How to Make a Stunning DIY Plank Wall

Well, friends, our ugly foyer is well on its way to being gorgeous!  And it’s all thanks to our DIY plank wall.  

I know white shiplap is all the rage these days thanks to Fixer Upper.

I love the look of a fresh white wall too, but what I really wanted was the look of a gorgeous reclaimed wood wall – without the stress of finding and dealing with actual reclaimed wood!

And this painted plank wall definitely fits the bill.

finished plank wall pin image with text

Even better I was able to complete this painted plank wall for less than $50! 

To keep costs down, I used 1/4″ plywood to make my planks. 

I read a lot of tips about saving money by using masonite, but I knew I wanted to incorporate some wood grain into my plank wall so masonite wasn’t a good choice for me.

This post contains affiliate links – you get to buy cool stuff you want and support Lovely Etc. at the same time.  See my full disclosure here.

Materials 

How to Make a Wood Plank Wall

For my entry wall, I needed two 4’x8’ sheets of 1/4 inch plywood.  I had my plywood cut into strips at Lowes – 8 six-inch strips, 4 eight-inch strips, and 4 four-inch strips. 

I am so glad I had my planks cut in the store – even with their huge cutting machine, it took a while to make all of those long cuts.  (Plus, even better, they did the cuts for free.)

Once your planks are cut, the next step is to paint.  For a unique look like this, it is so much easier to paint each plank before installing them.

My plank wall is a fairly small entry wall – it is only eight feet wide from the closet door to the corner.  

Since the plywood is eight feet long, I simply did one plank per row.  

If you are planking a longer wall, you will need more than one strip of wood in each row.  

You can either paint all the wood in each row the same for a striped look like my wall or mix up the finishes for a more eclectic look.

I knew I wanted a textured, weathered finish to give the feel of reclaimed wood and my go-to technique for this is dry-brushing. 

Dry-brushing is incredibly simple.  Chip brushes are ideal for this, but you can use any paintbrush. 

Put a very small amount of paint on your brush and then wipe as much off on the lip of the paint can as possible.

To remove even more paint, you can wipe your brush on a paper towel several times. 

Basically, you want your brush as dry as possible while still having some paint on it.

Then lightly brush your paint across your board. 

I’ve gotten a ton of questions about how exactly to do this so I put together a quick video that makes it easy to understand.

Video Tutorial for Weathered Wood Paint Finish

General Finishes provided me some of their milk paint to try out for this project and I ended up using four of their colors: snow white, seagull gray, driftwood, and patina green.   

I love General Finishes paint (and that patina green is amazing), but you can also get this look with almost any paint. 

A paint with a matte finish will work best, so you could use chalk paint or even acrylic craft paints from a craft store.

In the video, I used Americana Decor Chalky Finish paint in everlasting (white), yesteryear (light gray), relic (dark gray), and treasure (turquoise).

I also used a bit of stain on some of my boards before painting to highlight the wood grain.

Check out all the different finishes I was able to get using only four colors of paint!

DIY plank wall colors used

Once everything was painted, it was time to install the wall. 

Let me say right now, that I do not have a nail gun.  You can totally install a plank wall using an old-fashioned hammer and nails. 

My husband and I worked together and we were able to get the whole thing installed in just a couple of hours.

I started out by cutting one of my four-inch strips in half to make 2 two-inch strips.

I used these as a sort of molding along the edges of the plank wall.

trimmed edge of plank wall

Then I used a stud finder to mark where the studs are in the wall.

I used a jigsaw to trim my boards to the right length while Mitch hung the boards.  

You can use pretty much any kind of saw for these short straight cuts, or if you plan ahead well, you can have them cut to the correct length when you are at the store.

Because the plywood is so light, the planks were quite easy to hang. 

We simply nailed them up with a finishing nail in each stud.  (This worked out to three nails per board.)

This way, it is possible for us to remove the planks if we decide to change things up or put the house on the market in the future. 

As we were hanging the planks, we used a few pennies between each board to keep the spacing between boards even.

side view of plank wall diy

This wall seriously looks gorgeous no matter how you decorate it.  Below is a picture of how it currently looks – swoon!

finished plank wall with mirror

This is such a doable project for any DIYer, even if you are a beginner.  It is inexpensive.  

You don’t need fancy tools.  You don’t need to find special reclaimed wood.  And you don’t really need any special skills.  

Entry with plank wall

How to Make a Stunning DIY Plank Wall

Yield: 1 DIY Plank Wall
Prep Time: 1 hour
Active Time: 1 hour
Total Time: 2 hours
Difficulty: intermediate
Estimated Cost: $50

Create the look of a gorgeous reclaimed wood wall – without the stress of finding and dealing with actual reclaimed wood! 

