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DIY Mudcloth Accent Wall

Apr 27, 2020

Mudcloth Pattern

I’ve been seeing mudcloth everywhere lately in home decor–pillows, art, wallpaper, you name it. It’s usually a simple pattern in neutral colors, so it’s pretty easy to work a little boho flair into your home. A DIY mudcloth accent wall is an easy project you can complete to get the look of wallpaper at a fraction of the cost.

After starting our laundry room makeover and faux shiplap wall, I was scrolling through Instagram and saw Simple Life Pastor’s Wife stenciling her hallway in this cool, modern chevron brushstroke pattern. She ordered the stencil at Cutting Edge Stencils, so naturally, I spent the next two hours trying to decide which would work best for my project. I love the look of wallpaper, but hate the idea of having to remove it when I’m tired of it.

cutting edge stencils
mudcloth stencil by cutting edge stencils

Budget Constraints

I woke up super set on having a patterned accent wall for the laundry room. Since I had just completed the painting and shiplap wall, I really hated to spend more money on a stencil that would likely be used for only one project. (I also have another project in my mind I’d like to keep some money back for. See, my wheels are always turning!) I decided I would just paint a pattern myself, since it was a small area, and I already had the paint, anyway, so it wasn’t any extra cost. The stencils are large, so I think they’d be more ideal for using on a larger scale wall.

I’m still eyeing a couple stencils and would definitely recommend using one for a larger wall. Not everyone is comfortable painting patterns on their walls, and it’s a perfect solution for that.

DIY Mudcloth Accent Wall

Having an accent wall wasn’t on my radar until I saw THAT photo, so I was pretty up in the air about which wall to do. I had originally planned to do a black shiplap wall, and the rest of the room white. I thought about doing the wall behind the washer and dryer, but there’s an electrical box on that wall. Plus, it was much harder to access with the washer and dryer in place. I liked the idea of the having pattern around the garage door and seeing it when we go out, so I decided to roll with that.

I was planning to do a similar chevron brushstroke pattern, since I knew it would be simpler, but had a last minute change of heart. That mudcloth pattern was tugging at my heartstrings and it seemed like the perfect location for a fun pattern.

I took screenshots of several inspiration photos online and went from there. Working one row at a time, I started painting my pattern from the top down, keeping it as straight as possible. I tried to keep a healthy mix of sizes and textures for the wall.

Painting the Mudcloth Pattern

process shot of painting mudcloth pattern
I taped off the corners and baseboards with Frog Tape and got to work. It would have been smart for me to pencil in some guidelines with a ruler or yardstick and level, but I was itching to get started. Our level has also been MIA for months. A little imperfection is fine; it kind of adds to its charm. I repeated some lines, but didn’t have a specific repeated pattern. I used a small paintbrush, and created a mix of dots, lines, and shapes and tried to keep everything pretty evenly distributed.
diy painted mudcloth accent wall in laundry room
black and white mudcloth accent wall in laundry room

Try It!

Whether you tackle this DIY mudcloth accent wall freehand or using a stencil, it’s makes a big impact for a small amount of money and effort. It probably took me about 2 hours to complete and I think it’s just what our laundry room needed!

I used this same process to paint over another framed art print and love it, too!  I love to shop my house and rearrange things or find a new way to use something old!

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