Constructing an Accent Wall with Moulding

With accent walls, certain designs are more common. One of the more popular, cost-effective themes is to utilize mouldings. A type of trim, this design element lends drama and detail to any room or space. Any moulding used for accent wall paneling will likely be strips of decorative wood. But it could also be made from other materials, like PVC or Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF) Panels. An MDF panel is a dense, smooth, engineered material. MDF is preferred for accent walls and other interior projects.

There are multiple moulding and trim types, shapes, sizes and designs. Your home’s style and the specific room or space play a big role in this decision. Moulding and paneling are not the same. Paneling offers a fully covered, cohesive surface. But moulding works as a frame, providing a decorative overlay to highlight completed accent walls. Additionally, it protects walls and their surface edges.

Common moulding types and styles include:

• Base Shoe/Quarter Round –- This entails the installation of small, rounded, flexible mouldings at the base of the baseboard. Doing so beautifies the transition between a floor and a wall. And, it hides gaps with uneven flooring.
• Baseboard -- Also called wall base moulding, this type covers interior walls’ lowest parts. It hides the gap between the wall and flooring, giving rooms a finished look.
• Beadboard/Bead -– This moulding style uses vertical planks with small, rounded grooves (beads). They’re particularly useful with cabinets and walls. The beads provide a rounded, decorative edge or paneling, imparting rustic or coastal, traditional look.
• Board and Batten -– A board and batten accent wall is good option if you need to cover the joints between two panels. With this method, wide, flat vertical are covered by narrow strips (battens) at the joints. The board and batten style is often used to achieve a timeless, rustic or farmhouse style.
• Casing –- This moulding type is designed to cover the gap between frames and drywall. It frames doors and windows to conceal any expansion gaps.
• Chair Rail -– This moulding type is applied horizontally along room’s walls. Typically, chair rail moulding is installed about a third of the way up the wall from the floor, parallel to the ceiling and floor. Originally, it protected walls from chair backs and general furniture damage. But now, it’s also used for decorative purposes. Plus, chair rail moulding divides different wall treatment types.
• Corner –- This trim type is used to cover joints where two cabinets or panels meet at an inward-facing corner. It covers and protects outside corners’ raw edges. And it offers a clean, seamless transition between surfaces.
• Cove -- Cove moulding (or cove trim) is often used where walls and ceilings meet. This popular moulding option is similar to yet less ornate than crown moulding. With a concave design, cove trim moulding can soften the transition between walls and ceilings. It also softens other transitions, such as those with stairs, cabinets or furniture.
• Crown -- With this moulding type, a finished, decorative look is created. It softens the transition between walls and ceilings. Crown moulding runs along the top of walls. Typically, it's installed on an angle between the wall and ceiling, rather than flush against the wall. Adding other moulding types below crown moulding can create a more ornate look.
• Flat/Shaker Panel –- This moulding style calls for applying simple, recessed panels to flat surfaces. It lends accent walls versatility, coziness, warmth and depth. This style features a recessed center panel with two "rails" (horizontal pieces) and two "stiles" (vertical pieces). Offering a timeless, traditional/transitional design, it can impart classic charm. A similar theme is the shaker-style grid wall. This entails a grid pattern of multiple, modern, small squares. It offers a contemporary, geometric look, with a clean, bold, contemporary design.
• Floor -- Floor moulding is used to beautify various flooring types when they transition from one to another. It also protects flooring edges and holds different types in place.
• Panel –- With this moulding type, decorative paneling is applied to walls’ lower portions. This adds texture and architectural structure to accent walls. Panel moulding may combine rails and stiles, like top rails (chair rails) and bottom rails (baseboard). One popular style, wainscoting, blends paneling (like beadboard) with top/bottom moulding (chair rail and baseboard).
• Picture Frame –- This moulding style is a fixed, permanent design feature. With picture frame moulding, you have geometric patterns, in square or rectangular, framed shapes. It gives spaces an elegant, structured look, without the need for full panels. Picture frame moulding creates faux paneling and shadow boxes and frames pieces of art. Later in this guide, we’ll provide the steps to construct your own picture frame accent wall.
• Picture Rail –- A functional, elevated moulding, it is installed high up on walls, usually 7–12 inches below the ceiling. Often paired with crown moulding, this trim employs a specialized hook-capable edge. This allows art, pictures or mirrors to be hung without damaging walls.

We will be constructing an accent wall utilizing picture frame moulding. However, certain tools and materials are needed with most accent walls. No matter the specific design, you may want to first develop a project plan. It can provide a blueprint to follow throughout the project. You’ll also have a reference when cutting pieces for your design. You can use graph paper or take a photo of your current wall.

When building a picture frame moulding accent wall, the following tools are required.

Various tools may be needed in an accent wall's construction. These include a miter saw or shears, table saw, circular saw, brad nailer, power sander or sandpaper, long level, stud finder, caulk gun, speed (rafter/triangle) square and a tape measure (or laser distance measuring tool). For this guide's projects, you will require the following tools.

• Miter saw (or miter shears, which may be easier for beginners)
• Table saw (optional)
• Circular saw (optional)
• Brad nailer (cordless, 18-gauge)
• Power sander or sandpaper
• Long level
• Stud finder
• Caulk gun
• Speed (rafter/triangle) square
• Tape measure (or a laser distance measuring tool)

Here are the materials you will need when assembling these accent walls.

