DIY Geometric Wood Accent Wall
Well, we finally did it. Our geometric wood accent wall is complete and I’M SO IN LOVE WITH IT! In fact, I love the finished product so much, I wrote a tutorial about it! (Surprise, surprise).
How to Create a Modern Wood Feature Wall
Well, we finally did it. Our geometric wood accent wall is complete and I’M SO IN LOVE WITH IT!
Waaaayyyy back in March, I started renovating our dining room. I was completely inspired by the accent wall Liz over at Within the Grove created and just knew I had to give it a whirl. And heck - I had nothing to lose considering what we started with!
But because we seriously lack focus as far as home renovations go, we got distracted working on my home office redesign, finishing the flip, and… what else?
Oh yeah, completely demolishing our master suite.
But FINALLY, we were able to take a little bit of time, find some childcare (toddlers and nail guns don’t mix - who knew!?), and put this wall up in just a couple of hours! Easy peasy. Then I just had to caulk and paint and now I spend most of my time gazing lovingly at it. I mean, wouldn’t you!?
In fact, I love the finished product so much, I wrote a tutorial about it! (Surprise, surprise). Here’s how I created my geometric wood accent wall:
Materials
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- Primed 1 x 2 MDF boards (the amount you need will vary based on your design)
- Brad nail gun
- Nails
- Paint
- Paintbrush
- Craft brush
- Paintable caulk
- Wood Putty
- Sandpaper
- Miter saw
- Level
Draft the Design of your Accent Wall
First things first, I started by drafting up a bunch of designs using graph paper. I initially drafted 4 designs and didn’t fall in love with any of them. Then I drafted 4 more. And you know what? I actually didn’t use anything I mocked up!
HOWEVER, I still think this step is important because it gave me an idea of what I definitely did and didn’t want to include in my final design.
Optional Step - Bump Out Your Crown Molding and Baseboards
This step is definitely not required, but I’m really happy we did it.
Since our crown molding and baseboards taper off on the edges, Lucius and I were concerned about how it would look where the MDF boards met up with them. Below is an example of what I’m talking about.
You see how the MDF sticks out further than the baseboard? We wanted a smoother transition. And since we were taking some of the trim off anyway to open the doorway, we just took it all down. Then on the accent wall, we put a piece of MDF up and placed the trim on top of that.
Paint
Once we had the trim finished, I painted the accent wall. This will save you time once your accent wall is installed.
My wall is Desert Lake by Sherwin Williams in an eggshell finish.
Install Your Accent Wall
Once the paint is dry, it’s time to install your accent wall! Here are a couple of tips to get you started:
Stick with 45 and 90-degree angles
Have an extra pair of hands available (especially when it comes to leveling/nailing the long boards)
From drafting a bunch of designs, I knew I wanted one long section that went from the bottom left to the top right, so that’s where we started. This also happened to be the longest section and was the trickiest to level and nail.
And honestly, from there we just held up boards at different angles and with various spacing to see what looked and felt right. Then we leveled and nailed as we went - even using some of our scraps as filler pieces!
Once we got into a groove, the install went by really fast and ended up being a really fun project.
Fill the Gaps
Of course, installing the wall is only part of the project. Now you have to fill your nail holes with wood putty and caulk all your seams.
I caulked along the seams where the MDF met the wall. I also caulked where two pieces of MDF butted up against each other. You could use wood putty or joint compound here instead, which would probably be a smoother transition, but I really didn’t want to sand all that and I’m happy with the final product. I ended up using about 2 tubes of caulk.
Once the wood putty is dry, sand it down. And once the caulk is dry….
Paint Some More!
This part of the project gets a little tedious because you have to apply the rest of the paint with a brush, but you’ll get through it (I believe in you).
Make sure you get into every nook and cranny. I used a craft brush in the really tight spots where my boards met with an adjacent wall or the trim. You’ll definitely want to brush on two coats.
Once your paint is dry, you’re done! Now you can style your room and enjoy!
