High End Wall on a DIY Budget

Yeah, I can't leave well enough alone. Good enough is never enough for me. Take our guest bath.... so so. It never felt done or right. Suddenly it hit me, a great wall idea, but all my material options were too expensive.

Alas, never fear. That means it's time to get creative. Enter wood lath. So for under forty bucks, I transformed a room like mad.

This bathroom is hardly ever used for a shower if you're concerned about the wood; it's been used maybe all of six times and won't be for years, so lath will be a-ok. But hey, this idea is great for any room in the house!

Sure, lath is tricky. It's wonky, it's bowed, it's not consistent. It's also rough and tumble. But! It's a budget saver and it actually looks great without veering into design styles I didn't want to veer into.

Here's what I used:

• bundles of  wood lath (two of fifty plus a few loose extras for this particular wall)
• quart of Golden Mahogany stainGolden Mahogany stain
• paint thinner
• 1" brad nails
• brad nailernail gun
• hand saw

First I stained it with a mix of Golden Mahogany and paint thinner.

Be sure to come by my blog for the fun story of my unsuspecting husband's reaction to this wall over at Flipping the Flip!

Next, tacking it to the wall time. I did not plan the vertical seams but I did want an eighth of an inch between each horizontal seam. Easiest, most consistent way to get that? A free paint stirrer.

I have all sorts of great tips on this project, like how I got around the outlet and the light fixture so stop by the post to be in the know!

It took a lot of trimming, to say the least. If you don't have a pneumatic nailer, either borrow from a pal or rent from a hardware store.

And there it is! Definitely a high end look on a budget!

Be sure to come by Flipping the Flip for all those hot tips, the fun story, and all sorts of other great DIY projects!