How to make a faux plank wall that is rental friendly and won’t damage your walls.
I am obsessed with the plank wall trend. Obsessed.
I also rent my home. Adding shiplap or plank walls around my home isn’t exactly an option. So what’s a plank wall-loving, renting girl to do?
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Last year, I added a faux plank wall behind my bed:
Hint: that’s a roll of paper taped to the wall.
Everything went well for a year. Then this happened:
Life with toddlers. I swear. One of my twins, who shall remain unnamed, got curious. So, I ordered another roll of paper and got to work. This time I improved my process a bit.
The New Method
First, we had to tear down the old paper. I had plenty of help.
I taped off the area where my paper needed to go. I used blue painter’s tape. If you are using a lighter color paper, consider using light tape. I learned this lesson a few months back when I added a shiplap feature above our living room fireplace.
My helpers were bored of mommy’s project by this point. This pic melts my heart!
Ok, back to work. I added little pieces of double-sided tape over the painter’s tape.
Then I added the roll of paper. I made sure the top edge was lined up, and smoothed my way down.
I smoothed the paper all the way down. Then I cut the paper at the bottom.
See my original tutorial to see how I finished the edges. It was just too easy!
DIY Faux Plank Wall with Bulletin Board Paper
How to make a faux plank wall that is rental friendly and won't damage your walls.
Materials
- 1 roll of "weathered wood" pattern bulletin board paper
- scotch painters tape - I used blue painter’s tape. If you are using a lighter color paper, consider using light tape.
- double-sided tape
- scissors
- 2 8-foot 1x3s
- saw
- primer and white paint
- hammer, finishing nails, and nail setting tool, and spackle -- OR -- use Command Strips
Instructions
- Measure and tape off the area where the tape will go. Add 4 evenly-spaced vertical tape lines on the wall from floor to ceiling. Add shorter pieces of tape at even intervals between the vertical lines
- Add pieces of double-sided tape over the painter’s tape.
- Now add the paper. Make sure the top edge is lined up with the ceiling and level, and begin smoothing down so the paper adheres to the tape. Smooth the paper all the way down to the baseboard. Then cut the paper at the bottom.
- Cut the 2 1x3s to the appropriate height of your ceiling. Prime and paint white.
- Using 3 finishing nails on each board, nail the 1x3s to the wall, covering the edges of the decorative wood grain paper. Use the nail setting tool to set the nails, and spackle over the nails. IF YOU DON"T WANT TO LEAVE NAIL HOLES: stick the 1x3s to the wall with command strips.
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