A few of you may remember that just a couple of weeks ago I posted about my intentions of building an accent wall in our master bedroom. At said time, I may possibly have mentioned that it would be very cool to make this wall from reclaimed shipping pallets. Well ya know what? Pallets are kinda nasty. Lord knows that we tried, I filled Jamie’s new car with an alley full of them. I even spent a couple of hours in the driveway prying rusty nails out of this pile…..And what was left was really not that pretty. Not pretty at all…..Every board was a hot mess of different colors, thicknesses, smells…..etc. I know that pallet related crafts are very trendy right now, upcycling and all that, but they just didn’t have that “Modern” look that we wanted.
So we scrapped that idea and went in a slightly different direction….with new wood. 1×8 pine planks…The cheap ones, I swear. It’s the knots that make it look so AWESOME. They weren’t free like the pallets would have been, but the entire project (wood, stain, toggle screws…can’t think of anything else) was only about $125.
TAAAA DAAAA!!!! Almost looks like a picture from a catalog.
You might recall that 2 years ago the master bedroom looked like this. Not anymore…just look at all that Spectacularness…..
It all started with those groovy 1900s Pharmacy Sconces from Restoration Hardware. They are supposed to be hardwired, and they’re heavy as hell. I’m never very excited about hard wiring a 30 pound light fixture to drywall….soooo the wood accent wall idea was born…. almost like a second headboard. A lot of people don’t know that you can put a plug on a hardwire light fixture. Just sayin’.
I first had to determine where on the side of the bed they would fit. We only had 8 feet of board width to work with. Because we didn’t want to have to cut any boards, and a 10 foot board would have been off-centered from the headboard because of that small window. The 8 foot planks gave us 18 inches of wood on either side of the bed to center our new sconces. Just enough room
RH shows them pointing down, but I think they look way better with the light on top of the fixture.
Working with the 8 foot that pine planks come in, we measured out 8 feet of wall and toggle screwed 1X4s too attach our planks to. The smaller pieces are where the lamps will be. Since they are so heavy, we added these planks to screw them into.
The only problem with that is that there isn’t a space to run the power behind the boards. After all this work, I don’t want to see a cord running down the front of our beautiful wall. So I carved a little channel into the boards and ran my power cable (actually an extension cord with the female end cut off ) through. I hot glued the hell out of it to keep it in place. My brother teases me that my tool box is more like a “craft kit” because no handy man would use a hot-glue gun. Trust me on this one folks, it is a lifesaver sometimes. Buy a hot glue gun…the big one. I’m not sure why they even bother making the small glue guns.
We started nailing the planks from the top down, because those are really the first ones anyone will see. This is the first time we used the nail gun since replacing the stolen one last November. True story here, when we were in H-Depot to replace our stolen air compressor/nail gun, I complained so much about how expensive it was for both pieces…that the sales girl (Sharday – but not spelled nearly this phonetically ) offered to just give me a discontinued floor-model nail gun if I would just buy an air compressor and leave. I took her up on her offer.
Here’s that new nail gun in action….Well sort of “action”. You get the idea. To keep the boards as pristine as possible, I only shot nails in the bottoms and sides. Occasionally I would nail one on the face if it was particularly warped, but I’ll bet you can’t find any holes. The only holes are the 2 we made to run our power wires through.
I didn’t take long at all before we had this….Slight gap on the top right, and slight gap on the left bottom…..but who really even see them? You didn’t, ’till I pointed them out.
I trimmed the edges with strips of 1×2 to frame off the wall. I notched out the bottoms to fit around the baseboard and leave just enough room for the power cord to escape.
See…
We bought 3 stains – Ebony, Jacobean, and a water-based Ebony. We were both leaning toward one of the ebonys…and wouldn’t you know it? It was the Jacobean that we both agreed on…almost immediately after testing all 3. It looked perfect against our headboard…and didn’t make the room feel like the big black box that we were dreading. Black rug, Black bed, Black dressers…etc.
