A year or so ago now we were thinking about getting some wall panelling added to our master bedroom at the time (House #1 – Glam Hamptons), and since I love to be creative and do DIY projects we thought we’d give it a shot ourselves!
All of the wainscotting throughout that home had been done professionally during the build process, so we hadn’t really done anything like this before, but after watching a bunch of Youtube video’s and reading others DIY experiences on their blogs we thought it might be a fun project to try. I knew it wouldn’t be perfect, and as a disclaimer the way we did it I’m sure isn’t technically the correct way, but we loved the end result and are so proud of how it turned out. So if you wanted to try it out in your home too as a fun project & to save some money, keep reading to see how!
What you will need:
- MDF detailed moulding (ours was primed) – we picked it up from a local store in Perth called Subiaco Restoration, but you can also find it at Bunnings
- Wider MDF detailed moulding, which will be used for the daddo rail
- Tape measure
- Pen & paper
- Spirit level
- Liquid Nails (we used Selleys Hold Up)
- Saw & mitre box
- Primer (if MDF not already primed)
- Sanding paper
- Paint
- Wood filler/ caulk
Step one: Measure
Before we bought any of the mouldings, I found a photo on Pinterest of what I wanted to recreate, so we used that inspiration photo, took the width of our wall, and started to play around with how wide we wanted each panel, and the gaps we wanted in between each panel too. There may be a specific method to this, but we just kept playing around on paper until we worked out the scale that we liked. I managed to find the final drawing with all the measurements we went with, so I will insert that below which will hopefully be helpful (just don’t judge my terrible drawing)!
Step two: Prime & Paint
Now that we had all of our measurements worked out and used them to buy the correct amount of moulding (allowing for a bit extra), we decided to paint all of the mouldings first. In our next house we will put them on the walls first, wood fill and caulk, and then paint the entire wall & mouldings together, but since our walls were already painted we chose the easier option in this case and painted them before we put them on the wall.
If you are buying raw MDF you will need to prime (and sand) them before you paint, so buying the primed MDF mouldings will save you that step!
Step three: Cutting the panels
After the paint was dry, we then started measuring and marking each panel of moulding according to our plans, and then used a saw and a mitre box to cut them at a straight edge.
When all the panels were cut to their correct measurements, we laid them out on the floor like they would go on the walls and worked out what angles each piece needed to be cut on, as the end of every single panel except the daddo rail needed to be cut at a 45 degree angle to be able to join.
Step four: Apply the mouldings to the wall
To stick the mouldings to the walls we decided try out a Selley’s product called Hold Up, but you could use any liquid nails type of adhesive . Each panel was light weight, so we hoped that this glue would be strong enough without having to use nails, and it definitely was – but if you were using heavier & wider panels it would be a good idea to use nails as well glue.
As a starting point, we began with the bottom panel of the lower section of the design. We followed our plans and measured the correct amount up from the skirting board and also across from the wall. We then lightly marked the wall with pencil on each side, took the panel off to add the glue and then attached it to the wall. But before finally securing it, we measured again to double check, and also used a spirit level to make sure it was perfectly straight. We held each piece in place for a couple of minutes before letting go.
We then really just continued that exact process with each panel until it was all done!
Step five: Wood filler/ caulk
Once all the panelling is secured on the wall and set (best to leave it overnight to completely dry), this is when you would then go in and fill any gaps with wood filler and caulk the borders. Once the wood filler is dry, sand it smooth and then start the priming & painting processes.
Like I mentioned above, because our walls were already painted and we didn’t want to make a mess with them or have to repaint the whole wall, so we painted the moulding before we put them up, but as we will definitely be adding lots of panelling in the next two houses, we will do it the more “professional” way, so I’ll make sure to document all of that as well and write an update blog post, as well sharing it all on my Instagram @jo.marie_blissfulbuilds
I hope that you found this useful, and please comment down below if you have any questions at all! Also, please remember that in no way are we qualified – I’m just sharing how we personally did it, which worked for us ♡
OMG 😳 Dunc and yourself are great team to do All these together. So perfectly and patient. Looks amazing.
My husband couldn’t hold a nail for five seconds 😂
You guys are meant for each other, stay blessed x
Oh thank you so much, that’s very kind, and I’m definitely lucky that he is willing to help me with my DIY ideas! xx
Looks lovely. I’m going to give it a go.
Thank you for sharing
Thank you, and I’m so happy to hear! It definitely makes a huge impact on the space xx