As someone who has painted on the walls of almost every apartment I've lived in as an adult, I want to say that painting sucks. I've learned many tricks over the years to finish the job quickly (I even have a set of paint tools!), but it's still a long, annoying process that can take longer than you expect.
Last year I was fortunate enough to become a homeowner, and naturally the Great Algorithm took notice and started putting all kinds of home makeover projects, products, and services on my Instagram. (Did you know you can get a roof replacement for free? Yes, it sounds too good to be true.) However, one caught my attention-wood veneer hubI saw ad after ad scrolling through my feed, showcasing a homely setup with a beautiful wood-slat wall. It was exactly my kind of aesthetic.
The company promises easy installation — a one-room makeover that won't take a grueling day of painting, and it largely delivers. As WIRED's resident home office product tester, I decided to try out these panels my officei did standing desk, office chairs, webcamDesk lamps, and even filing cabinets, but I've never tested anything that would drastically change the look of my space.
Very easy installation
Wood Vaneer Hub's slatpanels, as they are called, consist of medium-density fiberboard strips bonded to recycled materials with sound-deadening properties. Each box contains two slatpanels with approximately nine slats per panel – you will need to measure your walls (or ceiling!) to find the required size. You can choose between no finish or oiled finish options, and I recommend the latter – it costs a little more but saves you the hassle of applying finish and protects the wood.
I decided to try them on a wall in my home office, as an accent wall. It took about 13 slatpanels (I was sent seven boxes, meaning I had an extra slatpanel left over), and I screwed them into the studs. You can install them above your baseboard, but I decided it would look better without my baseboard, so I removed it. There is a small gap between the panels and my floor but it is hardly noticeable. This also meant I didn't have to cut panels (except for the outlets and light switches).
This is the tricky part – cutting the holes. I needed to cut some holes for outlets, a light switch, and my light fixtures. If you have an electric jigsaw, you're already in a much better place than me. I had a simple handsaw and no workbench, so it was hard to get straight lines when cutting the pieces. i used mine milwaukee fastback Use a knife to cut through the felt side first and it worked surprisingly well. Be smarter than me and use a long level or ruler and tape it to the panels to keep those lines straight. Thankfully, you have to look closely to see just how crooked my holes are, or at least that's what I keep telling myself.