When creating our oak slat wooden headboard, I didn’t know where to start. I had no idea how to create the statement slats and spent hours trolling through pinterest and google, trying to figure out how to create the decorative panels with out the price tag of a professional tradesman. I thought about using individual oak batons and gluing them or nailing them to our wall, but the overall look wouldn’t execute quite the same way and would be a lot of work for an absolute woodwork novice.

In the end the power of hashtags on social media gave me the alternative I needed. It was such a revelation. LOL.

Enter, thewoodveneerhub. [Ad] A company that specialises in wood veneers and interior materials. They are also the stockiest of an easy to install decorative wall panel called the acupanel. Acupanel is the original out of the box onto the wall panelling solution. The answer to my DIY beginners prayers . The wooden panels are easy to install yourself on walls and ceilings and can easily enhance and transform any space. The panels come in a number of colour palettes with two different feature effects. Either a choice with sound acoustic absorption felt or non- acoustic purely for decoration and offers no sound absorption. I went with the latter.

The MDF non-acoustic Acupanel is the ultimate solution if you are looking for the beautiful slat format and have no need for sound absorption.

Available in a modern looking Oak and Walnut finish, it can be easily be applied to your surface to create a feature wall or panelled ceiling and this can all be done all by yourself saving time and money.

To make your decision on what colour wood panels you’d like to use, there is a a sample box you can buy.

This has a collection of the available panels and you can really get an idea of how the panels will look and feel in your space.

Alternatively there is also a tool on their website that you can use on you phone or tablet. You take a picture of your space and insert the panels of choice to see how it would look in that area.

I personally prefer the samples as I like the option to be able to feel the product and you get a true visionary sense of the quality. The online tool is still a great feature and I had a lot of fun using it and playing around with the different looks.

As I said above I went with the MDF non-acoustic panels in the oak-walnut finish. It is a beauty of a finish and a little cheaper than the acoustic counterparts.

Now that I had chosen my wooden wonders it was time to bring the vision of the pinterest Inspo to life.

What Did I Use

Chosen decorative wooden slat panels
Tape measure
Wood Adhesive
Electric Saw or saw

How Did We Do It?

Measure Up

Firstly I Measured up the space i intended the panels to go. We wanted to use the panels as a headboard so measured the size of the bed and chose the amount accordingly. Each panel is 240cmx60cm. We have a double bed which is 135cm so needed 3 panels to sit vertically behind.

Cut to size

The 3 panels sitting side by side was now the perfect width to sit behind our bed as a headboard, our ceilings are low so needed to cut the length down a few cm to sit under cornice. This was easily done with an electric saw. but you can also use a hand held. They are designed to be easily cut to your required size.

Stick in place

Each section was secured in place side by side. The edging of the panels was so easy to line up and they are designed to blend together. As we were gluing them to the wall we used blocks at the top screwed into the cornice to keep the panels secure while the adhesive cured and dried. We left the blocks in place for 24 hours to ensure the glue had set, we then removed the blocks and just filled in the left behind screw marks with filler.

Secure Them

Once the panels were cut to size next step was to secure them to the wall. They can be attached to any surface, brick, plaster, plasterboard, concrete. Our wall is a plastered plasterboard wall. You can either screw them in place or glue them, we used an adhesive. we applied adhesive on the wall and on the panels for extra sticking power.

Whallah. The wooden slat headboard was complete.

So how easy is it?

For any DIY enthusiast this will be a walk in the park for you to use. If like me, a side from the odd paint job your an absolute DIY novice. I would say this is still a fairly easy thing to do yourself.

My advice would be to have at least Two of you. The panels are rather heavy (due to the fantastic quality). I’d also advice you to triple check your measurements and take a little care as any mishap would be a rather expensive mistake.

If cutting them in the room your working, be sure to cover the room full of dust sheets. We found we created rather a lot of black dust. This is because the MDF backing that the oak slats sit on, is all black. Which when cutting the panels to size means you do not need to paint the edges. The dust was easy to hoover up mind, however I would remove any expensive fabrics. Especially those you don’t want to get any transfer on.

Although I say this is fairly simple. For complete full transparency, I did have a little help from my friend who’s a joiner. That’s only because we didn’t have the tools ( i.e an electric saw) to cut them to size. When we started to get stuck in. I realised I probably could of used a hand saw. We also needed our skirting removed and as he was round doing that so he offered to help. Having said that, I will certainly be using the panels in another part of the house. I will be installing them myself as I’m very confident I could manage this on my own. I will require some of my husbands strong arms to help me carry them. lol.

Overall this product is great the detail and the grain of the wood is so dreamy it is an incredable piece of quality material. It went up in no time at all, a total of two hours and the finish is exquisite. Thewoodveneerhub [Ad] as a company is amazing. As soon as I found them on instagram I was constantly asking them questions on installation and the advice. They were only to happy to help with anything I asked. Delivery of the product was quick and so easy to track the panels whereabouts, from being dispatched from the warehouse to the delivery to our door.

Last of all and this is important to follow. When your panels arrive place them in the room or area they are being used, un-boxed and laid flat on the floor. This will help the panels climatise to the temperature of the space, preventing the wooden boards from bowing.

As bugs bunny said that’s all folks! What is beautiful, contemporary and one of a kind. You can easily create in your own home. The beautiful Acupanel’s acoustic felt is made from recycled plastic bottles. All of the wood comes from sustainable forestry, making the panels not only incredibly attractive but also environmentally friendly. Genius! Your not only transforming your space. However, by using these panels you are helping remove the waste from the world’s oceans that’s fab for the environment.

I have tried to muster up as much information as one DIY enthusiast can. If I have missed anything out that you would like to know, just pop mwah a question in the comments. I will be happy to help in any way my amateur knowledge will allow.

I do hope this gives you the confidence and know how, to create your own dream space just as I have.

Much love

S x