If you are familiar with my writing, you will know that I love the look of wooden accent walls. The problem is that the idea of installing one can be as intimidating as hell. If you have always wanted a wooden accent wall but were nervous about the cost of all the tools and materials to do it, I have found the solution for you.
The easiest way to install a wooden accent wall into your man cave is by using something called peel and stick planks. The only tools you need to install peel and stick planks are a tape measure, a level, a saw, and a pencil. There are some companies out there that sell real wooden peel and stick planks that come in all kinds of beautiful variations. You can expect to pay anywhere from $8 to $16 per square foot for these planks. It is worth not being cheap when shopping for these materials!
I’m not sure what it is about natural wood accent walls in man caves. They just make the space feel… authentically me. The space instantly gets transformed into a warm, comfortable room. But not everyone has tools on hand or the technical confidence to install a traditional wooden accent wall. This is where peel and stick wood planks come in.
It turns out you don’t actually need fancy tools to execute that wooden accent wall you have been imagining in your man cave.
Why Peel and Stick Wood Planks Are The Solution
I first discovered peel and stick planks were a thing a year or two ago, and I have to admit, I was skeptical. I will be the first to admit, I put them into the same category as those disgusting peel and stick floor tiles. After all, I had experience working with those peel and stick tiles; those are what I used for flooring in my man cave’s knee wall/crawl space.
Peel and stick planks are not the same as peel and stick tiles! I couldn’t have been more wrong by putting them into the same category. With peel and stick tiles, everything is precisely the same. Nothing is unique. It feels so… sterile.
Depending on where you get your peel and stick planks, every plank is unique. You aren’t sticking gross imitation wood patterns to your wall. It’s actual wood, so each piece will be unique.
The reason I am so excited about peel and stick planks is because of how easy they are to install. You need minimal tools. I spend a lot of time writing about how to get your man cave looking how you want it without having to buy a full-blown carpenter’s tool selection.
If you are looking for the easiest way to add the MOST personality to your man cave, game room, or pool room, installing a wooden accent wall with peel and stick wood planks is going to be your best bet. It will also be your most cost-effective bet. If you’re looking for easy ways to add that wow-factor to your room, I want you to be getting excited too.
How To Install Peel And Stick Planks
The process for installing the accent wall will be different because you will be using the peel and stick planks. So, how do you install them?
If you have installed a typical wooden wall, you will probably remember how difficult it was to worry about things staying aligned as you pound with a hammer and nail into that ever-elusive stud. That is not what we are doing here with these boards.
It is important to remember when you are using real wood to acclimate to the room it is going into. If you skip this step, there will be some warped planks that will give you headaches. It is essential to allow your materials to sit in the room for no less than three days. You can thank me later for the time (and money this will save you).
Next, it is crucial that you give yourself a reference point to work from while you install your planks. Depending on the width of your planks, the number could be different. But if you are using planks that are four or five inches wide (the standard size), measure out your reference line at 20 inches. This line can be drawn right onto the drywall since your planks will be sticking to the drywall itself. You will want to use your handy-dandy level to make sure this line is straight. Or else, your entire wall will be crooked. We do not want that.
After you have drawn that reference line, all there is left to do is begin throwing planks up onto the wall and creating the new focal point of your man cave! Not all planks will be created equal when it comes to the adhesive backing. But for most, it will be essential to press them firmly onto the wall (some planks will come with recommended tools for this). This helps make sure they completely adhere to the wall itself. When doing this, make sure the plank’s seams or edges (if they have them) are alternating.
Will They Last?
If you plan on using peel and stick planks for your project, you are probably thinking to yourself, “I better only have to do this once.” I don’t blame you. You are putting a lot of effort into this project, so it better last.
The fact is, not all peel and stick plank products are created equal. I suppose this will be true for any product; there will be some brands that won’t stand up to others. After a quick look, from what I can find, you should be aiming for a product that lasts 10 years. Of course, that doesn’t mean it is going to stay exactly that long.
If you buy the right plank, the wood itself will stay looking how you want it to for a long time. In most cases, the part that ends up going first is the adhesive strip that holds the plank in place on top of the drywall.
What Options Are Available?
After looking around the market, you will find all kinds of different brands selling “peel and stick wooden planks.” So, which is most worth your hard-earned money.
First, I stopped at Home Depot. Sure their prices were great, but I quickly realized that they were selling “wood-like planks.” So don’t be fooled here. You are not buying real, authentic wooden planks. Depending on the goals for your room, this may be okay. But let’s face it, you are here because you want your man cave to look as clean and distinguished as possible.
So after looking around, there are a few companies that stand out who are selling authentic peel and stick wood planks. The two that caught my eye were Woodywalls and Stikwood.
Thoughts on WoodyWalls
Between these two, Woodywalls has lower prices. For the sake of consistency, I compare what it would cost for the materials to cover a 20 X 9 wall. After typing this into Woodywall’s calculator, they told me I would be needing to buy 10 bundles, and that would cost around $1500.
But after clicking around on their website, I did not get warm fuzzies. It felt like there was information missing from their product pages. If I am going to be spending that much money on a project, you bet I want to know what I am buying. If you are looking to save money, this could be a good option, but I am unsure if your goal is quality and consistency.
Why I think Stikwood is Your Best Bet
At first glance, Stikwood’s website lets me know they are serious about their product and proud to be offering it. They also do have a pretty incredible selection… They have a huge variety of traditional planks, but they also have something “Fanwall,” which includes some of the colors of your favorite college team in it. If you haven’t seen it, it is worth a look here.
Going back to that 20 X 9 project. Certain woods are more than others, but I found the average to be about $12 a square foot. They do their pricing by the square foot, so they have pretty transparent pricing. If we use that number, it would cost around $2160 to cover a 20 X 9 wall.
But personally, after seeing the pride they take in their product and their transparency with what it is, I would much rather pay the higher price for this confidence.
The other cool thing is that Stikwood has been featured on some home remodeling TV shows on HG Network. I am sure there was some type of brand deal, but if it is good enough for Property Brother’s to use, you bet it is good enough for me.
The thing with wood is that it seems to come to life in person. Seeing pictures of it doesn’t do it justice. If you want to see what it looks like in person for yourself, they offer samples, which are a really cheap way to make sure you know what you are buying. Before you spend that chunk of money on planking, It is worth getting a sample pack first to make sure you are ordering what you want.
How Much Will Your Project Cost?
If you know roughly how big your project will be, this is about how much you can expect to spend.
| Project Cost Estimate | 9 ft X 10 ft | 9 ft X 15 ft | 9 ft X 20 ft |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 Per SQ ft | $900 | $1350 | $1800 |
| $12 Per SQ ft | $1080 | $1620 | $2160 |
| $14 Per SQ ft | $1260 | $1890 | $2520 |
| $16 Per SQ ft | $1440 | $2160 | $2880 |
Final Thoughts
If you are looking to turn one of the walls in your man cave into a wooden accent wall, peel and stick planks are going to be your best option. They require minimal tools and are a completely accessible DIY project which will completely change the feel of your space.
To create a wooden accent wall with peel and stick planks, all you need is a level, a pencil, a tape measure, and a saw. I have spent a lot of time writing about different DIY projects, and I think this has to be one of the simplest and most impactful ones yet.
While there are all kinds of options out there, my suggestion has to be Stikwood. After a quick look at their site and how they present themselves, you can just feel how passionate they are about their product. They are also transparent in their pricing, what their work is, and what they have to offer.
I hope this article gave you some hope in your ability to finally get that sweet accent wall you have been daydreaming about.
Until next time,