Well hello there, sweet friends! I hope you are staying safe and doing awesome! What’s new? Wow, 2020 is proving to be a year unlike any other, right?! There are moments I wonder what will happen next. The quarantine this spring was CRAZY- while many were not working, my job (as an elementary school principal) kicked in to overdrive big time! I watched so many friends completing gorgeous projects during this time. It was fun to see so many makeover a wall or reconstruct a bathroom- you name it! Alright, here comes my confession, I failed quarantine, my friends. I failed- I did ONE project!
Today, I am continuing in my quest to makeover our family room! Part 1 of this project did get done during the quarantine. So what do you say- let’s tackle a cool summer project! How to makeover a blank wall- part 2- is happening now!
Disclaimer: For your convenience, I have included some affiliate links. This simply means if you click on one and make a purchase, I might receive a small commission, but do not worry… you will not pay a dime more.
How to Makeover a Blank Wall- Part 2- Here we go!
And back to my confession. In seven weeks, one project done- can you believe it? In my defense, my job went into hyper-mode with the pandemic. I am an elementary school principal, and our launch to online learning- while incredibly successful- had me working 12 hour days, many from home! This girl had no time for projects. I was so focused on taking care of my staff and my teachers and my students. Without question, we are a stronger school family because of what we went though this spring. But the truth is this girl barely had time to sleep- LOL! Projects were no where on my radar. All good things, my friends!
Let’s Get Started Making Over a Blank Wall!
During part 1 of this project, we hung shiplap. Oh yes- beautiful, white shiplap boards have my heart! We opted for five feet of 8 inch boards hung horizontally on a ten foot wall. Love, love, love it!
Typically, I do my projects completely myself. I love creating! However, because of the height of the wall and your girl being all of 5 feet and 3 inches, I needed the hubs to hang the first couple feet of boards. He did an amazing job! And it felt good to be project manager for once instead of the laborer, not going to lie!
A while ago I purchased and painted a mantle for this space. Things were looking better on this wall until my husband upgraded our 55 inch TV to a 70 inch one in November- yes, the black Friday shopping bug got him! He came home with a monster of a TV and hung it on the wall. While he loved the larger screen, aesthetically it never really looked right with the mantle. The wall needed MORE. The larger TV suddenly made the mantle look teeny tiny- and I am particular about balance when it comes to decor!
Before You Start!
I have chosen to do board and batten on this wall! Board and batten is easy to hang and adds so much character to any blank wall! For those deciding to go all in for board and batten, you may wonder how you will know where to place the boards on your wall. In order to space the boards evenly apart, you are going to need to do a lot of Math. Just kidding! I use an awesome website, www.inchcalculator.com, and it figures it out for me! Whew- thank GOODNESS!
Here are the measurements I followed for this side of the wall.
By using this website, I do not run the risk of miscalculating the space or making an error in measuring how far apart to hang the boards. Thank YOU to the genius that created it!
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Step One to Makeover a Blank Wall- Part 2
Here is a picture of the wall before:
For part 2, we are making over the wall from the left side of the mantle. (Notice this picture is one with the smaller TV!)
I am going to hang board and batten in this space, which will tie into the adjacent wall as well as the shiplap we hung for part one. Have I told you lately how much I love board and batten? It is easy to hang, for one, and it looks so incredibly clean and custom! It is a simple upgrade you can make to dress up a wall space.
As I mentioned, I hung board and batten on an adjacent wall. When I added it to the tiny corner wall that connects to this space, the upper board was hung slightly too high. I knew that before I hang the boards on this wall, I needed to fix it. So my step one was to remove the old board and hang it almost a 1/4 inch lower.
Sometimes that happens with projects. There is an imperfection that is so minimal. That was me with this board. I knew it was placed slightly too high, but truly no one else did unless they studied the wall. And who is going to do that? DIY is not perfect and that is perfectly okay! It was only because the boards on this wall would need to be aligned with it that made me fix it.
Step Two to Makeover a Blank Wall- Part 2
I rehang the board I pulled off from my last project and then hang the horizontal boards. One thing I want to share is that when I hang boards- whether it is shiplap or board and batten- I use only my nail gun to attach it to the wall. I do not use glue, although I know many DIY girls that do. The reason I do not use glue is because I worry if I were to remove the board from the wall in the future, it would pull the drywall off with it and ruin the wall. By using nails only, I can (or the next homeowner can) easily pop the board off the wall, patch the nail holes, and paint the wall like the boards were never there!
Oh la la… look at these beautiful boards!
Makeover a Blank Wall- Part 2- Hanging the Vertical Boards
The boards go on the way easily! I purchase pre-cut boards and unfortunately, they are not quite long enough to reach the bottom board. No problem- I do have to use my circular saw to cut up a couple of boards to make up the difference.
Makeover a Wall- Boards are Hung, Now Caulk and Sand!
Once all of the boards are hung, it is time to caulk the boards. Call me crazy, call me a weirdo- but I LOVE this step! Caulking the seams is easy and fast. You literally apply the caulk like glue, and then use your fingertip to smooth the caulk along the entire seam.
Caulking the seam makes it appear like the wood is part of the wall. When you paint over the wall and wood, it will look like the wood trim is part of the wall!
I use wood filler to fill the holes from the nails. Apply a small amount of filler and let is dry, then sand the board really well.
Makeover a Wall- the Final Step!
The last step- and probably the best- is to paint your new board and batten! This is always so fun, as once you start to apply paint, you see your beautiful vision come to life. For this project, I am painting the board and batten and the upper wall.
My particular preference is to paint the board and batten first. I use Ultra White by Sherwin Williams because I want the white to really pop! For the wall color, I chose Repose Gray by Sherwin Williams.
I Can’t DIY… DIY is for Other Girls… There is No Way I Can Do It Myself
I was never supposed to be a DIY girl. Like seriously, I grew up with zero interest in wood working and no talent for working with tools! Even six years ago, it took an incredible build-up to get the courage to paint a wall in my home. Would it look bad? What if I mess it up? Okay, seriously friends- how do you mess up a wall with paint?! But this was a real fear, trust me when I say I had zero confidence in my skills to do any DIY or home project.
After years of drooling over design, and reading and watching DIY chicks on Pinterest and YouTube, I slowly stepped out of my comfort zone and tried things. My first real project was painting horizontal stripes on a wall. In fact, it is that project that launched this blog! I love having a vision in my head, and then using my own two hands to create it. Bring it to life. Over time, I added real tools to my paint brush collection!
The truth about DIY is not every project is Pinterest worthy from the word go. I have hung boards crooked and have had to remove them and start over. On every SINGLE PROJECT I have cut boards not short enough and then too short. During every major project, at least a half dozen times, I ask myself WHY I started it! But the end result… that beautiful end result makes it all WORTH IT!
So what projects are you conquering this season? I am so happy we have connected! Click here to subscribe for regular updates from Home on Arbor Pointe!
