When in our living room/kitchen area, you are able to see our staircase. From the first time we walked into our house, I knew I wanted to make the staircase something special, instead of just an ordinary wall. I decided a rustic wood wall was just what the doctor ordered.

After looking at several different options:

• Stikwood – Too Expensive
• Wooden Plank Wall – Although I LOVE the look of this, the landing in our house is only so wide and I didn’t want to take any of those inches away!
• Pallet – I like rustic, but this is a little TOO rustic for me. The boards bowing and having gaps in between them would have driven me nuts!

Mike and I decided to go a little out of the box and do something we had not seen on Pinterest before: a laminate flooring wall!!

Here is how we did it.

50-5/8 by 7-2/3 tongue and groove laminate flooring
Finishing nails
Nail gun
Stud finder
Measuring tape
Table saw
Jigsaw
Rubber mallet

First, we measured the wall to calculate the amount of laminate flooring we would need to cover the entire wall. To convert the length and width of the wall to sq. ft. we used this website.

After doing research online and in store at both Lowes and Home Depot (Surprise, surprise, I was extremely picky about the style I wanted), we decided on Home Depot’s Handscraped Saratoga Hickory 7 mm Thick x 7-2/3 in. Wide x 50-5/8 in. Length Laminate Flooring.

This flooring is a little darker around the edges which gives it the effect of real wood without the hassle of pieces not matching up or pieces being warped. I also LOVED the look of the wider flooring (almost 8 inches wide!). We waited a couple of weeks for our choice to go on sale and went to Home Depot to pick it up.

We decided to start from the bottom of the wall (right above to the baseboard) and proceed upwards. That way, if the last laminate didn’t turn out perfectly, it would be all the way at the top. 🙂

The first step was to use the stud finder to mark the studs on the wall. We put small dots to mark the studs for the first row of laminate. After that, we were able to use the nail holes as a guide to where the studs were. I would recommend double checking as you go up the wall. Another great thing about using the tongue and groove laminate is that we didn’t have to use any glue on our wall.

Using a level, we checked to see if our baseboard was level and luckily it was! We also checked to ensure the laminate pieces were level as we got higher up the wall.

We started with a full piece of laminate and placed it to one side of the wall. We nailed it in using a nail gun and finishing nails. Note: Make sure to have the tongue on the top, so the next pieces will clip right in.

Then, we measured and cut (using a table saw) the laminate piece that goes beside it to fit the remaining spot. Although there was not a stud at the edge of each wall, we nailed the laminate piece there as well to make sure they do not pull away from the wall on the ends.

Once the first level was complete, we switched the side with the full piece of laminate to give it that rustic barn wood. **If your wall is longer than ours, I recommend placing the first laminate piece of the second level in the middle of one of the full pieces on the first level and going from there. I recommend hitting each level down with a rubber mallet so that the groove overlaps that tongue below it properly.

Continue to work your way up the wall, level by level. Most of the process went very quickly, but of course the wall I chose has a window in the middle of it (I never choose the easy tasks 🙂 )! The window and trim definitely slowed things down a little. We measured and re-measured the cuts we would need to make around the window trim, then used a jigsaw & table saw to cut the pieces of laminate.

When you come to the top you will need to measure the distance from the ceiling to the laminate piece. We cut it a tad bit shorter than that in order to be able to slide the piece in and lock in the tongue and groove.

Once the installation process was complete, we decided to go for the more rustic look and leave the nail holes exposed. Another option is to fill them with putty. Fill a level and then wipe away excess with a damp rag.

I am beyond thrilled with the outcome! It is the perfect attention-getting when you walk into our home!

I hope you found this tutorial helpful! Feel free to add any additional helpful tips in the comment section below! I am happy to answer any additional questions you may have! Feel free to save this tutorial for later use on Pinterest!