As someone who has painted the walls in almost every apartment I've lived in as an adult, let me say that the painting is terrible. I've learned tricks over the years to get work done faster (I even own a set of painting tools!), but it's still a long and frustrating process that can cost a lot of money. longer than you expect.
Last year, I had the honor of becoming a homeowner and naturally the Great Algorithm took notice and started putting all kinds of home decor projects, products, and services on my Instagram. (Did you know that you can get a free roof replacement? Yes, it sounds too good to be true.) However, one thing caught my attention—Veneer wood center. I see ad after ad scrolling across my feed showcasing a home layout with a wall made of pretty wooden slats. That's exactly my kind of aesthetic.
The company promises easy installation—a way to decorate a room that won't take a day of labor-intensive painting and is largely effective. As a WIRED home office product tester, I decided to give these panels a try my office. I'm done standing desk, office chair, webcamdesk lamps and even filing cabinets, but I'd never experimented with something that could dramatically change the look of my space.
Installation is quite easy
Wood Veneer Hub Slatpanels, as their name suggests, consist of strips of medium-density fiberboard attached to recycled felt material with sound-dampening properties. Each box comes with two Slatpanels with about nine slats per panel—you'll need to measure the wall (or ceiling!) to find the required size. You can choose between the Unfinished or Oil Finished option and I recommend the latter – it costs a little more but saves you the hassle of applying the finish and protects the wood.
I decided to try them on a wall in my home office, like an accent wall. It took about 13 Slatpanels (I was sent seven boxes, meaning I had a spare Slatpanel left) and I screwed them to the studs. You can install them on top of your baseboard, but I decided it looked better without mine, so I removed it. There is a small gap between the boards and my floor but it is hardly noticeable. This also means I don't need to cut the panels (except for the sockets and light switches).
That's the hard part – cutting your losses. I need to cut a few holes for my outlets, light switches, and light fixtures. If you have an electric saw, you're in a much better place than I am. I have a simple hand saw and no work table so it's difficult to get a straight line when sawing the pieces. I used it Milwaukee Fastback knife to cut from the felt side first, and it worked surprisingly well. Be smarter than me and use a ruler or long ruler and tape it to the panels to keep those lines straight. Luckily, you have to look closely to see how jagged my hole is, or at least that's what I keep telling myself.