• Lightweight chair rail
• Panel moulding
• Small decorative trim
• Small pin nails, in different sizes, including 1-1/4 inches and 2-inches
• Interior paint
• Construction adhesive
• Wood filler
• Lightweight spackle
• Caulk
• Painter's tape
• Paint brush
• Paint roller
• Paint tray
• Roller trays and tray liners
• Drop cloths
• Cleaning cloths
• Work gloves
• Cleaning gloves
• Eye protection (optional)

We’ll be constructing a picture frame accent wall. Also called “box” or “panel moulding,” this project involves applying decorative, flat-topped moulding on an existing wall. The square or rectangular shapes provide eye-catching, geometric patterns, frames and dimensions. Moulding and trim lend spaces an elegant, luxurious, traditional appearance. They can also hide wall imperfections. And the strips and wall can be painted for even more of a dramatic effect.

A picture frame wall is a simple, budget-friendly, DIY decorating option. This popular, yet timeless accent wall project quickly enhances any space. Typically, picture frame moulding is used in living rooms or bedrooms. Or, you may prefer to install them on stairways or as highlights for fireplaces or headboards. It promotes depth, sophistication, luxury and architectural character in homes new and old. The moulding is flat-backed and applied directly to wall surfaces, eliminating the need for a hook-support feature. However, you may want to match your molding style to the home's architecture.

First, you will need to plan out your future accent wall’s pattern on paper.

• For a balanced look, aim for 3 to 4 inches of space, both between each box and from the corners.
• Calculate the total length of wall space needed (i.e., inches). You can use a tape measure or laser distance measuring tool to measure all the lengths of the tape pieces.
• Add up all of the measurements together. Then, add an extra 10 percent for waste. This also ensures that you will have enough moulding to work with. For longer walls, an odd number of boxes (generally 3) looks best. You may prefer to use a calculator to determine the mouldings’ exact cut lengths.
• Be consistent with spacing. You may find it helpful to use “spacers.” Just cut small wooden blocks to the desired spacing width. They’ll provide a guide for perfectly straight boxes.
• Use painter's tape to map out the boxes on the wall. Don’t worry, it doesn’t have to be perfect. Doing this before cutting wood will enable you to visualize the design’s final layout. It also helps you to estimate how much moulding is required for the project.
• As you tape, you may want to use a speed square to help keep 45-degree angles. A long level may also assist with any horizontal or vertical lines.
• Keep obstacles in mind. For instance, when sketching your pattern, account for or avoid any existing outlets and light switches. And before starting the construction, you may need to remove baseboards or crown moulding.
• Once you’ve determined how much moulding will be needed, purchase that amount.

Now, you will begin to cut the mouldings to fit on your selected wall.

• Using a miter saw if you are cutting MDF or pine trim.
• You can use a table or circular saw, if preferred. However, a miter saw is a specialized, precise tool that quickly cuts angles onto a fixed piece of wood. A table saw is better for making varied, straight, deep and long cuts in plywood, specifically. As for a circular saw, while versatile, it's best for making long, straight or ripping cuts on large sheets of plywood.
• You may find it helpful to pre-paint the trim for faster completion of the project.
• Cut the moulding piece to size, making mitered corners.
• You may want to start out by cutting simpler, rectangular boxes.
• Cut out spacers to serve as a guide for perfectly straight boxes. Mark cuts in place to ensure accuracy.
• The specific angles to cut may depend on the piece’s location. All of the cuts will be made at either 45-degree or 90-degree angles. You may want to use a speed square to check on your angles’ accuracy. Also called a “rafter square,” a speed square is a triangular carpenter tool used to mark angles and guide saw cuts.
• Begin with the longest moulding piece in your design. If it is not long enough, you can splice separate pieces together. You will need to cut miters on the front of one piece. Next, cut miters on the back of the next piece. Attach the two pieces of wood together with wood glue. Then, nail the second one in place.

The next step is attach the moulding pieces to the wall of your choice.

• Using a stud finder, mark the studs behind the wall.
• Ideally, you should install as many nails directly into the wall studs as possible while applying the boards.
• Apply construction adhesive to the back of the moulding pieces.
• Position the pieces accordingly.
• Using a cordless brad nailer (18 gauge), attach the various pieces to the wall.

Once the moulding pieces are attached, you can clean up and beautify your accent wall.

• Fill any nail holes, using spackle or wood filler. Spackle is lightweight, quickly dries and eases sanding. However, it lacks the durability required for deep wood repairs. You may prefer to use wood filler, a hardened, stainable and paintable compound. It repairs any imperfections in unfinished wood. And once it dries, it becomes rigid. You can then sand, stain or paint the wood.
• Using caulking, fill in any gaps where your mouldings meet a wall or a ceiling.
• Once the drywall compound is dry, use a power sander or sandpaper on the moulding. This removes any excess putty and makes the surfaces smooth.
• Wipe down the pieces’ edges to remove any drywall dust and debris.
• Paint over both the mouldings and the entire wall.
• Use monochromatic, matte or dark paint.
• A paintbrush can help to get into all the corners and edges. You may also want to use a roller, as needed.
• Applying a final coat of paint can provide a cohesive, built-in appearance.
• Feel free to paint the wall whenever you’d like. This can help to modernize your accent wall’s appearance.
• Consider “tone-on-tone” painting, in which the molding and wall are the same color. Doing so can provide walls with a modern, textured look.