Materials

  • 2 1/4 inch plywood cut in 8 6" strips, 4 8" strips and 4 4" strips.  
  • General Finishes paint - snow white, seagull gray, driftwood, and patina green
  • Minwax golden oak stain

Tools

  • Chip brushes
  • Hammer
  • Finishing nails
  • Jigsaw
  • Stud Finder

Instructions

  1. Use a chip brush to paint each strip the color you want using a dry brush technique.
  2. I used 4 colors: Snow White, Seagull Gray, Driftwood, Patina Green
  3. Cut one of the four inch strips in half to make 2 two inch strips to use as molding.
  4. Use a stud finder to mark where the studs are.
  5. Hang each board using a hammer and finishing nails in each stud.
  6. Use a jigsaw to trim any boards as needed.

Did you make this project?

I'd love for you to leave a comment on the blog or share a photo on Pinterest!

Want to see more inexpensive wood projects?  Here are a few of my favorites:

carrie signature in blue

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197 Comments

      1. Hi. I am very interested in doing this plank wall in my den. What paint finish did you use? Would a satin finish be okay for this? How did you place your boards by inches, in what order?

        1. Hi Krystal, I used General Finishes milk paints which all come in one finish but any paints will work. I think satin would work great – just nothing with too high a sheen since this is a more weathered look. As far as the size and order, I just had my plywood cut into planks ranging from four to eight inches wide and then once they were painted, laid them out on the floor varying the widths and colors until I liked the layout. Then we nailed them up. We had to trim down the very last piece to make it fit perfectly but that was no big deal.

        1. Yes, definitely! I stained a few pieces and dry brushed some paint over the stain, but you could also mix together stained pieces and painted pieces.

  1. I want this is in our beach themed guest room! This is gorgeous! Thanks so much for sharing. I enjoy your blog so very much.

    1. Thanks so much Debbie! This definitely turned out beachy – which is great for me. The beach is definitely my happy place.

  2. Gorgeous! I LOVE your new wall! I want one of these so badly :) Thanks so much for the detailed tutorial with the finishes you used. Pinned!

  3. LOVE LOVE LOVE it Carrie! The drybrushing and colors are perfect- it has so much character and texture and I bet you are giving yourself a thousand high-fives right now for stepping out of the box and DOING it – it looks so amazing!!

  4. Wow! This is truly beautiful! I love that you also included the colors you went with the create the wall. I’m with Tasha, I want to find a wall in my house to do this, too. I would love it if you linked this up to the Thursday S.T.Y.L.E. link party I cohost. It starts at 6:00 p.m. MST Thursday night!

  5. WOW!!! That’s all I can say. You and hubby totally “nailed” it :). If and when you put your house on the market, LEAVE THE WALL. Someone will thank you.

  6. Girl, you totally hit it out of the park with this one! SO gorgeous! I love how you painted each of the boards differently, and like you, I especially LOVE the aqua ones! Thank you so much for inspiring us all to be BOLD, Carrie! I need more of that in my life! Have a wonderful weekend!

    ~Abby =)

    1. Thanks Abby! I am so happy I decided to go for it and not settle for the same old thing. I definitely want to keep up the boldness after this challenge.

  7. I’m so glad you went bold! It is incredible, like a designer beach house!
    And Carrie, when I found your blog the other day I did a bunch of reading on your money saving posts and have been thinking about them ever since!

    1. Thanks Kimm! I am pretty in love with it myself! And my awesomely talented brother designed my blog logo – lucky for me to have a graphic designer in the family!

  8. Beautiful project. You did a wonderful job. I found you via Pinterest and am glad I did. I’ll re-pin it as more people need to check out your beautiful wall. I can do everything you listed except for a jigsaw. I’m thinking even if I got most of it up myself, I could get someone else to help me with the finishing touches.

    Love it!

    1. Thank you so much Dana! And you can definitely get this up without a jigsaw. Any saw would work since you are just cutting straight lines. And if you are really organized you can get your planks cut to the right length at the store when you buy your plywood.

  9. Wow, I love this and just pinned it! Incredibly beautiful… I really want to try it now. We are competing in the contest together lol…but your work is seriously amazing, I wouldn’t doubt if you were picked. Just had to let you know that I love your style. New follower! Thanks for sharing, Christina at Dear Beautiful You

    1. Thanks Christina! I have to say there are so many gorgeous projects linked to the contest, I already feel like I don’t have a chance! But I can’t wait to check out everyone’s fantastic blogs! Will definitely come by and visit!

