When we built our current house, Phil and I wanted to make sure there were no wall niches because I just find them awkward and never love what I end up doing with them. Somehow, this one snuck by and it's taken me forever to decide what I want to do with it. I had some MDF left over from the cabana bathroom I re-did (blog post coming soon-ish!) and decided it was finally time to do something! I'm super happy with the way it turned out and wanted to share for anyone who may be stuck on what to do with theirs, here we go!
Tools Needed
Miter Saw
Nail Gun
Tape Measure
Straight Edge
Level
Pencil
Eye and Ear protection
Supplies Needed
Wood/MDF (I used leftover MDF I already had but you can use plywood stripped down too!)
Paint and painting supplies for the wall + wood
Nail gun + air compressor + nails
Caulk
Wood Filler
4 hooks for the ceiling + art
Chain or Rope to hang art
Approximate Total Cost: $75 + Art to Hang
Figure out Design + Measure For Boards
First you're going to want to sketch out the design you want to create. If you're doing vertical or horizontal faux shiplap, it will make it easier to figure out how many boards you'll need. Because of my design, I almost had to cut as I went and luckily I had the exact right amount of leftover mdf for my niche. I also used chalk to mark the center of the niche and markers to help me visualize where the boards would go.
Paint the Wall Behind the Niche and the Boards
Once you've picked out what color you want to go with, paint your wall. It doesn't have to be perfect, I just wanted to make sure you could only see black through the spaces between the boards.
*When painting the boards, make sure you're also painting the sides of the boards! It's much easier to do this now than when they're already attached to the wall.
Start Attaching Wood to the Wall, Making Cuts Accordingly
If you choose to do a vertical or horizontal shiplap design, you won't need to measure board by board as much as if you choose something like I did. However, sheetrock is hardly ever perfectly even so it's not a bad idea to not cut all the boards at once. Cut a few at a time and when you're attaching them to the wall, make sure to use a level instead of trusting your eye. I actually used my sons puzzle pieces as spacers because I liked the width but you can use nickels or pennies depending on the look you like!
Finishing Touches
This is my favorite part, and we're almost done! If you've used a nail gun you'll need to fill in the holes with wood filler and you can fill in the seams between the boards if you've done a design like I did.
Then go ahead and caulk around the edges so it's flush against the niche's side walls. Let everything dry and sand down the wood filler so it's all smooth and pretty to touch up on the paint!
Attach hooks to the ceiling + Art
My art is super lightweight so I was able to use small hooks and decorative chain to hang it. If you're going to be hanging something heavier make sure the hooks and chain/rope you choose to use can support it!
ENJOY!
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