How to Build a Herringbone Accent Wall DIY

Have you ever wanted an accent wall? Well here is the answer for a simple accent wall that is simple to do, easy to build and looks great, the Herringbone accent wall.
Start by cutting down 4x8 sheets of 1/2" MDF to 5 1/2" wide strips, round over the edges and center the strips on the wall and start building. This episode I take my years of accent wall building and try to break the process down into a simple, easy to follow process and add in as many tips as I can that I have learned and share with the viewers to help make someone else's life a bit easier.
Building this accent wall a person can build an entire wall or use the same process just scaled down and cut the strips smaller for a hallway accent wall or small wall.
Once completed this DIY accent wall will be the center piece of the home and a work of art.
The process can sound complicated but anyone needing help can always comment on the video and I'll be there to help!
Check out our other videos of our process of building a debt free house that shows the house building process start to finish!
New episode every week!

[@amorgan5844]

When i cut on a similar project with multiples of the same width, i use a track saw for the sheets of mdf stacked 3 at a time and use a sacrificial hard foam "r-tech 1/2 foam board" so it cuts the time down by more than half. Your herringbone techniques are amazing and appreciate the upload!

[@slothconstruction]

That's a great way to cut these sheets. I'll have to look into getting a tracksaw. Cutting one board at a time takes soo much time!

[@androidr.8470]

Great instruction on setting the first pieces level and square. Doing my fist wall on Monday and you've just simplified it.

[@slothconstruction]

Great! Glad the video could help, just make the first two pieces perfect and the rest will be easy.

[@androidr.8470]

@@slothconstruction That is THE Key, the level on the Rafter square is crucial. While I have done carpentry for 35 years, first Herringbone wall.

[@pamallen2498]

Beautiful! I can hardly wait to see paint on this.

[@slothconstruction]

Thank you!

[@jannersstuff]

Late to the party on this one but many thanks for posting this up. I am going to be making an external version with old pallets to cover an unsightly mess of a fence my neighbour put up. My missus is an old hippie though so I am expecting a tie dyed pastel paint scheme...

[@slothconstruction]

Oh, using pallets will be a great idea, they will hold up great outside. I hope you paint it some cool colors!

[@AnselLindner]

Great work. I've been trying to find what I'm going to do for my office accent wall, 9'x12', this is perfect.

[@slothconstruction]

Hey thank you! I've done many office accent walls but the herringbone is still my favorite. Your office will look great.

[@pamelacarey2460]

Beautiful work!!

[@slothconstruction]

Thank you!

[@missbliss5756]

Thanks for sharing!

[@slothconstruction]

Thanks for watching, hope the video helps!

[@mb-xg5be]

Clean work Justin!

[@slothconstruction]

Thank you! I just got it painted, that will be coming up soon

[@beckyh8565]

I really appreiate the instruction on the first two boards.It might be helpful to show in a little more detail the next few boards. I also was a little lost when you were explaining the small piece of board and how to use it?

[@slothconstruction]

Hey thanks for the feedback! I will be doing a simular accent wall on my new build and I will make sure to show the process in more detail and answer some of the other questions I've gotten.

[@inwiththenew414]

I would recommend installing the herringbone all the way down. To the floor. Even though it wonder be seen behind your entertainment center, if you ever decide to change furniture or layout then you have to worry about the new furniture being large enough to hide the unfinished part of the wall. Or you may decide to change the layout and showcase the entire wall or put single chairs in front of it. Just sayin'.

[@slothconstruction]

Hey! Thank you for the feedback, that is a good idea, I wasn't thinking to the future for details like that. The next wall I do I'll keep that in mind. Thanks!

[@seankearney730]

Love the video! Great job on the wall! How do you determine the length of the boards for the wall? Thanks!

[@slothconstruction]

Hey thank you. When I choose the size I want to make a W pattern and I'll sometimes measure and draw the pattern with pencil on the wall to get the size. But what I've found that works is walls 12' and wider need a 48"x5.5" board. 5' to 12' wide walls need 24"x5.5" and 3' to 5' wide walls need 16"x3"

[@seankearney730]

Thanks so much for the descriptive reply. Those measurements would pretty much cover anything I need. Very much appreciated!

[@seankearney730]

Love the beveled edge feature!

[@adrina3712]

I am really hoping you can help me here but how would I do this around a 3 x 4 window in the center of the wall?

[@slothconstruction]

I have done walls in the past with windows and what worked best for me was to build a 1/2" x 3" frame around the window and then build the accent wall around it. Another now I built the accent wall flush to the window frame and then cut it back 1/2" all the way around the window and put in 1/2" quarter round trim. both ways came out great!