  10. This is beautiful!! I love the bits of turquoise – my favorite colour :)
    I just moved to a lakehouse with a cute little guesthouse that is in serious need of a makeover. I’d love to do something like this to the dated oaky planks that are currently there. Thanks for the inspiration! Your website truly is lovely.

    1. Thanks! I am so happy with how this wall turned out – it makes me feel happier everytime I walk in the front door.

      1. Carrie, I am inspired…have been since you first posted this, way back when you completed it.
        I was cheating on you (…:\ ..).
        My daughter showed me another plank board/pallet board idea, and I’m going to do one of my kitchen walls.
        All of you girls have such inventive and creative ideas.
        Thanx….
        Lezlie

        1. Thanks! Don’t worry about cheating – we don’t have to be exclusive. ;) I’m glad you are inspired and hope your plank wall turns out wonderfully!

  11. Hi Great Wall. How high and long was your wall. I think my wall may be bigger and I want to know if I should still attempt the DIY. Thanks~Heather

    1. Thanks so much Shonee! I think this wall might be my favorite project in our whole house – it is just so happy!

  12. I love how this looks, I want to use the same colors you did! One question…on each board you used two colors, did you use the first color and completely paint the board, then dry brush with the second color? I’m trying to get an idea how thick the first coat of paint was.

    1. Pam, thanks so much! Yes, I painted one coat of the base color – not especially thick, just a normal coat of paint. Then I lightly dry brushed over that first coat. I would definitely recommend practicing your dry brushing on a scrap piece of wood to get a feel for how thick you want to paint it on.

  13. This is so beautiful! I want to do it for an accent wall. Could those paints be bought at my local Lowe’s or are they a special company? Thanks for the help!

  14. I know you said you used 1/4 plywood, but what type, there seems to be many choices and different grades when I go to the store. Love the colors!! Going to attempt this on one wall in my dinning room. I have used the general finishes gel stain in java color, and so far love it, I re did my kitchen cabinets with it. So can’t wait to try the milk paint.

    1. Thanks Julia! I just used very basic 1/4 inch plywood. I don’t remember exactly what it was called but it was not super, super rough. It was around $20 for one large sheet. Sorry I can’t be more specific – I basically just chose one that was somewhat smooth and still affordable!

  15. How do you dry brush the two colors to get your end result? Do you dry brush one color, let it completely dry, and then dry brush the second color?

    1. Pretty much. Brush on one color and let it dry – it will dry very quickly. I just painted this first coat on regularly but not super thick. When you brush on the second color, wipe most of the paint off your brush and then wipe any excess on a paper towel. When your brush has just a hint of paint left, brush it over the board.

  16. Carrie,
    This is amazing!! My mom is helping me do this in our entry way this weekend! Quick question, how did you lay the pennies in for spacing? If you lay them flat between the boards wouldn’t they stick out past the thickness of the board?

    Thanks–I’m so excited for the finished project!!

    1. Bailey – how exiting! Good luck with your wall! We just slid the pennies between the boards as we were nailing them up. They did stick out but that was fine because once the next board was nailed up, we removed them.

  17. Love! What color was the wall behind the planks? Did the color show through? I read on a few other blogs and they mentioned having to paint the inside of boards. Would that be eliminated by using pennies instead of some other spacer? Thanks so much!!

    1. Thanks Cori! The wall was white behind the planks and I haven’t examined it closely but I’ve never noticed it showing through at all. Though if it was a bold color, it might. I didn’t paint the inside of the boards and they really are close enough together that it really doesn’t matter. It might also help that I used pretty thin wood – I believe it is 1/4 inch thick – so there isn’t a whole lot of ‘inside’ to show through.

  18. This looks wonderful!! I love it. How did you do the sides or trim area leading to the next wall? Can you post a picture of this? Thanks!

    1. Thanks Mindi. I used one thin strip of the plywood – about two inches wide. I painted it one of the more neutral colors from the wall and used it like a piece of trim along the edge. I will add a picture to the post above to help make that part more clear.

  19. We are copying your wall in our entry and have a technical question…when you say you used “a bit of stain” first–what do you mean?

    1. Olivia, I used a rag (an old tshirt) to rub on stain onto the wood. I rubbed a thin layer of stain across the whole board but did not worry about getting great coverage the way I would if I were staining a piece of furniture. So if the stain was lighter in some areas or if I missed a few areas, I didn’t worry about it. I hope that helps and good luck with your wall!

        1. Yes, I stained the boards before painting, but only the ones where stain is indicated in the picture. A lot of the boards are just two colors of paint. Hope that helps!

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