Fellow DIYers, do you ever complete a project that quite simply transforms you into singer/songwriter Pharrell?
Come on, you know what I mean.
You are literally so excited that you spend the next three days dancing and singing the song “Happy.”
This is that project.
“Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof.”
That’s me. Singing and dancing like Pharrell the moment I spied these walls. Try to get that image out of your head.
I’ll help.
“Clap along if you know what happiness is to you.” Friends – happiness is a feature wall made from 100-year-old barn wood.
There’s nothing revolutionary about plank walls. (And let’s be honest, nothing is revolutionary on this blog. If you are looking for revolutionary, you took a wrong turn at Google. Retrace your steps.)
But I think the first time I remember falling in love with a rustic plank wall was when Katie and Jeremy at Bower Power planked out their son’s nursery. That was 2010. And for anyone counting – it’s now 2014. My inspiration takes time to marinate. And since then, planked walls have hit the mainstream on my Pinterest home feed. They’re everywhere.
And when we decided to convert the loft of a 100-year-old barn into an apartment, I immediately knew that we needed some barn wood accents up in there. Luckily for us, we had a BARN full of old barn wood. Score.
So after I finished painting the other walls, Ryan got to work on the barn board. Because we were finishing the walls in this way, Ryan simply insulated the exterior walls and nailed the boards right to the studs (no drywall). This made the process pretty simple (says the person who didn’t do it).
We chose to finish the two end walls in barn wood because I was afraid doing an entire long wall would have been too dark. I love it so much now that I sort of regret not doing the longer walls. Ryan regrets it because it would have been far faster with fewer cuts.
So, there are tutorials all over the interwebs to put up a plank wall. But here’s the thing, it’s totally going to depend on your wood. So focus on the wood. Our wood is a tongue and groove barn siding. Which means it looks sort of like this. The boards essentially go together like a puzzle, which makes it relatively easy to put together.
Here it is going up the wall by the windows. Ryan started the boards at a level line as near as possible to the floor. He cut the individual pieces and then used an air nailer to attach to the studs.
When he reached obstructions (like the switches), he traced the shape onto the board.
And then went downstairs for a few quick measurements and cuts. (I know this is not a true tutorial, but I took some pictures of the process in case you were curious.) I’m sure there are a number of safety issues in this picture. Call OSHA. Seriously. We need OSHA up in here.
Ryan went up and down the stairs a lot that day.
But oh, was it worth it. I consider it a service to provide him with a cardio workout. I’m going to start selling memberships and putting people to work. I’ll just slap a Crossfit sign on the front of the barn and people will come running. Literally. They will literally be running.
Mostly, this project meant Ryan was cutting the lengths of the boards. At the top, he cut it to fit really tight along the roof line.
Don’t you love a man in overalls? Or is that just me?
Moving on … back to the wood. The barn wood. It was hard to get a really good photo of the wood with all the light coming in those windows. But trust me. Gorgeous.
(Don’t mind that wire, it will eventually be hooked to an exterior light. All in good time. Focus on the wood.)
I’m still deciding how I want to trim out the doors and windows. I’m leaning toward a simple white trim to offset the barn wood, but could be persuaded to go a different direction.
The boards are literally 100+ years old. I really love their tones and all the nail holes and pencil markings and …. what do we call that? Character. Ryan and I talked about oiling it because the color took on a gorgeous shade when Ryan wiped them down with water.
I can hardly contain myself. I’m just so happy with how this turned out.
Nothing is safe now. I want to plank everything.
So, do these barn wood walls make you sing “Happy,” too? Or is it just me?
Oh how I just adore this!
Thanks, Kim! I’m pretty obsessed. Nothing is safe from barn wood planks now.
Love the wall and Ryan is so hipster in overalls!
Good luck with that crossfit sign 🙂
And those planks have me absolutely weak in the knees. PLANK MORE THINGS!
It looks awesome! Ryan did a great job.
this is the perfect wall for this space! Great job as usual you guys!