Final Thoughts About Our Geometric Accent Wall
I’m head over heels in love with it! Before this renovation, our dining room was so out of place. It was like it belonged in a different house. Although our house is still a bit of a mixture of different styles (there are several rooms we haven’t touched yet), it’s well on its way to having a cohesive look.
The only thing left to do now in this room is to fill it, and I.CAN’T.WAIT. And you better believe that light fixture is getting the boot! Watch for that post in the next couple of weeks!
Related Dining Room Renovation Posts
Build Your Own Geometric Wood Feature Wall
How to Pick the Right Size Lamp (Every Time!)
A lamp is a lamp is a lamp, right? WRONG. Although a lamp may easily serve its main purpose of lighting up a room, choosing the wrong size can really skew your design. But how do you pick the right size lamp? In this post, we’re going to talk all about how to choose the correct size table lamp, so you can select the perfect size lamp on the first try (and not try out a bunch like I did).
Choose the Perfect Size Lamp for Every Space
A lamp is a lamp is a lamp, right? WRONG. Although a lamp may easily serve its main purpose of lighting up a room, choosing the wrong size can really skew your design. But how do you pick the right size lamp?
You wouldn’t think picking out a lamp would be difficult, would you? I certainly didn’t… until I tried to pick one out for my desk.
As I was perusing my options, I quickly realized I have no clue how to choose the right size lamp! Standing in Target, I found myself with lamp paralysis, second-guessing every lamp I laid eyes on. (Don’t worry, I don’t think it’s contagious.)
You see, all these years, I’ve just been winging it. Sometimes I’ve bought the right size, but other times I’ve been way off base. But since I just ran into this issue, I figured other folks have likely had this conundrum before too - and that’s okay! There’s more to it than you’d think.
That’s why in this post, we’re going to talk all about how to choose the correct size table lamp, so you can select the perfect size lamp on the first try (and not try out a bunch like I did).
I’ve been researching this topic a ton, and I’ve learned that there are two main questions to consider: “what size lampshade do you need?” and “how tall should your lamp be?”. Simply picking out a lamp that’s pretty won’t cut it.
To buy the right lamp for your space, answering these two questions can make or break your room design. And the answer to both of these questions is more mathematical than I expected.
How to Choose the Right Size Lamp
Lamp base and shade requirements can vary depending on the room and what types of tasks are performed there. Height, width, and style all play an important role in choosing the best lamp for your space. And to demonstrate how these elements come into play, I’m going to regale you all with my astonishing photo manipulation skillz once again. You’re welcome.
Height
Height is one of the most involved factors in choosing the right lamp. Let me explain what I mean.
First of all, when considering the height of your lamp, you want to make sure that whatever surface your lamp is on, it isn’t so tall that it shines into your eyes. To prevent this, make sure the bottom of the lampshade is no higher than eye level. This should hide the glare from the light bulb and actually allow you to see. You’re trying to light the space - not blind yourself.
For example, in the image below, if you were to sit on the couch, the bottom of the lampshade should hit at or below eye level.
But you should also consider the ratio of the height of the shade to the lamp base. The shade should be approximately ⅓ the height of the entire lamp (including the bulb and/or harp). This means, if your lamp is 24 inches tall from base to bulb/harp, your shade should be around 8 inches tall.
I’m going to throw it out there up front - rarely will any base/shade combination have the perfect ratios, but as long as you’re within a couple of inches it’ll look fine. Take the below image for example. Although the shade is a little larger than 1/3 the size of the base, it’s close enough that it still looks okay.
Lastly, it’s a good idea to consider the scale of the table your lamp is sitting on in relation to the lamp base. If you had a small end table and a giant lamp, it would certainly look (and probably be) top-heavy, and vice versa!
As a rule of thumb, consider that your lamp should be a maximum of 1.5 times the height of your table.
Width
To make things more complicated, it’s also advised that the measurement across the bottom of the shade should be twice as wide as the diameter of the base of your lamp.
For example, if the base of your lamp is 6 inches wide, the bottom of your lampshade should be 12 inches wide (give or take an inch or two). For a square or rectangular lamp base or shade, measure diagonally.
