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Have you ever wanted an indoor rock or stone wall, to give a newer house some dreamy old world charm? Check out this step-by-step DIY interior stone wall tutorial and learn how to create the accent wall of your dreams!

DIY interior stone accent wall

I had a space in my home that was just begging for a stone accent wall.  Do you have one of those spaces?  An area that needs a touch of something really special?  Maybe it’s an unfinished fireplace, a bathroom shower, or a cozy nook in your kitchen.  In my home, the space in need of a little something happened to be the wall in our butler’s pantry.   

White pantry rock accent wall

Side note: In case you didn’t know, I love butler’s pantries!  Don’t you? I even wrote a whole blog post explaining what they are and sharing some amazing butler’s pantry examples

Stone pantry accent wall

Recently, we have been working on our own butler’s pantry.  I talked a bit about the pantry when I shared our cabinet curtain project.  In that post, I mentioned that we had installed a stone accent wall in this room.  Well, today I want to share that stone accent wall project with you and show you how we did it. 

Can You Build Your Own Stone Accent Wall?

Yes, you really can build your own DIY stone accent wall! Installing this accent wall wasn’t as hard as it looks and I promise that it’s totally doable for average homeowners.  I’ll walk you through the process we used for our accent wall.  You’ll probably be surprised by how simple it is.

Are Stone Accent Walls Out of Style?

Not at all!  Of course, this is a matter of personal opinion, but I love stone accent walls.  I wanted a bit of old world charm in this pantry, and I didn’t think wallpaper would give me that look. But an over-grouted rock wall was sure to do the trick!

Stone walls can be very eye-catching.  They work well for just about any décor style. Whether you want something modern and sophisticated or charming with a rustic feel, you’ll be able to do it. 

It’s all a matter of what stone you select for your project.  If you need some great interior stone wall inspiration, check out these 51 stone wall accent ideas.  

What Type of Stone Can I Use for an Interior Accent Wall?

There are lots of choices out there when it comes to stone.  You’ll find many different styles and colors.  You’ll also find that stone or rock products can be either natural or manufactured.  Let’s look at the differences between these two types. 

Natural Stone

Natural stone is just that – naturally occurring stone.  If purchased, natural stone tends to cost more than manufactured stone.  Natural stone is very durable and is generally heavier than manmade stone.  It’s a great choice for your stone accent wall project.

Manmade Stone

Manmade or manufactured stone is sometimes referred to as stone veneer or just veneers.  This stone is concrete that has been colored and poured into a mold to produce specific shapes.  Sometimes it is sold as stone panels. Because this stone is manufactured, there are many options to choose from.  Manufactured stone tends to be lighter than natural stone, though not quite as durable.

Both natural and manmade stone can be really beautiful.  For your accent wall, try to choose something that is fairly lightweight and easy to work with.  For our wall, we went with this Colonial White Ridgestone from Harristone, and we were able to buy it from a local supplier and pick it up ourselves.

What Supplies Will I Need for a Stone Accent Wall?

  • Stone of your choice
  • Water barrier if needed – tar paper works well
  • Wire mesh
  • Hammer and nails, screws and drill or staple gun and construction staples
  • Mortar mix – choose a color that compliments your stone. We used this product in white from the same local supplier where we bought the stone.
  • Water
  • Large bucket – we used a 5-gallon bucket
  • Small hand shovel for mixing or drill with mixing bit
  • Paper, cardboard, or tape
  • Flat trowel
  • Notched trowel
  • Spray bottle
  • Grout or Mortar piping bag
  • Paint brush or tile/grout sponge
  • Drop cloths, painters paper or cardboard – optional to protect the surrounding area
  • Tile saw – optional, for cutting full stone to size
  • Straight edge – optional, for lining up stones
  • Small bristle brush

How to Build a Rock Accent Wall Step-by-Step Video Tutorial

To watch this process on video, join us on YouTube!

How to Build a Rock Accent Wall Step-by-Step Photo Tutorial

1:   Prepare Your Surfaces

Wire mesh underlayer applied to wall
  • Before you do anything, make sure that the surface of your wall has a moisture barrier.  The mortar that you’ll be using to construct your accent wall needs water to cure.  A wall without a moisture barrier can draw the water out of your mortar and interfere with the curing process.  For us, this was easy because our wall was already painted.  If you are installing directly onto drywall or wood, you will want to use something like tar paper to give your wall a moisture barrier.
  • Next, nail, screw or staple wire mesh onto your wall.  Attach securely at the studs. You’ll want to cover the entire work area with this mesh.  This won’t be seen in the end so perfection is not required and it is ok if there are seams.  Just be sure that your wire mesh pieces all run in the same direction.
  • If you are using a drop cloth or cardboard, set that out under your work area to make clean up easier.

