This project is my first attempt at making art from old pallet wood. Overall, it was a quite easy project, but it took a lot of patience. The cost of the project is minimal (just a couple of bucks) but the result can be impressive.

Step 1: Tools and Material

Tools and material needed
-an old pallet

-screws

-sand paper

-different colour paints

-screwdriver

-handsaw or electric saw

First, dismantle carefully an old pallet. Make sure the pallet is in a good shape. Use the sandpaper to make the surface as smooth as you want. You can try filling the holes before painting, depending on what kind of look you have in mind. Lay the wood boards horizontal to each other and screw them on top of a simple wooden frame consisting of other parts of the pallet.

The dimensions of the pallet art are 90x45 cm.

NOTE: The overall weight of the finished art can be greater than the average frame or canvas. Therefore, I used an adequate number of screws for extra strength, and made sure that the art was hanged properly on the wall.

Step 2: Prepping the Wood and Making the Pallet "canvas"

In order to make the wood boards as straight as possible, I first poured water on them, and them I tied them together on a straight surface. I left them overnight to make the boards even. After that, I used sandpaper to make the surface smoother. I layed the boards horizontally on a firmly straight surface and put extra weights on them.

After straightening out the boards, I used an electric screwdriver to make the canvas.

Step 3: Painting the Boards

I used simple white water based acrylic paint to paint over the wood. I wanted to make a nice transition on the wood, so I painted the bottom board with very thin paint, and I did the same on the one above it. I then sanded the two bottom board to remove the extra paint and add this special effect.

Step 4: Finding a Quote to Paint on the Pallet and Cutting the Words

First I used Google to find a quote that my sister ( since it is a birthday gift for her) liked.

After some research I decided to go with a simple and short one:

" Life is so much brighter when we focus on what truly matters"

I used Photoshop on a 1:1 scale to plan the final result. Choose fonts that can be easily cut around the edges. Don't be afraid to be creative and choose more than one. I printed out the words on A4 paper, and then taped them on cardboard. I used a simple paper cutting tool to cut around the edges and a ruler. I kept every letter that I cut, because some of them might be useful later. Be patient and be careful when using the cutting tool! You might want to wear gloves to protect your fingers from getting accidentally cut.

Step 5: Painting the Words

Use the cardboard stencil you just created to paint the words on the boards. Tape them over the boards and use a simple small brush to paint the words. As for the colours, I used again, acrylic water based paint.

Be very careful when painting the words, not to paint outside the lines. But, keep in mind, that even if you do, you can always use some white paint to correct your mistakes. After painting the quote on the boards, let the paint dry for at least 4-5 hours. After the paint is completely dry, use the letters that you cut from the cardboard before ( see image 8 and 9 of this set) in order to paint the holes white. This way, the words can be more specific.