But don’t give up yet! In the example below, you can see how that measurement isn’t exact. Remember - within an inch or two is close enough! No one is going to take a tape measure to your lamp - and if they do, do you really want that person in your house anyway?
One other, more straight-forward aspect to lamp width: you should also consider the width of the table your lamp is sitting on and make sure your lampshade is no wider than the table. This not only looks better but also helps prevent it from being accidentally knocked over.
Style
The last element of picking the right lamp is definitely the most intuitive, least math-involved (yay!), and dare I say most important? Simply enough, you want your lamp to “go” with the style of the table it’s sitting on (say whaaat?).
For instance, if you have a big, chunky table, you can probably get away with a big, chunky lamp. But a super skinny lamp (even if it was tall) would look odd.
I would also think about the style of not only the table but the entire room. Your lamp is essentially a functional design element - have fun with it - but make sure it fits the space.
Summary
I know I just threw a lot of information at you, so here are the main points:
The bottom of the lampshade should be no higher than eye level.
The lampshade should be approximately ⅓ the height of the entire lamp (including the bulb and/or harp).
Your lamp should be a maximum of 1.5 times the height of the table.
The shade should be twice as wide as the diameter of the base of the lamp.
The lampshade should be no wider than the table it sits on.
Your lamp should “go” with the style of the room.
Choosing a Lamp for my Office
So, following these rules, was I FINALLY able to find a lamp for my office? Well, allow me to tell you the story of my little lamp adventure.
Of course a few weeks after I posted about the DIY Sharpie wall in my office, I learn that I have the completely wrong-sized lamp in there!
Granted, I want to save some face by saying that a) I’ve always felt like something was “off” with this lamp but never quite knew what and b) I stole this lamp from our bedroom because I needed one in my office in a hurry. It was never meant to be permanent. Excuses aside, I figured it was a prime example of what not to do when choosing a lamp. And here’s why:
Mistake #1: The biggest no-no here, and the reason I now realize why this lamp has always felt “off”, is the giant lampshade. It’s half the height of the lamp! And it’s probably 3 times as wide as the base.
Mistake #2: I know the desk looks pretty in the picture above, but in real life, I have my giant desktop up there and it feels CROWDED. This lamp is way too big to be functional in this space.
Mistake #3: I know I mentioned above that this lamp was a temporary fix, but to really drive the point home I think it’s important to point out the mismatching styles going on. First of all, the wall is so busy that the lines on the lampshade almost make you dizzy. And second, the style of the base is a little more traditional than this room can handle.
So while I was in Target on my lamp replacement adventure, I picked up this cutie, fully unsure of my purchase because I hadn’t yet written this post and learned all this valuable information! I came home and plopped it on my desk and had a couple realizations…
Remember earlier when I mentioned scale as an important element to consider? This is why.
While the style was okay (there are a lot of gold/blonde wood tones going on though), this lamp was way too dainty for this space. I could immediately tell I needed something bulkier.
And just to see if another size lamp that I already had would work better, I borrowed a lamp from one of my daughter’s rooms.
Right away it was glaringly obvious it wasn’t tall enough. At this point I started to feel a little like Goldilocks and started researching the correct lamp size… and a blog post was born. (Isn’t she beautiful!?)
Now, you may be wondering that since I’m putting the lamp on a desk why I didn’t just buy a desk lamp. And the answer is simply: I didn’t want to. A desk lamp would be fine, but I was more drawn to the table lamps so that’s what I went searching for.
So taking the information I learned about lamps, I took another stab at it and found this beauty!
She’s the whole dang package.
The new lamp is weighty enough to ground the space, but not so big I bump into it all the time. It’s also a perfect height, and lastly, the style suits this room. The colors go well with the surrounding decor and the curved but sharp edges of the silhouette are a great contrast to all the straight lines on the wall and the angled line in the doors of the desk.
And remember how I mentioned above that style may be the most important factor? This is a perfect scenario because although the lampshade is pretty tall for this base, it “goes” with the style and makes sense. I think the fact that it’s a skinnier shade helps.
And here’s how the new lamp looks with my desktop. Because the lampshade isn’t so big, I have a few more inches of wiggle room so hopefully I don’t bump into this one all the time.
