How to Create Simple Wall Art From Scrap Wood

This is a simple way to create unique wall art without being an artist. All that is involved in making it is cutting wood and gluing it to another piece of wood. I am a total hoarder when it comes to scrap wood, I always try and use it in some way or another. So with my scrap heap becoming so big, I wanted to try and use some of the smaller scraps to make Scrap wood wall art. The idea I had in my head, was to use a straight piece of wood and glue all the smaller scraps to the surface. The idea behind doing it this way was that the wall art could be arranged in any way on the wall. You also have the versatility to move the sections around to create a different design. I was able to use lots of different woods, shapes, sizes and textures in this project because I knew they would be painted. If you want the natural wood look, you may need to sand the wood first.

Step 1: Fins Scrap Wood

I have no idea why I kept the very small scraps from my barn quilt projects, but they worked great. The wood I used for the base, was repurposed bed slats for an old bed. I also repurpose a wooden bathmat into this project, modelled by my new puppies. They like to get in all my pictures when they can. lol

Step 2: Cut the Wood

For me, the quickest and easiest way to cut the wood smaller was to use a mitre saw. But you can use any saw, some will just take longer than others to do. I tried to keep my pieces under 3 cm so they don’t stick out too far. If you have a mitre saw you can cut some of the wood at random angles to make your wall art look more interesting. Because I was painting my project I was not fussing about the wood I used. It was all shapes and sizes, some painted some damaged. The more texture on the wood the better the effect.

Step 3: Glueing the Wood

Because wall art will be hanging on a wall I did not use wood glue, but a hot glue gun. It is a good idea to use a full-size glue gun and black hot glue which is easier to disguise. I know this will be strong enough because I have used it many times on my barn quilts. In the past, if I have had to remove a piece I was not happy with, I had to use a hammer and chisel to remove it. If you have some unfinished wood don’t be tempted to sand the surface, because will make it more interesting once painted. This step does take a few hours to complete. You start at the top and randomly glue the small pieces of wood to the base. This is where the wooden bathmat became handy to fill in all the small gaps.

Step 4: Add Some Textures

To try and add some character to the wood I wanted to add some different textures. I went around my workshop and craft room looking for bits and bobs to add to each piece. Here are a few items that I used. You don’t need anything fancy because once it is painted it will look good anyway. You can zoom in on the images to see all the items I used. It does look a little crappy at this stage but it will turn out great.

• Old buttons
• Broken drawer pulls
• glass beads
• upholstery studs
• thumbtacks
• resin squares
• half pearl beads
• Ping pong ball cut in half
• wooden curtain hoop
• wood applique

Step 5: Paint the Panels

I used black Gesso only because that is what I had at home. If it was not a Sunday, I would have bought suitable black spray paint and used that instead. This step did take me at least an hour to complete with a paintbrush. When you are painting with gesso don’t try and do it perfectly. In this project, the messy painting will actually add to the effect in the end.

Step 6: Adding the Silver Wax Paste

I thought it looked interesting just being black, but I wanted to add the silver to highlight the texture. I used silver wax paste to highlight the black paint. This metallic wax paste comes in many colours so you are not limited to silver. Dip the tip of your finger into the wax and gently rub it over the surface of the wood. Try not to cover all the black or the effect will be lost.

Step 7: Messy Painting

This image is an excellent example of how messing painting adds to the effect. On the ping pong ball and the chevroned shaped wood, I just slapped the paint on. I also find the messy hot glue looks great. Once you have added the metallic silver wax, it needs 12 hours to cue.

Step 8: Seal the Wax

To seal the paint and stop the metallic silver paste from going dull, you need to seal the surface. I added 2 coats of clear gloss spray.

Step 9: How to Hang

Your scrap wood wall art is now ready to hang. You can use keyhole hinges if you are happy to put holes in your walls. I used the velcro command strips. They can hold up to 4kgs so they worked perfectly for these. When I get bored with this wall art, I can simply change the layout. I can pull the command strips off and there is no mess left behind.

Step 10: More Scrap Wood Wall Hangings

This wall hanging was made from offcuts of wood from other projects. Do you love the wooden barn quilts and don't know where to start. This tutorial will help you. More unique DIY ideas on my website Unique Creations By Anita