Revamp Your Room with a Geo Accent Wall
This is a project I did a few years ago. It was one of the first projects I posted about on Instagram. I still have this wall in my home and I love it. This wall treatment is called a Geo Accent Wall. It’s short for Geometric. You make lines and shapes on the wall with trim. The pattern is completely up to you. This is a fairly simple project that you do not really need much equipment for. Plus it can be as easy or difficult as you want it to be. It is a very beginner friendly project, and can be done in any room on anything. I hope you give it a try. If you would rather a grid look for your accent wall, check out this post for a tutorial.
Supplies and Tools
Trim
Nails
Wood filler
Caulk
Primer
Paint Brushes
Level
Angle Ruler
Nail Gun
Note about tools and supplies…
- If you do not have a nail gun, you can do it with a hammer and standard nails. However, I will say a brad nail gun is so incredibly convenient to have on hand if you plan to do DIY. Its relatively inexpensive, and can be used for so many projects. There are inexpensive/entry level type nail guns, and there are higher end nail guns. The only thing I suggest, get a cordless, airless nail gun. It’s totally worth it!
- Trim: I used this kind of trim. However, depending on the look you are going for, how much you want to spend and what your local lumber store has, you can really use any kind of trim.
- Technically you can skip the caulking step, but I do not recommend it. Caulking takes the project from ok to WOW! However, if you skip caulking the spots no one will see, no one will ever know. 😉
- You can also get away without using a level or angle ruler, but I think they just make the process so much easier.
Ok, now onto the project! It is not too difficult to do. The hardest part is getting the trim evenly spaced and straight. Lets get started.
Geo Accent Wall Step 1: Design
First I recommend you figure out what design you want. I like to take a picture of the wall then use the editor on my phone to draw lines on the wall and decide on a pattern that works well. If there will be furniture, or in my case a swing, on or in front of the wall, make sure they are in your picture, so you can take that into consideration when planning your layout.
Step 2: Hang the boards
Once you have the layout in mind, its time to start hanging the boards. I will be honest, the angles got a little confusing to me. What I did was put the board on the wall and mark where/how I needed to cut it. Yes, it was not perfect, and I did not get them all right, but that where wood filler comes in! Just don’t over think it.
In order to the the lines straight I used a level for the vertical boards, and for the angled boards I used THIS angle ruler. Check out the video to see how I used it! Measuring and eyeballing it was not easy and made it so much more difficult. The angle ruler was totally worth it!
Also, because this is an accent wall, do not use wood glue. Typically we change our minds after a few years and want to change our accent walls and wood glue will destroy the drywall and is a big hassle to fix. Just use a few nails in each board. They are not going anywhere.
Step 3: Finish Work
Once everything was on the wall it was time for the finish work. Like I said before, it is a tedious step, but it is one that you want to do. It really brings the project up to the next level, and is totally worth it. Wood fill all the nail holes and gaps in the boards, and caulk where the boards meet the walls.
Tips:
When caulking apply the caulk to the wall, then run your finger along the caulk line to smooth it out. Then go back over it with a baby wipe.
When wood filling (especially the nail holes) use THIS wood filler. You do not have to sand it! Just use the baby wipe to wipe off the excess and its ready to paint! So much easier and cleaner than sanding.
Step 4: Prime and Paint
Time to prime. If your trim is raw wood, you will for sure want to prime the boards. If it is a pre primed wood, you can skip that step and move onto painting. Paint everything, and then let it dry.
Painting tips:
If you are painting the accent wall a different color than the ceiling or adjoining walls, USE FROG TAPE! Yes, it is more expensive, but it is so much better! Apply the tape, then run a baby wipe along the tape line where you will be painting. This will allow the tape to adhere to the wall better so there is no leaking.
If you will be painting your wall and trim different colors, paint the wall and trim separately FIRST, then hang the trim. All you have left to do is touch up! No need messing with taping all the trim. Also, if you do this, you do not need to caulk the trim. Unnecessary step, but definitely still wood fill anything that needs covered or fixed.
Final Geo Accent Wall Step: Decor
If you have any decorations or art to hang, do that and then step back and admire your work!
What do you think? If you try this, I would love to see what you did and how it turned out!
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