Who knew anyone could write so much about a friggin’ table lamp? But here I am! And I hope you were able to take away some valuable info to help round out your spaces.
Now, I’m going to go sit down by the warm glow of my beautiful new lamp and birth a new post. Ew… forget I said that…
If you enjoyed this post, you may also like:
How to Select the Perfect Size Lamp Every Time
DIY Sharpie Wall Tutorial
HOT DAMN, it’s been a minute since I shared an update about my home office redesign. Well, don’t you worry your pretty little head. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been working on it!
I’ve finally painted this room and created a killer DIY Sharpie wall that I can’t wait to share with you (including a tutorial)!
How to Make Faux Wallpaper with Sharpie
HOT DAMN, it’s been a minute since I shared an update about my home office redesign. Well, don’t you worry your pretty little head. That doesn’t mean I haven’t been working on it!
I’ve finally painted this room and created a killer DIY Sharpie wall that I can’t wait to share with you (including a tutorial)!
But first, a quick refresher:
There was a lot to do to get this room prepped. If you recall, I started with this beauty of a space.
In my kick-off post, I shared the beginning stages of my redesign and my design inspiration to ultimately round out the room. When all was said and done, I had purchased a desk and chair and shopped around my own house to find a few items to make this room at least a little more tolerable, especially since it’s become my office since COVID started.
Baby PhotoBomb and all
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This post may contain affiliate links, meaning I receive commissions for purchases made through those links, at no cost to you.
Of course, that wasn’t my final design plan though! Over the last several months(!!!), as we’ve been working on the dining room renovation (HERE and HERE), the flip (HERE, HERE, and HERE), and the master suite remodel (HERE), I’ve been stealing any free time I can find to work on this room - and it’s finally coming together!
In the kick-off post for this room, I mentioned how I was loving the design below and I planned to use Sharpie Paint Pens to create an accent wall.
Well, I’ve done it! And of course, I’ll show you how I made it happen with a DIY Sharpie wall tutorial. Let’s go!
Materials
- Sharpie Paint Pens
- I ended up using 3 medium point oil-based gold metallic pens
- Make sure you’re using Sharpie Paint Pens and NOT a regular Sharpie or you’ll have a helluva time painting over it if you ever want to.
- Level
- Pencil
- Ruler
- Patience
- I’ll warn you, this project isn’t necessarily quick. But I think the end result is worth it for sure!
Step 1: Create a Template
I jumped into this project with a vision, but there were a few things I needed to do before I could get to the fun part. First things first, I needed to figure out the scale of my design. To do this, I simply drew one of the diamonds for the design in approximately the size I was imagining on a piece of paper and taped it up on the wall.
I’m glad I took this simple step, too, because the first diamond was larger than I wanted.
Once I figured out the sizing, I created a mocked-up design on some paper and taped that up as well. This helped me feel more confident to move forward.
Step 2 - Draw your Vertical Lines
Next, I worked on penciling my pattern onto the wall. I started by marking every 4 inches along the bottom of the wall by the baseboard.
I actually started in the middle of the room so I didn’t end up with a full diamond on one side of the wall and a partial diamond on the other. Now, both sides have partial diamonds and I think it flows nicely.
The mocked-up design was created out of 6x6 squares, but that doesn’t translate to 6 inches from corner to corner - it’s more like 8.5. To make it easier on myself, I didn’t fret over the diamonds being that EXACT dimension as long as they were close. I ended up making my diamonds 8x8 from corner to corner.
The image below hopefully helps show that the diamonds themselves are 8 inches, but because they all have a vertical line running through them as part of the design, I marked along the baseboard every 4 inches.
From here, I used a laser level that I hooked on to a laundry basket to lightly pencil in my vertical lines. This is the level we have. You could also use a traditional level for this step, though it’ll take you a little longer.
Pro tip: As you’re drawing your vertical lines, measure along the way every once in a while to make sure they’re still 4 inches from one another. I didn’t do this and had to fix quite a bit because of it (I think my level may have shifted a couple of times). I’ll show you what I mean a little further down.