Absolutely love this! I really considered doing the same treatment for our tv wall at the shore but realized our walls are never going to be straight and this project would just drive me crazy. So in other words, aint never going to happen. I’ll just have to admire your work instead 🙂
I fell in love with the Bower’s wall too! Looks friggin amazing Kim. Good stuff. *thumbs up*
Love it and it couldn’t be more perfect for your barn apartment!
Yep, love them. What a statement they make, but without overpowering the small space. And it feels so natural in a loft in a barn. You guys are awesome.
Thanks, friend! I’m digging it, too.
Love the barn wood walls! How appropriate for a barn. 😉 I love the plan for getting to live on your country property sooner, I love the minimizing, love the little apartment progress updates. I look forward to reading about it and seeing the pictures, and I enjoy your writing style. I’m not trying to be all sugar-coated everything, but seriously, keep it up!
How sweet are you? Totally made my night. Thanks for the nice comment.
Absolutely-tootly beeeeyooooootiful! I LOVE it!
*Busting into song on your behalf* It looks killer!!!
I knew I could count on you to sing with me.
Oh my goodness, Kim!!! I LOVE it!! I am totally inspired. I am so excited to follow along on this adventure with you guys. What an exciting time in your life! I remember when you were just talking about the idea and now it is all coming together! So excited to see how it all turns out.
Thank you, friend. It’s crazy when dreams come to life.
Le sigh! That barn wood looks amazing! It’s absolutely GORGEOUS!
So AWESOME!!! I would totally be singing Happy too *every.single.time* I walked in there too. 🙂 Can’t wait to see it finished… looks like you are getting really close!! 🙂
Well, so close and yet so far. 😉 Thanks!
Sigh- I love the walls!! So pretty. I think white trim would be pretty- or maybe even some very dark stained wood trim? Whatever you end up doing will be lovely I’m sure.
And you should totally advertise your barn as a Crossfit- labor that people pay YOU to do? Heck yes!!
I think I’m on to something with the Crossfit idea.
looks so great. the man in overalls thing had me giggling too. good stuff.
I’m thinking I should create a men in overalls calendar. They will be doing work around the house, of course.
I hope you don’t get tired of me saying this, but man am I excited for you guys and this project I want to bring a garden chair and just watch it unfold in real-time ha ha 🙂 My family will understand 🙂
We have plenty of chairs – you wouldn’t even have to bring your own. 😉
OMG! LOOOOOVE it! The barn wood is GORGEOUS!
THIS IS SO BEAUTIFUL!!! You are awesome, as is your overall-ed husband. 🙂
Also… on a side note… of course this would NEVER happen because our children will always be perfect angels forever and ever amen, but if anyone ever asks Henry if he was raised in a barn he can say “Why, Yes! I was! (for at least a short period of time)”
That just became my main reason for living in a barn. THAT excuse. Some days, we already need it.
it looks great– I think just on those end walls is perfect!
I’M IN LOVEEEEEEEEEEE with this wall. It’s pretty much perfection. Like your face.
Check with Cindy but I don’t think Crossfit people run. I think that’s why they crossfit. Carrying boards up and down stairs totally seems like a Crossfit thing though. You’re onto something. Slap a sign on that barn!
Meh. Run/walk/lift/DO ALL MY WORK ALREADY.
Oh Kim. The walls look AMAZING. I absolutely love the barn wood! Gorgeous. And forget trends, you win with the barn wood wall since you’re living in a barn, and all.
Also, the CrossFit idea is brilliant. I think you’re on to something. ; )
I knew you’d like my Crossfit idea. Can you please come live in the barn with us and run the training facility. We have a house to build.
it looks amazing! love this wall! i want to kiss it, even if i might get splinters.
I totally kissed it. Not gonna lie.
I need to plank ALL THE THINGS as well!! I am DYING over how amazing these walls look!
I think for your next trip, you should come down to Atlanta and help me plank the bathroom!
LOL – you better be careful – I may take you up on that offer.
Looks amazing, I think white trim would look awesome.