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DIY, DIY Decor, Home Improvement, Upcycled Projects ·

DIY Herringbone Plank Wall {upcyled from an ugly, old fence}!

Learn how turn old wood into a stunning DIY plank wall! Create an affordable statement wall in a herringbone pattern with this full tutorial.

plank wall

I am kind of BURSTING with excitement over this project.  BURSTING!  As you know, we are presently working on our kitchen makeover.  Phase 1 began with our pantry makeover.  Phase 2 involved creating this MAGNIFICENT {if I do say so myself} DIY plank wall in our eat-in kitchen area {that was previously occupied by cabinetry–more on that in a future post}.  And today I am going to tell you all about how we did it!  This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience.  Click here to read my full disclosure policy.

Initially, I planned to create a standard, horizontal reclaimed wood DIY plank wall.  And I was excited about it.  Then, my marvelous, amazing, genius husband and DIY partner very casually said, “Why don't we do a herringbone plank wall?”  WHHHHHHAAATTTT???  I thought he would think I was going out on a design limb by wanting to do a plank wall, so for him to take it up a notch made me the happiest wife on earth!  My answer, of course, was YES!

Our first hurdle came when we started brainstorming where to get the wood.  We did not want to spend much money {since we are on a serious budget for this kitchen makeover}.  We thought about pallets and even looked for some reclaimed wood on Craigslist.  But we just weren't excited about any of the possibilities.  Then, my genius husband said, “Maybe we could use the wood from the privacy fence on the deck.”  Holy cow.  I have always known I had married the perfect man for me, but I fell in love with him all over again in that moment.  He's a genius I tell you.

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You are probably thinking, “what privacy fence on your deck?”  I am a tad embarrassed to show you this, but it has to be done. THIS is what he was referring to.

privacy screen

We had planned to remove the unfortunate looking privacy fence anyway, so why not do it now and use the wood for something?!  It was the perfect solution.

Joe started by removing boards and sanding them down.  The finish that was on the boards looks kind of cool and weathered in the photo, but it was rather green and dingy in person.  NOT something we wanted in our kitchen.  So, Joe sanded them down while I was at work {again, I love that man}.  It was a messy job, but the boards looked great once they were sanded down.

dirty tee shirt
It was a messy job, but somebody had to do it.

before and after wood planks

That weekend, we played around with various stains and finishes until we settled on a simple combination of tung oil and a very, very light dry brushing of grey paint.

minwax oil finish

 board stain

This was the look we ended up with:

finished board

Once our wood planks were “perfectly imperfect,” we started planning for the wall application.  Fortunately, we had already removed the cabinetry from the wall, so the hard work was already done {or so we thought}.

To be honest, we had a hard time figuring out exactly where to start.  But we did figure it out, and now you can benefit from all of our head scratching.

First, let's quickly review the basics of a herringbone pattern.  With a herringbone pattern, the ends are straight cuts that are butted against each other to create a 90 degree angle.  The cuts are actually quite easy, because they are all straight cuts everywhere, except where the ends meet the end of a wall.  Here is a diagram of a herringbone pattern:

4-Herringbone-Pattern

Read on for the full tutorial.

Materials needed to create a herringbone plank wall:

Steps

1) Measure and find the center of your wall.  Use a long level and a marker, or a chalk line, to draw a vertical line all the way down the center of your wall.

2) Grab your first two boards.  Again, note that all of your boards {except those that terminate at the end of a wall or meet up with a wall in the corner} will be cut to the EXACT SAME LENGTH and will be straight cuts.  Our were 28 inches long.  Butt the end of your boards together to form a 90 degree angle.  Align the boards along the center line that you marked on the wall.  The center line should intersect the middle of the two boards.  See below for an illustration of what I mean {the grey line represents the center line that you will have drawn on your wall}.

Herringbone Wall Diagram

To confirm that your angle is correct, place your speed square in the corner created by the boards.  If your 90-degree angle is perfect, the speed square to sit in the corner without shifting around.  Once you are certain your angle is correct, nail the boards into place with your nail gun.  If you don't have a nail gun, you could use a hammer and nail to do it the old-fashioned way.  Be sure to get at least one nail per board in a stud so that they are sufficiently secured to your wall.

in process herringbone wall

3) Continue adding boards and confirming your angles before nailing them into place.  It moves fairly quickly, with the exception of having to make some special cuts to allow for outlets and light switches.  Just mark and cut the boards accordingly.

in process herringbone wall

And here is the finished product.  We LOVE IT!  This gorgeous DIY plank wall serves as the backdrop for our eat in area.

herringbone wall

kitchen with plank wall

herringbone plank wall

Be sure to check out the full $700 kitchen makeover reveal!  Click HERE for part 1 and click HERE for part 2!  And be sure to check out all the info about that awesome new backsplash here.

For now, I would love to hear what you think of our DIY plank wall?  Do you love it, or do you prefer simple, straight line plank walls?  Can you believe we turned that ugly, old privacy fence into this beautiful herringbone plank wall FOR FREE?  You may also want to check out the awesome mirror with concrete inlay and the DIY picture frames that we also made from this fence–it's pretty cool!  And if you love this project, be sure to pin it so that you can refer back to it later!

Getting excited about giving your room a makeover? This awesome herringbone wall is an amazing focal point, but don't forget the rest of your space! Check out my free guide on how to design a room you love below!

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Comments

  1. That easily was the best and most sinple way ive ever seen an accent wall done. It looks like you used about 60 planks. How long were the nails you used? It looks amazing: professional even. Great job.