Step 3 - Draw your Diagonal Lines
Once I drew my vertical lines, it was time to pencil in my diagonal lines. For this step, I measured up 4 inches from the bottom of every other vertical line and made a tick mark. Then, I went back and measured up 8 inches from the bottom of the remaining vertical lines and made a tick mark.
Once you’ve marked your vertical lines along the bottom accordingly, you can make a tick mark every 8 inches on each line until you hit the top of the line where it meets the ceiling.
When you’ve finished making all your tick marks, lightly (again, emphasis on the lightly part) connect your tick marks diagonally.
Step 4: Fix Your Mistakes
You will inevitably have measured a little off here and there. NOW IS YOUR CHANCE TO FIX THAT.
Remember how I said to check that your vertical lines were 4 inches apart all the way up the wall? Well, this is why I specifically called that out.
It’s super important to make sure that your vertical lines intersect with the points of your diamonds. Otherwise, when you add your remaining lines to each diamond, they’re going to look weird if the vertical line isn’t centered (or mostly centered. We’re not robots, after all).
So before you go gung-ho and bust out your paint pen, correct your lines or you’ll have to paint over a bunch of them like I did.
Bwomp Bwomp #DIYfail
Yeah, there were quite a few that didn’t line up as well as I wanted them to. It was a huge time suck that could have been avoided if I had corrected them before I traced over my pencil lines with Sharpie. Learn from my mistakes!
Once your lines are nice and centered, you can trace over them with your Sharpie Paint Pen. I recommend starting with your diagonal lines, as you can cheat the vertical lines here and there a little if needed. This design is so busy, it’s hard to tell if they don’t line up perfectly.
Step 5 - Add Lines to Each Diamond
This is where it starts to get more exciting (yet, also more time-consuming) because you can really see your design start to come together. To save my arms from falling off, I did this part in sections over several days.
Starting at the bottom tip of each diamond, make a tick mark at 2 inches and 4 inches along the bottom two sides.
Then, draw a line connecting the top point of your diamond to each of your tick marks.
It’s kind of an ugly little mock-up, but it gets the point across
Soon, you’ll see it start to come together. This is where I got a little excited and just HAD to see what a few of them looked like grouped together.
Eeeeeee, so exciting!
Step 6 - Finish the Edges
No matter how you plan out your design, you’re going to have pieces of the pattern that are incomplete where the design meets an adjacent wall. These sections are a little tricky to finish. Here’s what I did.
The bottom row: Because of how I started my design along the baseboard, there are half diamonds that needed to be finished. But since the bottom half of the diamond was missing, I had to figure out how to work around that.
To do so, I simply took a piece of paper, held it up in the middle (horizontally) of one of the completed diamonds, and marked where the lines were. I then used that to mark where those lines would be in the middle of each half diamond.
Then, I drew a line from the top of the diamond to each tick mark.
The top row: I followed similar steps on the top row. I took that same piece of paper and held it up in the middle of each diamond to identify where the line would intersect.
Then, I drew a line from the tick marks on the bottom edges of each diamond (remember how we made marks 2 inches apart in an earlier step?) to the tick marks I made in the middle of the diamond.
The sides: Along the sides of the wall where I only had a small section of a diamond to work with definitely took a little noodling to figure out. Since I didn’t have the rest of the diamond to use to make my tick marks or lines, I had to come up with another solution.
I ended up tracing one of my diamonds and cutting out a new template that I could wrap around the side of the wall. I made tick marks at the tip of the diamond and where any lines within the diamond would touch the bottom edge using the lines on the template as a guide.
Next, I used a piece of paper to wrap around the corner and connect my dots in pencil.
Then, I was able to use my ruler to trace my pencil line in Sharpie to the edge of the wall.
Step 7 - Touch-ups
There will most certainly be areas that you goofed up here and there (you can even catch some of my goof-ups in the pictures above!). Now that your design is complete, take a craft brush and touch up any lines that are a little wonky or any stray marks.
Bonus Step - Stand Back and Enjoy
Man, you just spent a lot of time creating an accent wall - relish in it because it looks AWESOME! I know I’ve spent a ridiculous amount of time admiring my handiwork. You should too!
