DIY Slat Wall Part 1 covered the planning and supplies. Now let’s get to the installation process and total cost!
How to Make a Slat Wall Yourself
The basic overall steps I took were:
- Attach vertical strips to the studs
- Attach horizontal strips to the vertical strips
- DONE!
…easier said than DONE 😆
Step 1: Attach Vertical Strips to the Studs
This step for me took twice as long as it would take someone with a truck or a shorter wall. As I mentioned in How to Build a Slat Wall Part 1, I had the 8-foot strips cut down into 5 feet and 3 feet, so I had to re-assemble those when putting them up on the wall.
Step 1.1: Locate and mark studs
I used 5 for my project. It’s up to you how many to use when you weigh form vs. function.
Step 1.2: Map out your project on the wall to for visual appeal and alignment
This step was a precaution on my part; I taped all the vertical strips to the wall before I drilled them in. I suppose if you are more certain, you can go straight to drilling.
You need to get the vertical strips straight in the up-and-down direction, but you also want to make sure they’re at the same height off the ground. But how to get them to the same height? I know the floor isn’t completely straight, so I didn’t want to measure from the floor up. Instead, I took the straightest board I could find combined with a level to know how high up the wall to put my next strip.
Step 1.3: Screw them into the wall
I think other folks use a nail gun to affix these into the wall at this point. I opted for screws as I feel these are stronger and easier to undo without ruining the wood. They certainly create bigger holes in the wall, so that’s a downside to consider.
Step 1.4 (optional): Repeat for the top portion of the vertical slats
For those of us who had to shorten our strips temporarily: Re-marry the remaining portions of the strips to the ones on the wall to create a full matching set for the total pre-planned height. I intentionally did not get them cut exactly in half, and I also intentionally didn’t put the same heights next to each other; rather, I offset them. This was so when I placed on the horizontal boards, I would not risk having to screw into a screw.
Here’s what all the furring strips up on the wall looks like at this point:
Step 2: Attach horizontal strips to the vertical strips
This was by far the most time-consuming portion of the project.
Step 2.1: Use a laser level to line up the horizontal slats
I used the laser level we purchased when putting up our DIY curtains to help with the alignment of the horizontal slats. I tried to eyeball it, but it was neither easy nor reliable!
Step 2.2: Follow your pattern and place board, screw in, use spacers, repeat
When researching tips on how to build a slat wall myself, I noticed many people going top-down (probably to ensure the top looks pretty). I instead decided to go bottom-up to enlist the help of gravity. I was doing this myself so it was convenient to be able to have a board rest on top of the one below it while I was screwing it in.
I used two screws per slat, varying the placement of each screw. This is why it was helpful to have alternated and offset the screws when I was putting up the vertical slats — I had options when it came to which vertical slat to drill the horizontal slat into.
This process goes MUCH faster if you are using a nail gun instead of a drill.
I used spare lumber parts as spacers to get the boards spaced 0.75″ apart.
A total game changer was using not one, but two ladders!! This was a 6′ wide design and I could not imagine having to move the ladder in between drilling. Not only that, but one of the ladders was one that had steps on both sides, so it was actually like having 3 ladders:
As you’re finishing your project, make sure not to hit your head if your wall goes up to the ceiling! I had a couple of close calls myself 😅
And I was done! I was so satisfied! And tired, not gonna lie — it got tedious about halfway up. I did Steps 1 and 2 over the course of 2 days.
So, that was the first fun part.. but what about the second fun part, decorating and organizing??
Decorating Your Slat Wall
The biggest thing I wish I realized before I started was that ordinary standard slatwall accessories would not work with this. Each slat is too thick for those. I moved my search to over-the-door hooks, but those were too big. So Goldilocks over here found what fit juuuust right: over-the-cabinet-door hooks and baskets. Those are 0.75″ wide and fit perfectly. I paired wire mesh baskets and 0.75″ hooks.
Additionally, some people implemented shelves by sliding them in between the slats and optionally drilling them in. I thought to do this, and actually bought 0.75″ thick boards which ended up unfortunately too loose on their own. I loved the modular aspect of my slat wall so drilling in shelves would defeat the purpose. I currently have the boards as shelves in some of the lowest rungs because I live in an area with earthquakes but I’m not totally sold on them there (or at all, for that matter).
The Final Look!
Admittedly, the highest section has no functional purpose because I can’t reach it and I don’t want to store a ladder in here, so I kept it purely decorative. I am so happy to be able to use the space on the wall to store some of my craft supplies versus in traditional shelves or drawers. I’m so proud of my work here! This was my biggest project mostly solo to date. And I love that my supplies are not hidden so I can actually see everything and want to use them. So in total, outside the ladders and tools I already had, this 6′ wide x 8′ tall wall cost me $173 — which was cheaper and customized to my own specs than the other out-of-the-box solutions that exist.
What do you think??