It’s a little known secret of staining that if you moisten the wood first, it will absorb the stain and spread it easily. I’ll be the first to let you that the stain will go on so much smoother if you do this. Just wipe the whole mess down with a damp rag. Go on, wipe. I know it doesn’t make much sense with an oil based stain….but for some reason it works.
So on went the oil-based Jacobean, old rag, rubber gloves, rubbed with the grain, slightly moistened wood….You get the idea.
Maybe about 15 minutes later, we had this.
Breath Taking……..
We pushed the bed into place and wired the lamps with the little cords I left sticking through. I prolly need to say that these were NOT plugged in at this time. I know it seems silly, but I don’t want anyone sending me warnings about electricity safety. I know better than that, Sheesh. After all, I’m wiring light fixtures with slashed extension cords and a glue gun…..Ahhh, I think I know what I’m doing.
I wired my fixture together with wire caps AND electrical tape. The tape isn’t so much for safety, but just to keep everything attached while I cram it all into the back of my swing arm lamp. It’s a real pain to wire a fixture together then have to disassemble it because the wires came loose. There is also that ever-so-slight possibility of electrocution too.
And there we have our new lamps….. One on each side of the bed.
I build sets for a living, among numerous other talents that I have, so I gave this project a couple of hours. Far from it . We started around 10 AM, and about 10:30 that night we were struggling to get the room “Sleep-able”. The only Home Depot trip was for stain, we bought all the lumber the day before. For time clarity, I have to also add that with the furniture out of the room this was the perfect opportunity to finish installing quarter round, the missing trim piece over my closet, and paint all the trim that wasn’t white, white.
Jamie pulled the orange jersey sheets from the cupboard and I loved the way they looked with the wall so much, that we used them for the photo shoot. “Juicy”, ain’t they?
And here’s the little guy that started the whole project…..
We love the look of this project so much that we have been looking at other places in the house where we can add a beautiful wood accent wall.
Of course, we could use that pile of dingy old pallet wood in the garage. Or not….
THE CAVENDER DIARY 
This wall turned out so well! The choice of the stain color is perfection! Very nicely done! And those lamps are THE DEAL, to be sure!!! Superb job, gentlemen…superb!!! Thank you for sharing!
Thanks Vickie!!! We are just thrilled with it….Especially the lamps..I’m always nervous about a NON-returnable internet purchase….These were way better than I expected
AND, it IS spectacular!!! Sally
Thanks Sally, It’s even more beautiful in person….In fact, I’m gazing lovingly at it as I type this…..
Gorgeous-and thanks for the tip on wetting the wood before staining it (with oil based stain). I have never heard that before, but your finished project proves the point.
Great job–thanks for sharing.
Janie
Glad that you like it Janie…..I don’t stain very often, so I’m always looking for ways to make it easier…and prettier.
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Visiting from Burlap and Denim and am so thankful she hooked up with you to share this. What a beautiful room. I agree that a glue gun is a must have in our arsenal of tools. Looking forward to exploring the rest of your site. Thanks for sharing!
Wow! That’s gorgeous! Love the lights!
Thanks for the heads up on this stain color! I just tried it on some solid wood ikea furniture. AMAZING! Can’t wait to see what you guys are up to next!
We’re Amazed that you could find solid wood furniture at Ikea..(hehe) Yepp, it is a great color….and per usual, the last one I would have thought of using…..
OH yeah! The Tarva series is solid untreated wood. Not to mention super cheap. I was surprised at how long it actually took to build compared to it’s particle board brethren. And solid too!
The chest of drawers I used.
http://www.ikea.com/us/en/catalog/products/10221421/
OOOh That is a great piece to stain…and/or embelish with silver studs….the wheels are turning now
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Hi James, great site! Wondering if you might share where your bedframe is from. Thank you!
Hi Tiare, this is just slightly embarrassing, but we got it from Rooms to Go, I think it was 300$. It’s their Pottery Barn style. We want to replace it with something made of wood……but haven’t found anything that we like better yet .
