Courtesy ofTrim My Crib™· designers and installers of accent walls, based in Venice
Accent wall guidesSouth Sarasota · Venice · Osprey · Wellen Park · Nokomis · Casey Key · Manasota Key
Guide · Samples

Test before you commit: sampling color and sheen on an accent wall

How to size, place and judge a sample so the wall you live with is the wall you had in mind.

1Outlet box2Thermostat3Return-air grille4Switch plate5Sconce rough-inGRAPHIC · THINGS TO MAP ON THE WALL BEFORE DESIGN STARTS
Plan

Ten things to check before anyone picks a color

The boring items that decide whether the design survives contact with the wall.

 Measure

One quart, one gallon or more? Start with the tape measure

How to size a wall, subtract the openings and turn the number into a plan.

All guides

Plan

Before the first board: a planning checklist

Outlets, thermostats, return grilles and where the framing runs.

Style

Five house styles, five walls

Mid-century, coastal, Japandi, farmhouse and transitional, decoded.

Measure

Measure first: area and paint

Width times height, openings out, and what the number tells you.

Care

Living with it: cleaning and touch-ups

Sheen, washability and why wood changes color indoors.

Q&A

Common questions

Quick answers, each with a source.

References

  1. Sherwin-Williams, How to Use Paint Calculator (FAQs). www.sherwin-williams.com
  2. Wood Handbook: Wood as an Engineering Material, general technical report 190 from the U.S. Forest Products Lab; see ch. 16 on finishing, the part on interior wood. research.fs.usda.gov