!: Wooden Wall Art

Monday, July 18, 2011

Wooden Wall Art

The hubs, ben [the dog], and I live in a house with a very open floor plan. That being said, one of the first rooms people look at is our dining room. I decided I wanted to create some art to hang on both sides of the arch that leads into the kitchen.

This was definitely a little more complicated than most of my creations, but it was a great learning experience, and they look pretty awesome. And you can get it all from Lowe’s or Home Depot for under $55.

Here is a step by step guide on how to make these modern yet classic pieces of art. I did forget to take some pictures of the early steps, I will try to do better next time. [Sorry, rookie blogger]

What you’ll need:

Door mat
2 Wood boards (1” x 12” x 6 feet)
Spray paint (I used ivory)
1 can of wood finish/stain (I used mahogany color because that matches my china cabinet)
Patience (highly recommended, however, optional)

Directions:

First Take the wood boards that are 12” x 1” x 6 feet and saw these in half so you have 4 boards that are 12” x 1” x 3 feet (Home Depot will do this FOR FREE).

Stain the wood. Wait for a long time for these dry. I mean a long time, best to leave overnight. Here are my boards, after I stained them:

Pick out a pretty door mat that you love. You can also use one you already have, we're basically just using this as a giant stencil.

Take the door mat and place over the boards and spray paint. I did three coats. One directly on top, and one from the left and right sides to ensure proper coverage (now I sound like an encyclopedia).

Leave the mat on for at least 30 minutes before removing. This will be hard.

You will want to peak. So go walk your dogs, watch tv, tie your hands behind your back, take a bath, just GO AWAY. 30 minutes. Not 26. Not 29. 30 entire minutes. If you don’t wait then you’ll mess up your board (like I did, one of my sets if clearly better than the other).

Lift up your mat carefully. Squeal with delight.

Add hooks to the back. Get our your nails and hooks and start hanging! Or just stand back and say "higher...lower" as your husband/best friend/brother do the hard work :)