Now, let’s be real. Would it have been easier to just use wallpaper? Probably! I found lots of similar wallpaper designs, but on many of them the design was way bigger than I wanted or the colors weren’t right. And don’t get me started on the cost! By DIYing my own design, I was able to completely customize it FOR CHEAP! Plus, I love a challenge and it feels good to know I created this wall with my own two hands.
This space has undergone such a huge transformation. It’s hard to believe it was once red and blue. Now it’s so much brighter and more inviting. I definitely don’t mind working in this office anymore and actually prefer to work in here now! Especially since I get to share my space with my sweet little plant babies all day long while I work.
I definitely don’t consider this room “complete” yet. Heck - I still have the whole other side of the room to furnish! But that’s a post for another day…
Related Home Office Design Posts:
How to Create a Sharpie Accent Wall
How To Limewash Your Brick House
If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you may have come across the post where I wrote about the flip that we bought. In that post, I talked about painting our little brick flip house white. Well, I’m excited to say that now it IS white! But I didn’t end up painting it - I limewashed it!
How I Limewashed our Flip
If you’ve read some of my previous posts, you may have come across the post where I wrote about the flip that we bought. In that post, I talked about painting our little brick flip house white. Well, I’m excited to say that now it IS white! But I didn’t end up painting it - I limewashed it!
What is limewash?
You may be asking yourself, “What the heck is limewash!?” Well, I’m here to fill you in!
At a high level, limewash is essentially crushed limestone that is combined with water to make a wash. It’s a method that’s been around for centuries. When applied to a porous surface (like brick), it creates a chalky, matte finish. In the picture above I’ve only applied one coat, but you can apply multiple coats for a more opaque finish.
How is that different from whitewash?
There are actually lots of differences between limewash and whitewash. Allow me to break it down for you.
Going Green: First of all, limewash is environmentally friendly. In fact, it’s also mold-resistant, so once applied you shouldn’t have to worry about power washing that green fungus off the side of your house! On the flip side, whitewash is made with diluted water-based paint, which is pretty chemically and not so great for the environment.
Permeability: Limewash penetrates the brick, which means it won’t peel with time whereas paint never truly soaks in and can peel and flake after a couple of years. Limewash will erode eventually, but it takes much longer and can actually end up making the brick look antique and even better. But if you don’t like how it looks once the limewash starts to wear off, you can always apply more on top.
COST!: The ingredients for limewash are incredibly inexpensive. One 50-lb bag of hydrated lime cost us around $8. The only other ingredient is water.
Color: Limewash really only comes in one color - white. You can add pigment, but I didn’t explore that option for our house and didn’t see a lot of “how to’s” out there so I’m not sure how tricky it is. Whitewash on the other hand can technically be done with any color of paint.
Safety: Limewash is highly caustic and will burn you if it touches your bare skin. Paint on the other hand is… paint. No big deal.
Why did we choose limewashing over whitewashing?
Obviously, there are pros and cons to both limewashing and whitewashing. But how do you choose one method over the other? I think it’s really up to personal opinion. After hours of research, there were several big reasons that pushed me to give limewashing a try.
I knew I wanted the brick to be white, so color wasn’t an issue.
I really like the matte finish of limewashing. However, it’s worth noting that you can get a matte finish if you were to use flat paint for whitewashing.
I had never tried this method before, so it was definitely intriguing to try something new.
COST! Since this is a flip, we’re always focused on the budget. But even if it were my own house it’s just my nature to be sensitive to how much things cost.
And the biggest factor: permeability. Knowing that the limewash would stay on the surface of the brick for longer, and may even look better over time, was a big plus. Even though I won’t be living in this house, I want to do right by the person who eventually buys it, so the option with the proven longer-lasting result felt like the right way to go.
How did you do it?
