As somebody who has painted partitions in nearly each house I’ve lived in as an grownup, let me say that portray sucks. I’ve discovered methods through the years to complete the job faster (I even personal a set of paint instruments!), nevertheless it’s nonetheless a protracted, annoying course of that may suck up extra time than you’d anticipate.
Final 12 months I used to be privileged to develop into a house owner, and naturally the Nice Algorithm observed and started shoving all types of residence makeover tasks, merchandise, and providers onto my Instagram. (Do you know you may get a roof alternative totally free? Sure, it sounds too good to be true.) One did catch my eye, although—Wooden Veneer Hub. I noticed advert after advert clawing by way of my feed showcasing residence setups with a stunning wooden slat accent wall. It was precisely my type of aesthetic.
The corporate guarantees straightforward set up—a room makeover that will not take up a laborious day of portray, and it largely delivers. As WIRED’s resident residence workplace product tester, I made a decision to strive these panels for my workplace. I’ve carried out standing desks, workplace chairs, webcams, desk lamps, and even submitting cupboards, however by no means have I examined one thing that’d drastically change the look of my area.
Pretty Simple Set up
Wooden Veneer Hub’s Slatpanels, as they’re referred to as, comprise medium-density fiberboard strips hooked up to recycled felt materials with sound-dampening properties. Every field has two Slatpanels with about 9 slats per panel—you may must measure your partitions (or ceiling!) to search out the required dimension. You possibly can select between a No End or an Oiled End choice, and I counsel the latter—it prices just a little extra however saves you the effort of making use of a end and protects the wooden.
I made a decision to strive them out on one wall of my residence workplace, like an accent wall. It took about 13 Slatpanels (I used to be despatched seven containers, which means I used to be left with one spare Slatpanel), and I screwed them into the studs. You possibly can set up them on high of your baseboard, however I made a decision it seemed higher with out my baseboard, so I stripped it away. There is a tiny hole between the panels and my ground nevertheless it’s hardly noticeable. This additionally meant I did not want to chop the panels (aside from shops and light-weight switches).
That is the tough half—slicing out holes. I wanted to chop out a number of holes for shops, a lightweight swap, and my mild fixture. When you’ve got an electrical noticed, you are already in a a lot better place than I used to be. I had a easy handsaw and no workbench, so it was troublesome to get straight traces whereas sawing off items. I used my Milwaukee Fastback knife to chop from the felt facet first, and it did a surprisingly good job. Be smarter than me and use a protracted degree or ruler and tape it to the panels to maintain these traces straight. Fortunately, it’s a must to look carefully to see how jagged my holes are, or not less than that is what I maintain telling myself.