  3. Wow! You are my hero. That wall is so fantastic, and the wood transformation is amazing. Thanks so much for sharing. I am adding this to my find a place to do this in my house list. :)

  5. The wall looks great! However, aren’t you concerned with having treated lumber in your home?

  7. Hi Tasha! I LOVE your wall! I had the artsy idea to make this happen in my house and I’m SO glad that you did it first so I don’t have to fumble through and mess it up! I am wondering how you determined the length of your boards in order to get the pattern just right on the wall. Your herringbone looks so delightfully centered :) Thank you!!

    • Thank you, Stacy! As I recall, we measured the midpoint of the wall and marked it. Then we held two boards up in the herringbone pattern {butted together to form a 90 degree angle} and eye balled the length that would give us 4 equal sections. I wish it was more scientific than that, but there was some guess work involved. I hope that helps some. Let me know if you have any other questions!

  11. This looks awesome. What a great project upcycle. I love the rustic look of this. I’d love to have this in our bedroom I’m redoing. Hmmmm! It might just happen.

    Shannon ~ bohemianjunktion.com

  13. It’s gorgeous! I was watching an episode of House Hunters International recently and there was an apartment in Paris with original floors that were over 100 years old that had the most gorgeous Herringbone floors. So this isn’t just a trend, it should stand the test of time. I LOVE, love, Love it! I’m scanning my house to see were I can put one, I just decided- the back and side of my peninsula in my kitchen!

    • Thanks so much, Janet! That is exactly why we opted for a herringbone pattern. It’s a true classic! It will look gorgeous on the back of your peninsula. I hope you will share your results!

    • Thank you so much, Gail! I just returned from checking out your AMAZING table top. I love it! Looks like Louie does, too! Thanks so much for catching me this week :)

  22. Oh I’m SO, SO jealous of your wall! Just amazing! I don’t know how you guys keep coming up with these amazing ideas! I’m DYING to see the rest of the kitchen too :) Thanks so much for linking up at Thursday STYLE! Have a great week :)

    • Awww, thanks so much, Angela! We are dog tired, but our kitchen makeover is coming along. We have family coming in town this week, so we probably won’t get much done until after Easter, but we are so tired, I think the break will be welcome :)

    • Thank you so much, Julie! I am thrilled that is cost us absolutely nothing! I can’t wait to finish the kitchen and to put a table and chairs in front of the wall. Have a great weekend!

  24. I love this SO much! It really makes me miss our similar wood walls in the living room of our old house. They add so much warmth and character! And congrats on marrying the genius and thought to do herringbone :)

    • Hi Anna! Thank you so much. We are so happy with how it turned out, and it was actually much easier than I expected. Have a fabulous weekend!

  26. What a cool way to upcycle! You’re right-that fence was very unfortunate. But that wall is gorgeous! Thanks for sharing at Fridays Unfolded!

    Alison
    Nancherrow

    • Thank you, Kelly! LOL! I just read your comment to Joe. You are right. Any man that knows what herringbone is is my SOUL MATE! I think I’ll keep him for sure :)

  29. That’s so fabulous! LOVE it! And I’m really impressed that not only was your husband on board with the whole plank wall idea but he even knew the word for herringbone ;)

  33. Hi Tasha, you have out done yourself with this one. I love the herringbone pattern, it looks even more amazing in the wood on the wall. And using the privacy screen, genius! Hold on to that one, he’s a keeper for sure. Was your privacy fence made of cedar? I love the finish you came up with too, it looks great! Thanks for sharing :)

    • Awww, thank you, Meg! He is a keeper :) We aren’t totally sure what type of wood the planks are, but I don’t think they are cedar. I wish I knew!

  34. That wall looks amazing!! I can’t even believe you made that out of an old fence. Now that’s crafting on a budget if I’ve ever seen it. I can’t wait to see what you come up with for the rest of your kitchen!

    • Awww, thank so much Courtney! We love it and were VERY excited that it did not eat any money out of our small makeover budget :)

  35. Amazing transformation!! I love your herringbone plank wall! I can’t believe that is the same wood as your privacy wall!! Good luck with your project!
    Cheers, Colette

    • Thank you, Angela! We are sooooo tired, but the kitchen transformation is about 50% done and we are loving it. Can’t wait to show it to all of you soon!

  38. Ummm, so awesome!!! I love it too!! Great job, and kudos to your husband for coming up with the idea! I pinned, because I am determined to get a plank wall in my house someday (my closest doesn’t count, but I love it too) I want a big accent wall! Thanks for sharing!! I can’t wait to see the rest of your kitchen when you finish!

    • Hi Mindi! Thank you so much. I know, I was so impressed when Joe suggested a herringbone pattern. The plank wall in your closet is amazing. Well, your whole closet is amazing. I’ll come to your house and give you a herringbone plank wall if you come re-do our closet :)

  40. I cannot believe that wall. This is my favorite project you did so far even though I love and are amazed at them all. The fact that you saved that privacy wall and made it look so beautiful is so great. Paul & I are so into recycling things, the reason we have so much stuff. Ha, Ha. You both just keep amazing me with all your interesting projects.

  42. Fabulous and kudos to your great husband! Loving the look and really, the price was so right! Anxious for the full reveal.

    • Thanks so much, Debra! I am anxious for the full reveal, too. I can’t wait to get it all done. It’s going to be SUCH a transformation!

  43. Love it, what a great way to recycle the fence! Eagerly looking for your kitchen reveal now:)

    • Thanks so much, Emilie! I hope to have the full reveal up by early May, but you will start seeing more kitchen projects here and there between now and then :)

Trackbacks

  24. […] 21 Rosemary Lane revealed her oh-so-pretty master bedroom makeover.  Tasha from Designer Trapped In A Lawyer’s Body shared her gorgeous herringbone plank wall.  You won’t believe where the boards came […]

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