Ah yes, the the fun part, where I give you a step-by-step first-hand experience as to how I limewashed our house! Here’s what you’ll need to get your limewashing on -
Materials
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- Hydrated lime
- Large paintbrush (mine was 4 inches)
- 5-gallon bucket
- Hose w/ spray nozzle
- Gloves
- Long sleeves
- Mask
- Safety goggles
- Long stir stick or drill with mixing paddle
- Nice weather - I know this isn’t really a “material”, but it’s super important for a nice finished product! Avoid weather that is too cold or too hot. You should also try to avoid applying your wash in direct sunlight (especially on hot days) as it can dry out too fast, or on overly humid days (which will slow down the drying process).
Step 1 - Preparation
When preparing to do any finish on the exterior of a home it’s important to get rid of any grime or dirt that could cause a barrier between your exterior surface and your paint/wash. Several days before I limewashed the house, Lucius took some time to power wash the exterior to get it so fresh and so clean, clean.
It would have been smart to remove the shutters before the power washing but, meh. You live, you learn (and now you have Alanis Morissette stuck in your head). Above is my father-in-law helping me with a tricky screw on the shutters before I got started limewashing.
Step 2 - Mixing your wash
The main ingredient for this project is hydrated lime. Everything I read makes it sound like this is available at any hardware store, but in my experience, it was crazy hard to find! I was thisclose to buying a bag off Amazon for a lot more when we finally found a store that carried the brand above.
When I say this project is cheap, I mean it. The entire 50 lb bag cost us less than $8! And although only the front facade of our house is brick, we barely made a dent in the bag.
As previously mentioned, lime is really caustic. The hydrated lime comes in a fine powder that gets EVERYWHERE so before you start mixing your wash cover yourself up! Throw on some pants, long sleeves, gloves, goggles, and a mask.
I don’t know why i felt the need to smile in this picture.
To mix your wash you need an 80/20 ratio - 80% water, 20% hydrated lime. I poured water and the hydrated lime in the correct proportions into a 5-gallon bucket until it was pretty full, then took my drill with the mixing paddle and mixed it up.
If you’re limewashing a whole house, several of the sources that I read talked about how it’s worthwhile to mix all your wash at once in a wheelbarrow so you have a consistent batch. You can mix batches as needed, but you run the risk of one batch being more opaque or transparent than the next. Since our house is small and only the front is brick, I didn’t think I’d need more than one small batch.
I don’t know why but I was anticipating it to be MUCH more difficult to mix. It was actually very easy and could be done with a long stir stick if needed. The most commonly used comparison I found when researching this process was that your final product should be the consistency of whole milk.
Step 3- Application
Changing the exterior of your house is pretty terrifying, especially with a process you’ve never done first-hand and that isn’t easily reversible if you dislike the end product. But let me tell you that limewash is insanely easy to apply!
To begin, wet the brick down with your hose. I recommend wetting it down in sections as you work your way around the house so it doesn’t dry before you get to it. Then, start at the top and work your way down in sections.
You can apply your limewash liberally, just take care not to drip a ton on any concrete or porous surfaces below that you don’t want limewashed. Depending on the look you’re going for, it’s not necessary to get in every nook and cranny.
Below is a quick little video I shot as I was applying the wash so you can see first-hand how easy this is.
As you can see, I wasn’t shy about loading up my brush and just slapping it on. I did try to avoid big drips on the lower bricks because I didn’t want them to dry before I could smooth them out, but even the inevitable drip here and there ended up being a nonissue.
Something good to know ahead of time - the wash goes on very transparent. Don’t let this scare you! I only did one coat on the whole house and as you can see in the picture below, as the wash dries it gets more opaque.
In fact, you can do multiple coats of the wash to create a completely opaque look.
This project is not only inexpensive and easy, but it’s pretty fast! Because you don’t have to be super precise with your wash (and if you’re going for an uneven look it’s even less important to apply wash to every square inch), this project only took me around 3 hours! Granted, only the front of our house is brick, an entirely brick house could be limewashed in a day or two, especially if multiple people were taking part in the limewashing party.
Admittedly, the house is looking pretty monotone right now, but have no fear! I’m deep in the brainstorming process of adding some pops of color and landscaping, which this house desperately needs.
We hope to finish up this flip in the next few weeks and I most definitely plan on sharing lots of photos when it’s all complete. Keep checking in so you can check out the final product!