Saw this on Pinterest, what an awesome accent wall. I’m particularly in love with the lamps, where did you get them? Thanks for sharing!
Hi Melanie, our wall looks even better in person, we admire it every day. We got the lamps at Restoration Hardware just about a year ago. They were having a lighting sale and they were about 100$ each .
Now go build a wall!
AMAZING! LOVE IT! 🙂 Just staring at some pallet wood we have already taken apart and is sitting in our room as i type! Now to get cracking and put it all up on the wall! It sure is motivating looking at this piece of art you have created! Thanks for sharing!! 🙂
So glad that we could inspire you. We are so happy with it, that it’s hard to not build one in every room. But that might be overkill.
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very nicely done, so rustic and were i come from would love my bedroom like that, only problem is i am disabled and have no one to make a bedroom like that. being from the west i truely do miss home and this would bring me home and make me rest at nght instead of the stupid wall color they have on the walls when i bought the house, ahhh to have a nice bedroom like that. very gorgious and thanks for taking me back home a little bit. again i sure wish i had someone to do that to my room for sure.
Hi Debby, we’re so glad that you are reading along with us …I think our bedroom would fit right in in Wyoming….
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I love, love, love your bedroom! You guys have a fabulous home and great talent. Where did you find the red Navajo blanket and rug? I think they are fabby!
Hi Diane, aren’t you sweet? Thanks for making our Sunday night that much nicer. The blanket is from Pendleton, we got it in New Mexico a few years ago…and get asked about all the time. Unfortunately, they don’t make that style any more, but there are several red/black ones on the website. The rugs are all from El Paso Saddle Blanket, they have a site as well.. Happy decorating, James
Love your room! You guys are very talented and creative. Where did you get the horns above your bed and your bedding? Thanks!
Hi Dani, The horns were a gift from a friend years ago, but I still see tons of them on eBay. The red blanket is a very old Pendleton, not made any more, but there are many, many more on their website.
Omg I searched for old planks and ideas for so long! I found this one and fell in love with it all. And you left such detail directions on how to achieve this look! Thank you thank you. I will definitely do this:)
That’s great Becky! Glad that we made it look easy for you…… We’d love to see a finished pic when you’re done!
I just found your blog site tonight while looking through some pinterest home repair ideas. I only looked tonight at this project and the fence. I will return later in the week and look at more of what you have done. The wood wall in the bedroom looked well done. I, too, had never heard the tip about wiping down the wood first before you stain. I will keep that one in mind. I use pallets/skids for many projects. I have found three sources for them where they are brand new and the companies I get them from do not reuse them. The lumber from them looks brand new save for the holes from the nails. The companies thanked me for asking for permission for them and when they get some special pallets/skids in they will call me to let me know they are setting them out. I look forward to following your future posts. God bless.
Beautiful wall .. going to do it for my sons room next week. Did you buy smooth or rough sawn planks? Just standard pine 1×8?
Hi Tommy, just smooth standard pine planks off the shelf, didn’t even cut them……..very easy!
What size nail did you use on the 1×8 plank?? Going to do this to my boyfriend’s bedroom this weekend!
They are 2 inch brads……Tried to use as few as possible
Where oh where did you find those fantastic sheets???
Hi Cindy, Those juicy, juicy orange jersey sheets were from Target a few years ago. Aren’t they just the best ORANGE color? Like a friggin’ Crayola Crayon. I’ve been tryign to find replacements lately and have had no luck……Please let me know if you find some similar.
What color did you use on the rest of the walls.
Hi Ann!!! It’s Martha Stewart Fawn…..H Depot used to carry Martha paints, if they don’t in Lubbock anymore, they should still be able to color match the color in another paint
Got it thanks so much!!!
