall.

11 OUTLINE THE BIG SHAPES

Continue marking, cutting and attaching strips to outline the large shapes, as you did for the first piece. Use the laser level and adhesive, nailing where needed.

12 FILL IN THE SHAPES

Add the rest of the strips, proceeding from longest to shortest, filling in the large shapes.

13 FINISH UP

Fill any gaps or nail holes with spackling compound. When the spackling compound has dried, sand it smooth and touch up with paint.