If you have a truck, a chopsaw, a jigsaw, a level, a nailgun, a couple ladders, things to use for spacers, as well as sanders, brushes, etc. to finish the wood somehow and about 4 hands - You can probably DIY it...

you could fake it by purchasing fencing from home depot and filling in the open spaces with smaller strips of wood... plus you've be able to take it down when you move and it wouldn't be a cosmetic change to the apt so the landlord wouldn't get mad.

Looks like a pretty straight forward project. You could always get advice on "how to" at the hardware store where you buy the lumber. The only issues I foresee are lugging in all that lumber and then lugging it up to the top of a possible super high loft wall (not sure how high you're going up).

BTW the construction industry has been particularly hard hit so you can find very qualified, very hungry builders at a reasonable rate on Craigslist right now...

That sounds like a great solution to a sheet rock wall, good luck! Sorry I have no suggestions for this, I just thought I would cheer you on since that first post was not the most encouraging.

Angie's List and Cole Hardware have a good list of resources for contractors, cabinetry and so on.

You'll want to make a backing frame for the wood slats to attach to, rather than directly into the drywall. Not too hard at all.

The only other concern to keep in mind is dust - vacuum the wall frequently.

Actually, there is a product called slatwall. It's used in lots of retail spaces. It's made of MDF and comes in a range of finishes. It may not be exactly what you are looking for, but it's a total DIY. Other than the fact it is heavier than hell.

Can you just get prefinished wood flooring (engineered wood product to save money- not a laminate like Pergo) and apply it to the wall?

The slats are already finish, so it is just a matter of applying to the wall.

I agree with attaching the planks to a panel that's attached to the wall. Makes removing it (if ever) much easier without damaging the underlying wall.

We did our baby gate in that fashion. You need to create the back framing separated from the wall and them hand it once you are done. Pretty much a DIY like we did but on a bigger proportion, I guess.
Check the post here:

http://blueantstudio.blogspot.com/search?q=baby gate

I hope it helps!

joel pirela
blueantstudio.com

Same question here
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/chicago/good-questions/ideas-for-a-diy-slatted-wood-wall-good-questions-089727

Reclaimed wood wall here
http://plastolux.com/modern-home-landscaping-sebastian-mariscal.html

Scrap wood wall here
http://lumberjocks.com/projects/7742

Some pretty good suggestions here except for the usual boner shrinker - bepsf.

Here are 2 videos that will give you an idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=icZfi8sK-1A

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEYy6RME2tE

I was thinking about doing the very same thing yesterday as I strolled through the Chicago Crate & Barrel. They have a Cape Cod living room where they had white washed vertical boards.

While the boards (1 x 4) at C&B were textured I was thinking about doing the same thing with thinner wood like Luan and cutting it into 4 and 5 inch widths, hot gluing them to the wall and then priming and white washing them in place. I'd only do it on one wall for a nice look.

I think you could do it (I don't have advice on the procedure, however). A carpenter definitely could. One word of advice, though. Make sure you purchase furniture grade wood, and sand each board/stain in a manner similar to furniture. If you use rougher wood with more imperfections, it will look more like outdoor fencing or decking than the rich effect in the posted picture.

Becuase of this, I think the materials costs will be rather high. Nonetheless, it definitely has DIY potential.

For an apartment diy, why not lightweight balsa wood planks and 3M removable mounting tapes?

ikea has a headboard that is slatted:

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/bedroom-beds/mandal-headboard-from-ikea-think-outside-the-bedroom-048668

or the same idea was posted here:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/la/look/look-ikea-slat-wall-inspiration-022864

hi everyone, thanks for all of the great suggestions!

the ikea headboard looks like it'd be one of the easiest solutions, we just need to make sure the dimensions work out.

the baby gate example is also really helpful if we want to start from scratch!

@RichardinLA, gotta love 3M and their crazytape!

i will share some pictures whenever we are done, thanks again!