DIY Pallet Art - I saw it on Pinterest

4-19-2014

Pinterest version:

My version:

UPDATE: Since I didn't quite get the colors I wanted the first time, I grabbed my acrylics, mixed up some gray paint, and made it how I wanted it. Here is the final product, which matches my living room much better and was my original intent:

Pinterest is full of pallet-related art and furniture ideas, so I thought I would give it a whirl. I needed something new to brighten up my living room and fill the space over my fireplace, so I saw this link on Pinterest and thought it would be perfect.

Warning: This project required the use of tools that I have no business touching, so I had help from a very handy dad for the more "constructiony" parts of this project.

Materials
- Pallet
- Saw
- Crowbar
- Hammer
- Nails
- Sand Paper
- 3 colors of paint (I went to Home Depot and got the "sample" size little cup of the three different colors I wanted
- Paint brushes (one large, one small)
- Blue Painter's tape
- Pencil
- Picture hangers x2
- Cut out of the USA (optional)


I apologize in advance for the lack of pictures....I was in the heat of the moment and forgot...need to get better at that!


Steps
Step 1: Find a pallet. Try to find one that didn't hold something too unsanitary and doesn't look like it's about to fall apart. Here is what mine looked like to start: -------------------------------->

Step 2: In order to avoid having to pull up a thousand nails, my dad and I marked with a pencil just the interior of the pallet, and then he used the saw to cut this piece out. That way, we avoided all of those support pieces in the back.

Step 3: Separate all pieces of wood and remove all nails from the pallet.

Step 4: Re-arrange the pallet to the new size you want it, with the pieces of wood touching together. Using regular nails, hammer your pieces together. For mine, I had 6 front pieces and 2 supports in back. The supports were about 3 inches wide.

Step 5: Sand the front and sides. Put some elbow grease into it! You don't want splinters later and it it much easier to paint when it is smooth.

Step 6: Draw (or trace) the shape of the United States onto your newly formed pallet.

Step 7: Using the general steps listed at this website, draw your chevron around your USA shape. I only did vertical lines and used the existing separate boards as my horizontal lines.

Step 8: Using painter's tape, tape off the lines of your chevron.

Step 9: Paint the exposed chevron stripes. I used white first. I used my larger brush for most, but used my small paint brush for up against the USA outline.

Step 10: Wait until the white is dry. I actually waited 24 hours to be safe. Once it is dry, use the painter's tape to cover the white and expose your other chevron stripe.

Step 11: Paint the other color of your chevron. 

Step 12: You do not have to wait for that to dry before you paint the USA. Using your third color and the large paintbrush, paint the interior of the USA. Using the same paintbrush, cut the edges of the shape to get the cleanest lines. 

Step 13: Put a second coat of paint over your USA (if needed)

Step 14: Let this all dry for about an hour.

Step 15: Attach the picture hangers to the support beams on the back of your pallet. Use a hammer and additional nails to make sure the hanger in not going anywhere.


Voila! Simple, no? Actually, it was surprisingly simple with the help of my very handy dad and his tools. Also, since I only used a portion of the pallet, I have more wood left for other projects... Woohoo! Here is the finished product in before/after fashion:

and

I will be posting about that fancy little mason jar soon....

All things considered I give my Pinterest make over 4 stars. I probably didn't pick the best colors and since I needed some help I can't quite give it a 5.... But I am stoked for some bright colors in my living room!