DIY wood wall decor

Sometimes (okay, actually all the time) I buy or salvage things and hold onto them for a LONG time because I know they can be really special someday, even if the item doesn’t look special in its current state. My husband is particularly fond of this habit. 😉 Exhibit A: I’ve been holding onto this amazing antique frame for a while. I knew I loved it but wasn’t exactly sure what I was going to do with it. I recently decided I really wanted to create some wood wall art, and this frame would do just the trick.

For this project, I used:

• Antique frame ($3)
• Wood shims (Valu Home Centers $5)
• Plywood cut-to-size I had leftover from another project
• Saw and protective eyeware
• Wood glue
• Staple gun
• Minwax stain (The stain was provided to me by Minwax)

First, I cut a piece of thin plywood to fit inside the antique frame.  This would allow me to both design the front of the plywood, as well as secure the frame a little bit better. As always, measure twice…cut once! Once I was finished cutting, I double checked and made sure it fit into the frame. Success! Once the plywood was cut and fit, I decided I wanted to try to do a V-pattern on the front of it with wood pieces.  I bought some shims from Valu Home Centers, and started to map out the pattern.  Once I had it all figured out, I used wood glue to secure the pieces to the wood and let it dry. And, yes, you are seeing this photo correctly.  I used shims to shim the shims. Once it was dry, I used my saw to cut off the excess wood to make clean lines along the edges. Note: since this particular wood is on the thin side, little pieces of wood fly everywhere, so be sure to wear eye gear! Safety first.

Once all the gaps were filled in and it was set to go, I put on a nice coat of Minwax stain to compliment the color of the frame. Thank you to my friends at Minwax for sending me this amazing color – it matched the frame perfectly!

For the final step, I put the plywood back into the frame and used a staple gun to secure the wood to the frame. Then I secured a hanging hardware piece to the back so that I can hang it on the wall.

All in all, this project cost me about $7.  Not too shabby!  I am still looking for a spot worthy enough for this beauty!  Until then, I’ll admire her like this in my dining room.

Further questions on how I made this? Just ask! And as always, reclaim, reuse, upcycle.