This is completely normal and sometimes unavoidable – it is rare for a wall to be perfectly straight. This was particularly bad, so before I added more pieces to this wall, I needed to fix those spots.
If you hit the nail, the trim should be screwed onto the wall well. These screws are great because you don’t need to pre-drill into the wood – they are very thin but strong!
I normally don’t use screws to connect the pieces…but in this case it’s necessary. Brad’s nails wouldn’t pull it hard enough.
You want all of the pieces to be as uniform as possible, because as you add more pieces to your project, you will have areas where some will stand out or not be opposite each other.
Next, I needed to figure out the distance between my panel blocks. To do this, I measure the full length of the wall, and then I know how many “boxes” I want.
I’ve designed some simple graphics to give you a visual. I started with four boxes, but ended up really liking the look of the five panels:
I always lean towards odd numbers, they are more visually appealing to me. You can do whatever you like!
Adding too many will feel busy, and too few will feel incomplete. Find a good one between them!
Once I knew how many boxes I wanted, I measured the wall and subtracted the width of all the ornaments I was using. So, for five panels, I subtracted the width of six molding pieces – the sides and then four in between.
When you have this number, divide it by the number of tiles you want to know how wide each panel is.
I hope this makes sense! I always get a lot of questions about knowing spacing.
Note: I start on each side of the wall, then flip back and forth from side to side as I work. This way, if I get my measurements wrong at all, only the middle panel will be slightly off and it looks intentional.
Step 2: Install your template
To create my ‘paneled’ look. I first took the 1×2 pieces to the height I needed, and marked where I wanted to mount them on the wall:
Make sure it is level before nailing.
The clip-on nails should be enough to hold the ornament down, but if you’re having trouble and/or can’t use a nail, try moving your nail gun back and forth to give it more grip:
I never use glue to attach my template! It’s rarely needed, and if you decide to remove it, you’ll end up with a lot of drywall damage.
Next, I installed the covered template around the edges of each “square” I created. This will create that paneled look.
Make sure the pieces are securely attached to the adjustable base so you get a clean cut.
I installed this decorative trim all the way down, so it enhanced the look of all the vertical trim, as well as the chair rail and baseboards.
Step three: final touches
The busy work really begins after all the pieces are installed. It’s time to fill in all the gaps:
When the wood filler is dry, you will need to sand it very lightly and then wipe off any dust.
Small detail sanders are great and come with seven different grits of sandpaper:
It’s very easy to hold (and if you hate touching the texture of sandpaper, you’ll love it).
After I finished sanding, I filled any gaps with caulk. I always try to use a dark caulk with dark paint:
It’s a little easier to cover when you paint.
Caulk and nail filler will take the project from looking messy to looking more professional and complete!
I gave the whole thing a few extra coats of paint and then the paneled wall was complete!:
I also covered the light switch cover with some scrap wallpaper:
I love this dark green paint color with neutral wallpaper. It’s very warm and moody… very much the dark, academic look that’s popular now (and which I’ve loved for years):
One wall down! 😂 Thank goodness this is the majority, as the rest is mostly windows and a large doorway.
I really want to finish this room before vacation. It’s pretty much done except for the finishing pieces:
I’ve done many DIY projects over the years, but nothing quite like this!
If you have super smooth walls, you’ll likely need to cover the area with a thin coat before starting the decorative portion of this project.
If you have any questions about this DIY, let me know. 🙂
