An accent wall is a timeless way to add character to your home. I love building my own accent walls. Accent walls have become so popular over the last few years. If you’re looking to make your own DIY accent wall with wood trim and you’re not sure where to start or what look to go for, I put together this post of 3 types of wood trim accent walls in my home. They’re all different styles, but you’ll see they’re also all great budget friendly options for statement walls as well as perfect beginner DIY projects.
Sharing my projects with you motivates me and I hope I’m able to show you how simple, cost effective, and really fun building your own accent walls with wood trim can be!
Table of Contents
- Use wood to create some WOW
- 1. The DIY Wood Slat Wall
- 2. DIY Picture Frame Wainscotting – 2 ways
- 3. DIY Board and Batten
- Which one should you choose?
Use wood trim accent walls to create some WOW
Here’s 3 types of accent walls with wood trim that you can easily create to bring character into different spaces in your home:
- The DIY slat wall uses natural wood colour to bring a bit of calm in a bold and modern wall design. My DIY Picture Frame
- Wainscotting has a more traditional feel and creates a continuous flow that bring together a long room. I actually have two versions to show you: a simple picture frame trim and a more detailed wainscotting design.
- the DIY Board and Batten Accent Wall which is a timeless, yet modern, feature for any space.
Basic tools for accent walls
Most accent walls need 2 basic tools: A saw and a nail gun.
You can use a very basic beginner level saw for these accent walls. These boards are not thick, so a 7inch compound saw is sufficient. You don’t need a sliding saw
I highly recommend a cordless nail gun. The idea of standing on a ladder, and trying to nail a board into the wall while managing the cord of an air compressor never appealed to me. In fact, it made me feel worried that I would trip and fall off the ladder.
In some cases, you may also need a jigsaw if you need to cut around outlets. Make sure to get a fine tooth blade. The standard blade that comes with a jigsaw isn’t great for cutting small piece s of trim. A fine tooth blade makes the cut so much cleaner and in control when you’re making a cut.
Picking the right type of wood
Going to the hardware store and looking at rows and rows of wood can be SO intimidating. Trust me, I have been there. Here’s a few tips to choose the right type of wood
- If you’re going to be painting the accent wall, choose a pre-primed board. These usually cost $1-$2 dollare more than the unprimed boards but they are so much faster to install since you can skip priming the boards. I also find that wood grain is often hard to completely cover even with a few coats of primer
- Make sure your boards are level and straight. You can lay them on the floor or hold them up to your eye, but either way, warped boards are hard. tonail into place and you risk them popping off the wall.
- If you’re using natural wood in your feature wall, like a slat wall, check the wood for any unsightly knots. Sometimes they can be green or brownish
Hopefully this review will inspire you to make one – or more – of these for your own home! Get my handy cheat sheet for your next DIY project
1. The DIY Wood Slat Wall
This wood trim accent wall was in fact for my friends Leena and Shabir, who asked for my help with redecorating their living room. It was a privilege to take on this project and it was so fun to work with my friends – and get some help! They both did a great job, and the wall looks stunning.
The wood slat wall was part of a bigger design, with a geometric accent wall as it’s companion. Together they look amazing and really create a statement in the space, but even on their own they stand out beautifully.
The wood slat wall contributes some natural elements to the very modern overall look. The natural wood colour set against the bold dark wall is so gorgeous. And it was so easy to do!
2. DIY Picture Frame Wainscotting – 2 ways
Next up is a feature wall that uses wood trim accents to frame a space. Because of the length of our town house living room, I was struggling to find a way to make this long wall it into one cohesive space.
The design for this accent wall was very similar to the one I made for our primary bedroom. I like having these accent walls that resemble each other and create continuity in our home. Plus, it just looks so nice.
We tend to use our living room for many purposes. It’s where we snuggle to watch movies together, where the kids throw all their toys on the floor and build towers, slay monsters, solve medical mysteries, and use their superpowers to save the day. It’s where we entertain our guests and share stories. We spend a lot of time here, so I wanted to create something beautiful that would complement the space and be appropriate for the different uses of that room.
I worked on this accent wall in two phases, which actually helps us here because you’ll be able to see which one you like best for your wall, with phase 2 or without!
Simple Picture Frame Wainscotting (Phase 1)
In Phase 1, I built a series of simple picture frame rectangle shapes. This is a box frame or picture frame molding accent wall
The look is very minimal, very classic, and could be left as is if that’s what you prefer. It works well as an accent wall without pulling focus away from anything else in the room. It just adds some textured attributes to the space, which looks really nice.
Detailed Picture Frame Wainscotting (Phase 2)
For my wall, I wanted something a bit more detailed, to bring in extra character while still maintaining that elevated feel, so I added more wainscotting. I designed a trim molding to fit inside the framed boxes that I completed in Phase 1.
This simple addition adds so much more personality and texture to the design which was exactly my aim. I love, love, love how our living room looks and feels now. It’s so great to spend time in there and admire the beautiful accent wall I created.
3. DIY Board and Batten Accent Wall
My Board and Batten hallway is a showstopper. I just can’t get over how beautiful it looks. You wouldn’t think that adding so much detail to a space that is so transitional would make such a difference in your home – you don’t exactly spend time there; you walk through it to get to another room – but I promise you it will end up being one of your favourite spaces.
Of course, you can use board and batten to accentuate any wall, like a dining room, for example, but let’s not forget the humble, practical hallways. They deserve to feel beautiful too!
Which wood trim accent wall is right for you?
So, now that you’ve had a little tour of these different wood trim accent walls, I hope you’re feeling motivated to make one of your own. Do you have a favourite?
These three, very different designs for wood trim accent walls are all good options for anyone who wants to take on an easy DIY project using minimal funds and time commitments.
If it’s all feeling a bit overwhelming, however, I made a little table to compare the different styles, budgets and timelines for these projects.
| Wood slat wall | Picture frame wainscotting – simple or detailed | Board and batten | |
| Style | Modern Bold | Traditional Elegant | Modern farmhouse Timeless |
| Budget | $150 – $200 | $100 | $150 – $200 |
| Time | Weekend | Simple Rectangles: Weekend project Detailed Wainscotting: Weekend + 2 days | Weekend + 2 days |
But, who says you need to pick just one?
Your home is your space, and it can feature all the styles and designs your little heart desires. Just like your personality, your home’s character can be multifaceted. So, go ahead, give every room a different style! This is totally OK! To create some continuity, you can use similar colours.
I would love to see you build any of these accent walls. If you do, be sure to share with me. And don’t forget to follow me on Instagram for more budget projects!
If you’re not confident with power tools yet, there are so many other ways to put together an accent wall. You can pull attention to one wall by painting it a different colour, for example, something striking that really draws the eye. Some people opt for hanging pictures together to make a gallery wall, which also works to show off your family’s personalities, its history, and its treasured memories, too!
If you love this project, Pin it!