2:  Scratch Coat

Bucket of mixed mortar for stone wall preparation
  • In a large bucket, combine your powder mortar mix with water to the correct consistency.  You want the mixed mortar to be spreadable, but not too thin.  To check the consistency, dip your trowel into the mortar and scoop some up onto your blade.  If you can turn the trowel sideways without the mortar sliding off, then you are good to go.
  • Using a smooth trowel, spread a layer of mortar over your entire wall.  You’ll want this layer of mortar to be about ½ inch thick.
  • Now, grab a notched trowel.  You are going to use this trowel to scratch through that layer of mortar you just spread on the wall.  This is will create lots of small channels running through your mortar.  All of these channels provide lots of texture and extra surface area for the mortar on the back of your rock to cling to. 
  • Lastly, Allow your scratch coat to dry.  We let ours sit for about 24 hours to harden.
Mortar spread over wire mesh for stone accent wall
Troweled mortar layer on accent wall

3:  Plan Accent Wall Layout

Stone layout on paper wall mockup
  • It’s important that you have the layout of your accent wall planned before you begin installing it.  This will save a lot of installation headaches.  We laid out a mockup of our accent wall on the floor using paper.  You could also use cardboard or even just tape off an area that matches the dimensions of your accent wall.  Be sure to mark out things like windows, light switches, and outlets. You want to make sure you have an accurate representation of the area that you plan to cover.
  • At this point, you’ll lay out your stones on the mockup in whatever order you like.  Play around with different stone placements and see what arrangement looks best to you.  Once you’re done, leave this mock up in place.  This will make transferring the stones to your accent wall in the correct order quick and easy.

3:  Install the Rock

Wetting rock with spray bottle
  • In a large bucket, mix up another batch of mortar.
  • Choose a starting point on one end of the wall and work in a pattern to make it easier to keep track of what row of stone you are working on.
  • Grab your first stone and lightly wet the back.  This moisture will help the mortar cure properly.  We used a spray bottle for this.
  • Next, spread a layer of mortar about ½ inch thick across the back of your stone. This mortar will act as an adhesive to bond your stone to the scratch coat you already applied to the wall.
  • Lastly, Stick your stone onto the wall and press firmly to make sure that it is well adhered. If needed, use a straight edge to make sure that your rows are well aligned.
  • Continue working in rows until you’ve applied all of your stones to the accent wall.

Tip: If you find that you need to move a stone after you have installed it, just pull it off the wall and remoisten both the wall and the back of the stone before reinstalling it.

4:  Grout the Wall

Piping grout between stones on accent wall
  • Next up is grouting in between the stones.  For the grout, typically you’ll use the same mortar mix that you used for adhering your stones to the wall.  Mix up a batch of grout in your large bucket.
  • Scoop some of this grout into your piping bag.
  • Using the piping bag, fill in all of the cracks between your stones.
  • Use your trowel to spread and smooth out the grout between your stones.  At this point you can see if you need to add more grout.  The amount of grout you use is up to you. If you want more defined recesses between each stone, use less.  We did ours fairly thick so that the surface of our grout was almost level with the stones. This is called over-grouting. It will give you more of an “old world” vibe.
  • Let the grout sit and dry out just a bit.  We let ours sit for about 10-15 minutes before moving onto the next step.
  • Finally, once your grout has begun to set, but is still workable, use a paint brush to smooth out any ridges or rough spots on your grout. You can also wipe away excess grout from the surface of the stones. Don’t wait too long or your grout will dry out and become hard to work with.
Smoothing grout between accent wall rocks
Brushing grout from accent wall stone

Tip:  Grout in between the rocks on your wall in small sections.  It will be easier to carry out the necessary steps before your mortar dries if you are tackling small areas at a time.

5: Clean Up

  • Almost done! Before you wrap up, grab a wet sponge or rag and wipe away any stray grout from around your work area. You’ve probably made a few messes. It’ll be easier to clean up those spills before the grout dries.

6:  Enjoy Your Stone Accent Wall

  • You did it! Sit back, relax, and admire your handy work.
Stone accent wall in butler's pantry
Rock accent wall in styled butler's pantry

Let’s Chat

I really love the new DIY stone accent wall in our butler’s pantry. How do you feel about interior accent walls? Do you have any in your home? What’s your favorite type? Share your accent wall ideas in the comments section – I bet they’re great!

More DIY Project Ideas

Want more DIY inspiration? Check out my full list of past DIY projects.

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8 Comments

  1. Hi! Love the wall and the helpful YouTube video! Where did you get the rock you used? Was it called anything specific? Thanks!

  2. Hello- I have a rock wall in my house that needs help and I don’t know how to do it. I would love some advice. Currently it has large brown tinged rocks that I have previously tried to white wash, with a darker previous old grout in between. What I would like to do is get a lighter whiter grout, but also maybe whitewash the rocks again so they aren’t so “stand out” ish. I don’t want them all the same color but what I have now is an eyesore. Thanks, Kristy