Chevron Accent Wall Calculator
Floor to ceiling, baseboard included.
Fewer, wider chevrons or more, narrower ones.
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- Full cut list, long point, to the sixteenth
- Numbered install order with build steps
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How to plan a chevron accent wall
A chevron wall is boards cut on an angle so they meet at a point in the middle of each row. It reads like a row of arrows pointing up. People mix it up with herringbone constantly, so here is the short version. Chevron pieces are cut on an angle and meet point to point. Herringbone pieces are cut square and step past each other. If the two ends do not close into a clean point, what you are looking at is not chevron.
Picking your angle
You can build chevron at almost any angle you want. 45 degrees works fine and it is the easiest number to remember at the saw. But 35 degrees is the one that looks right in a room. It gives you a longer, lazier arrow, and on a wall you have to live with every day it is easier on the eye. That is the angle I use on most of my own jobs.
The angle is not the hard part
This is the part that surprises people. Once you pick your angle, it stays put. Adding more columns does not change it. Adding more rows does not change it. The angle of the chevron pieces is the angle you chose and that is that.
What does change is where each piece lands against the frame, and that is where the time goes.
Why the landing spot matters
Every piece has to end somewhere. If it dies into a vertical batten, that is one cut. If it ends on a rail instead, that is a different cut. And if it lands on a rail and a batten at the same time, now you are cutting two angles on one end that have to meet in a corner.
It is doable. I have cut plenty of them and nothing about it is beyond a homeowner with a decent miter saw. But it is a saw setting change and a bit of fussing on every piece that does it, and on a full wall there can be a lot of them. Multiply that out and you have lost an afternoon.
The rule I use
Space the chevrons so the bottom left of the piece just touches the bottom rail corner, and the peak just touches the top corner on the other side. Land it corner to corner like that and every cut is a single angle. The wall goes up fast and the cut list stays simple.
Getting that spacing by hand means sitting there with a calculator pushing numbers around until it comes out even. That is what this page is for. Put in your wall size, pick your angle, and it places the chevrons for you and hands you the lengths.
I use it on my own jobs. Twenty years in and I would still rather have the numbers given to me than guess at them standing in front of a bare wall.
Walls are never square
Measure your wall at both ends and in the middle before you cut anything. Ceilings sag, floors run downhill, and corners are rarely 90 degrees. Build to the numbers you measured, not the numbers you assumed, and scribe your last piece into the corner rather than expecting it to drop in.
Outlets, switches and vents
Outlets do not move for your pattern, so plan around them from the start. If the new material sits proud of the drywall, the box needs an extender so the plate still lands flat. A piece that runs into an outlet gets cut around it, not over it.
Material and paint
MDF over pine for this. No knots, no grain fighting you, and it stays flat. Every point where two pieces meet gets filled and sanded before primer, because a gap at the point catches shadow and you will see it from across the room. Glue and pin. Hit studs where you can.
Where chevron came from
It started as a floor pattern. There is chevron parquet at Fontainebleau in France laid in 1530, well before Versailles got the credit for it, and it only climbed onto walls in the last seventy years or so.
Common questions
What angle should I use for a chevron accent wall?
35 degrees looks best in most rooms. 45 works and is simpler to cut. Anything steeper starts to look busy on a full wall.
Is chevron the same as herringbone?
No. Chevron pieces are cut on an angle and meet at a point. Herringbone pieces are cut square and step past each other. Different look, different cuts.
Does my wall have to be a standard size?
No. Type in whatever you measured and the layout is drawn for that wall.
What do I build it out of?
MDF. It stays flat, it has no knots, and it takes paint better than pine.
How much material do I need for a chevron wall?
A typical 10 by 8 wall takes about 120 linear feet. Board prices vary a lot depending on where you buy. Anywhere from $1.50 to $3.00 per linear foot is normal, with the big box stores at the top of that range and smaller suppliers usually cheaper.
Can I build a chevron wall over my existing baseboard?
Yes, and that is the most common way to do it. You do not need to pull the baseboard off. The rail lands on top of what is already there.
Do the chevron boards need to land on studs?
Yes. Find your studs before you start and mark them with a long straight edge or a level so you can see the line while you are nailing. You do not need glue on the back of the board. If you are caulking the pieces, the caulk alone will hold them to the wall.
How do I get the point to close up tight?
Two things do it. The vertical battens have to be dead plumb, and the pieces have to be cut to the right length at the right angle. If a piece only touches at the toe where it meets the batten, it is too long. If only the long point is touching, it is too short. Keep in mind that a long or short piece is not always a measuring mistake. It is often the angle. Play with one piece until you get it right and you understand what each one is telling you.
What about windows, doors and other obstructions?
Not a problem. Put them in and the tool cuts the layout around them for you.