Reclaimed Wood Wall Art–Pottery Barn Knock Off

I have a really fun DIY project to share with you today!

pottery barn painted pieced wood wall art knock off

The Iowa Turkey Federation is at the end of a long kitchen and board room remodeling project, and we needed something for the space above our buffet counter in the kitchen. So we decided to do a knock off of the Pottery Barn Painted Pieced Woodwork.

We measured the space and decided to go with three large panels under the DIY pendant lights. I purchased a cheap piece of 1/4 inch plywood (sometimes used as underlayment for floors) at Lowes and had them cut it to size.

Then, I collected pallets from around our farm and brushed on different colored paints from my collection. I cut them apart using a jigsaw, then circular saw, then sawzall. The sawzall was definitely easiest, although it left the roughest cuts. So then I used my compound miter saw to even up the ends. Sounds like a lot of work, but it really wasn’t. And it could have been done with just the jigsaw, although it would have taken a LOT longer.

(Some people disassemble the pallets by prying them apart. I didn’t do that because a)it’s a heckuva lot of work b) I had plenty of wood so I didn’t mind some going to waste and c) I needed short pieces, anyway.)

Next was the design. I laid out the wood pieces in a pretty random pattern.

When the big spots were filled in, my friend helped me measure and cut pieces to fit in all the small holes.

We tried really hard to make sure the colors and size of boards were balanced. In a few places, we cut down a larger board into skinnier or shorter pieces to vary it a bit, and I got out my paints and repainted some of the boards, too.

After fitting all the pieces, and gluing them down with Gorilla Wood Glue, I rubbed stain over the entire piece. (I wish I had stained the plywood base first. Instead, I used a spray stain to get in the cracks between boards.)

In the picture above, you can see the difference the stain made. The panel in the foreground was not stained, but the back two were.
After the stain dried overnight, I brushed on two coats of polycrylic to seal things up and give the panels a little richer sheen.

And then, just in time for our first board meeting meeting in the remodeled office (today!) my coworkers and I hung the panels.

Our cost:
(compared to Pottery Barn’s $399)
Plywood: ~$13/sheet x 2 = $26
Wood glue: ~$4
Paint, stain and poly: Leftover from other projects
Hardware for hanging: ~4
Total: $34 for three panels (two 32 x 45, one 46 x 45)

Time: 8+ hours over three days to allow paint, glue, stain and poly to dry

Supplies:
paint & brushes
reciprocal saw (jigsaw or circular saw would work)
miter saw (jigsaw or circular saw would work)
measuring tape
wood glue
stain
polycrylic
hardware for hanging (we used a picture frame kit with eye hooks and wire)

One last shot to show the other wall in the kitchen. We’ve still got plans for that rainbow canvas, and I have another remodeled room (and the cutest seating area!) to show off, too!

I’ve had such a fun time working on these spaces with my coworkers and we’re just hoping our board of turkey farmers and industry gurus will approve!

Shared at: Inspire Me Wednesday
Inspire Me Please Weekend Blog Hop
Funky Junk Interiors
Sand & Sisal
Funky Junk Interiors Best of 2014

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