52 New: #32 Wood Plank Wall Project

 

Twenty more "new things" to go to accomplish my 2021 goal of trying and blogging about "new things".  The latest?  A home improvement project that the whole family got involved in---a new thing for all of us.    

I have always loved redecorating, trying out decorative trends, rearranging rooms, and have even repurposed several pieces of furniture with paint, sanding, and an eye for potential with Goodwill and Garage Sale finds in the past.  

The townhouse we purchased in 2004 and have lived in ever since, started as a fixer upper and over the years many changes and upgrades have been made---new staircase, new bathrooms, scraped popcorn ceilings, new screens, new front door, new garage door, laundry room shelving, new closet doors, closet organizing systems, doorknobs, new appliances, wood floor laminate installed, ceiling fans installed, lighting installed, back patio installed...I'm sure there's more, but up until this latest project, all of the renovation projects have been accomplished by my super handy husband Isom.  An idea comes to me and he executes.  It has been a great "partnership".  This time around, I finally decided to get my hands dirty and give a home improvement project a try.  This week, one of my "new things" was changing a wall in our living room to a feature wall using reclaimed wood.  

This project was so much fun.  The first step was to take down the television, shelving (homemade by Isom) and pictures that were on the soon to be wood plank feature wall.  For normal folks, this task would be quick and painless.  Since I have some issues with clutter/hoarding/hanging on to ALL THE THINGS, every inch of space on the wall was filled.  I had a lot to take down and figure out what to do with.  Once the wall was decluttered, the blank "canvas" was too good to pass up...the kids immediately began writing and drawing on it.  This was a fun mid-project break.  

We measured our wall space and headed to our local Lowes Home Improvement store to pick up our supplies.  We ended up getting a new nail gun (apparently our previous one was broken), nails, and nine packs of reclaimed wood (always get a little more than what you might need---errors in measuring happen, mistakes in cutting happen, better to have more than enough).  Once we had all our equipment and tools, we headed home for the real fun to begin.  

This project was easy enough for someone who never takes on home improvement projects (me) but yielded big impact results.  The transformation from clutter picture wall to clean lines, textured, stylish decor wall made me feel so impressed.  My inner Bob Vila wanted to invite everyone over to showcase my wood plank and nail gun skills.  

I am kicking myself that I never took on this project sooner.  I'm thrilled with how it came out.  I would definitely do a project similar to this again.  Zach was so stoked on this project he now wants to add reclaimed wood finishes to ALL the walls in his bedroom...

When I started this year of  "52 New Things" I didn't really have a plan.  I didn't have an idea of where it would take me, what new things I would accomplish, or how I would feel after trying new things.  I'm more than halfway through fifty-two new things and the list of ideas I've tried is varied and fun and challenging and exciting.  Each new thing brings with it curiosity and learning and experience.  This wood plank wall project was no exception.  I had no idea that I could transform a space in our home to this level.  The change was welcome and builds my confidence that I can try other projects---as long as I have the three best construction guys along for the ride.  Even though this was a new thing for me, it was a team effort.  Gabe put his height to good use reaching the top of the wall that even on a stool was out of my reach.  Zach was able to tackle the bottom portion of the wall project.  Isom was a patient foreman who taught me how to use yet another tool---the nail gun is my favorite tool used to date.  This project really came together quickly, seamlessly, and with an end result we were all proud of.  We pulled a room and our family together with wood. 

The Details:

What: Reclaimed Wood Plank Feature/Accent Wall

Where: we chose the wall that separates our living room from our kitchen and dining room

How: purchased nail gun, nails, and reclaimed wood from Lowes

Who: anyone who can support holding a nail gun (it was awkward and heavy); probably best for ages ten years plus

Cost: determined by how big your space is 

Time: from start to finish we spent one day on this project (including shopping, install, drawing, dawdling, breaks, taking all the wall junk down)

Find Insta Inspiration: @magnolia,  @plankandmill  @theramblingredhead

"A house is made with walls and beams.  A home is made with love and dreams." ~Unknown