Graphic wall treatment (Before and Progress)

One wall down and one to go! I'll wait here while the impatient people go ahead and scroll through the pictures...go ahead...I'll wait.

Okay, now that you've (most of you anyway) scrolled to see the after shot, I'll fill you in on some of the details. ;) First of all, we used MDF because it's relatively inexpensive and it's paintable. The fact that it cuts clean and doesn't require sanding on the edges is a bonus too.

John used the nail gun to attach the pieces then I went back and filled the holes with DAP. You can find it here. This gives the pieces a smooth look by making the holes 'disappear' when you paint. I primed each piece with Kilz Latex Primer since mdf is porous and soaks up your paint pretty fast. This helped keep costs down since only one coat of paint is required after priming.

Then came the caulk. That's a tedious job, let me tell ya! It's necessary though. You can see in the above image the difference between using it and not. It gives a finished look that makes your project look like pros did it. Make sure you buy caulk that's paintable though!

I painted the pieces to blend with the wall so it became an architectural piece instead of a high contrast piece. With the busy pattern I figured matching the wall was the best option. I did switch to a high gloss finish though so there'd be a tiny bit of differentiation (only noticeable in person). 

Here you can see how it stands off the wall. We decided to go with 3/4" mdf to add a little depth. 

Here's where we started...

Before:

This shot was shortly after moving in and shows the previous owners' paint choices.

After (in progress):

If you're observant, you noticed the painters tape hanging out on the left hand side. That's part of John's measuring guide. We left it up so he can move onto the next side asap. (*wink, wink, honey, if you're reading*) Poor thing, he honestly tried to talk me into just one wall but his stubborn wife wasn't having any of it!

So, as you can see, the plan is to wrap the pattern around the edge and complete one more wall!

If you're wondering why were only covering 2 walls and not all 3, it's because the 3rd wall extends to all the way up to the second floor. I want to leave a place for your eye to rest as it transitions into the dining room. A colorful oversized piece of art would be awesome here...keeping my eye out.

Are you seeing a trend here? I loved our other diamond wall so much that I just had to incorporate something similar into this house. Couldn't do the same thing though, that'd be boring! It's all about keeping things fresh and new.

Feel free to leave John a word of encouragement to keep up the momentum and knock out that second wall sooner than later. ha!