Hi James! Thank you for posting this – my husband and I are interested in making this our 1st home project of our 1st home! A few questions:
1- You mentioned nailing the board so very few nails were on the face side, can you please explain how you “…only shot nails in the bottoms and sides” – did you use the nail gun on an angle? Did that warp the boards at all or ruin in the integrity of the nail?
2- Do you recommend staining after the installation?
thanks again for your help, hopefully we can share our master bedroom reno photo.
Hi Colleen,
How exciting that you are copying one of our favorite projects… I tried to use a few nails as possible, so yes, I shot them at an angle into the sides of the boards. I did shoot a few into knots…so they wouldn’t be that visable. It might be a good idea to stain your wood before assembly, just in case they do shrink a little you won’t have unstained areas showing between boards. It’s been up 3 years now, and no warping at all for ours. Just plain pine/white wood from Home Depot. We don’t have much humidity in Dallas….so that may help prevent warping too.
Best of luck to y’all……and we’d love to see pictures of your finished wall. (I’m thinking of writing a post with pics of our projects that readers have done)
can’t say enough about the whole BR ensemble. it’s awesome! where did you get your bed linens: sheets, red/blue “W” pillow shams, accent pillow, etc.?
Thanks TJ. This is a pretty old picture and most of my sheets were old then. The black/white striped sheets, khaki comforter, and red/black pillow cases are all Ralph Lauren……long discontinued. The red/black blanket is Pendleton…..long discontinued too. The black and grey pillow I made with Ralph Lauren scraps from a client project….. That fabric is still available, but only by the yard. Try eBay , they have old sheets occasionally.
i’m about to start building a wall like yours – got the 1900s pharmacy sconces also! how high did you mount the sconces? and are you fine with that or do you wish they were higher or lower?
thanks
Hi TJ, I think we mounted them about 4 feet up the wall. But our bed is pretty freaking high. It’s the perfect height for me to reach the switch in the morning. Remember that we mounted them upside down,(they look better that way) and the light part of the lamp is heavy……..it has fallen once or twice in the past 3 years. Doesn’t bother me…..just be warned.
hey, i know this was a project from a while ago, but i’d still like to emulate it now. it’s just that cool! did you make the red pillow shams (with the W on them) or purchase them somewhere? i haven’t seen anything like them. thanks
Those are extremely old Ralph Lauren cases…..mid90’s I think…..I got them on EBay a few years ago…..
This looks fantastic. It has inspired us to get going on our own project. How many applications did you do? And, did you wipe it down or just let it dry on its own?
Hi Pete, pretty simple, just wiped it on once and let it dry. This was a few years ago and it still looks great.
Thank you for responding. And thank you for the inspiration. Thanks to you, we are now underway with our own project. Once again, your work is beautiful.
Hi, I love your Master Bedroom and am currently trying to re-create it. Are you by chance ready to redecorate and willing to sell the red “W” pillowcases to me? 🙂
Hi Trey, LOL, I’m sorry, but I don’t think I’ll ever tire of them…in fact, I’ve been scouring Ebay trying to replace them. They are 20+ years old, and when the corners frey. I just re-stitch the whole side. But I’ve done that so many times that they are kinda short now. If you really LOVE them, you can buy the Ralph Lauren fabric by the yard and have them made. The pattern is called “Algonquin”….buy sadly, it only comes in wool. Here, I found a yard online…https://www.onlinefabricstore.net/ralph-lauren-algonquin-vintage-red-fabric-.htm
I was thinking about doing this project however I would have 2 outlets in the way. How would you incorporate the outlets. Since the wall sticks out about 1.5 inch’s what would you recommend the best way to do it. I understand you would just cut around it but it would be sunken into the wall. Thanks for your input
Hi Jeff, sunken into the Wall isn’t such a bad thing. But if that bugs you, and yeah…it would bug me, just move the outlets forward onto your wood walls. Remove the plates, unscrew them from the box, cut holes the same size as the one in the drywall, and reattach them on top of your new wood. You shouldn’t have to detach them from the electrical. Does that make sense?
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