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This entryway wall has been haunting me since we walked into this house. The previous owner had a beautiful grandfather clock that filled the entire space, and while that was beautiful, I knew I would not be putting a clock here myself. It’s a small space, only 24 inches wide and about 10 inches deep, so an entry table has been nearly impossible to find. On a whim one day, I painted the wall navy to see if I liked an accent wall there, and it’s stayed that way for the last year and half.
BEFORE 
AFTER
But no more! I decided this was the weekend to tackle this project. I can’t tell you exactly how many things I considered doing here, faux shiplap, Sharpie shiplap, wallpaper, nothing, everything and this faux brick. We’ve been planning to do faux brick in our bedroom for a few months but we aren’t yet ready to tackle this project so I decided I wanted to try it here first.
I ordered the faux brick panel from Home Depot for curbside pickup and planned to grab it before my husband got home on a Friday night. Well, it never was ready for pick up so I decided on pre pasted wallpaper in the meantime [insert palm to face emoji]. After picking up the wallpaper, I realized the design would never work on this small wall, so back to faux brick we went. I texted my husband who was out on an errand to pick up this faux brick panel and some spackle on his way home…he’s a wonderful husband and literally did it without asking a question.
When he got home, we got to work!
Here’s what you need:
- Faux Brick Panel
- Stud finder
- Circular saw
- Jigsaw
- 2″ finishing nails
- joint compound
- joint knife
- white paint
- paint roller
First, we measured the wall and located the studs, marking them in pencil. We also filled holes and touched up the paint. We measured the height and width of the wall in multiple places in case the wall wasn’t straight. Surprisingly, our wall was super straight so we didn’t have to make adjustments.
We used a circular saw to cut to size. Make sure you cut with the brick facing down if using a circular saw, since the blades point up. It cuts so beautifully. In order to cut out the outlet, we measured it out and sketched it out with a pencil. We drilled a hole in the middle of the rectangle and then used a jigsaw to cut it to size. It cuts fairly easily but using a power saw was definitely the way to go.
Once it was perfectly cut to size, we were ready to install. We used 2″ finishing nails in the studs, every 8 inches or so. We used good ole’ fashion hammer.
Once it was in the place, the fun part began. I used white joint compound for the German Schmear look with added texture. I applied it with joint knife. I have no advice for the “best” way to do this, I really just wiped it on and wiped it off. Add most compound where I wanted more coverage, less where I wanted less coverage. Once dried, the coverage generally gets heavier.
To seal, I used a 50/50 white paint/water mixture to seal the joint compound. If you skip this step, the joint compound will chip/rub off since it’s a chalky finish. This step is VERY messy, so be sure to put a tarp down before you start this step.
After I started styling this, I knew I wanted to add a lighting element to this space. I remember I had purchased these wall scones for a project 2 years ago, that I didn’t end up using (insert palm to face emoji) but thank goodness I had, because it really finished off the space. Also, spoiler alert, the light is not hardwired, I simply attached a remote controlled puck light (genius right?!). I followed the installation instructions that came with the light when it came to installing and because I wasn’t wiring it, I was able to install in just a few minutes.
Overall, I absolutely love this project and cannot wait to do it in other areas of my house. It’s such an affordable project and makes a HUGE difference in the room. Even with the addition of the light, my out of pocket expense was just about $50 and here’s the breakdown:
Wall panel ($26)
Spackle ($7)
Mirror ($5) is a DIY project linked here
Wall Sconce (I already had it but I’ll add it to the overall budget) just under $25
The entry table is another easy, DIY that you can find here.
