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Beginning in the Middle

DIY Pallet Accent Wall

Decor· DIY

6 Oct

When we moved into our house, the master bedroom had one big, plain, window-free wall that was just screaming for some attention.Master - BeforeWe talked about doing a stencil wall, similar to the one in our dining room, and also talked about doing something with wood or brick veneer.  When we found this tutorial that explained how to create an accent wall out of reclaimed wood, we realized how easy it would be.  The only question was what kind of wood to use.  Would we buy it or try to find something that we could reclaim?

Then, we had a light bulb moment.  Bryan had lots of extra pallets at his job = FREE WOOD!

For those of you who don’t know what pallets are (I must admit, I had no idea before doing this project), they look like this:

IMG_2584You can find them at home improvement stores, grocery stores, garden centers, etc.  (Note of caution: don’t steal! If you happen to see what appears to be unused pallets lying around, always ask before taking.). Many times Craigslist has them listed for free, too.

When choosing pallets, make sure they have a “HT” stamp before bringing it into your home.  The “HT” stands for Heat Treated, which means there were no chemicals used to preserve the wood, just heat.

To get started, we gathered the following supplies:

1.  Enough “HT” pallets to cover the wall
2.  A sanding machine & sandpaper
3.  A hammer
4.  Finished nails
5.  Soap & water
6.  Table saw

First, we rinsed all of the pallets with soap and water.  Easy peasy.

Once dry, we broke apart each pallet using a hammer.  After breaking them apart, we removed all of the nails that were still in each piece.  Not so easy peasy.  But, it was free… so no complaining, right?

Next, we sanded.  I’d be lying if I said we sanded each and every piece, because we didn’t.  We knew we were going to have a large, thick headboard between us and the wall, so we were okay with leaving some of the pieces as is.  For added peace of mind, we tried to put most of the unsanded pieces toward the top of the wall, out of our reach.

Last, we brought all of the pieces of wood upstairs and nailed them onto the wall.  Bryan worked on one row at a time and went from left to right.  He made each row look different by mixing various sizes and colors.  The table saw came into play to make the wood on the right side of the row fit evenly with the end of the wall.

Tip #1: If you only have 1 shade of wood and want more, a few cans of different stains can fix that.

Tip #2: If you want a bit more certainty in the placement of the wood, try laying them all out on the floor before nailing them to the wall.

IMG_1031This is what it looks like now, after Bryan made us an awesome upholstered bed!  Our original plan was to replace the ceiling fan with a chandelier for a rustic/chic look, but after living here one summer, we’re in love with our fan and don’t think we’ll be able to part with it.

Master - AfterBaci likes it so far.  What do you think?

Baci

22 Comments

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Comments

  1. atkokosplace says

    October 23, 2013 at 6:05 pm

    Love the wall, but not gonna lie, the last pic is my favorite! Super snuggle-able (I know not a word, but in this instance it is!)

    Reply
  2. ssperber says

    November 18, 2013 at 1:13 pm

    Gorgeous. Wow. My gears are turning!

    Also – I feel you on the ceiling fans. i wish I could add chandeliers and other cute lights, but I really need my fans.

    Reply
  3. ericasooter says

    March 25, 2014 at 9:48 pm

    Wow! This is absolutely stunning. I have a plan to do this to a wall in my living room! You’ve definitely inspired me to get going on putting my plan into action. Now to collect those pallets!

    dwellbeautiful.wordpress.com

    Reply
  4. Catherine says

    March 25, 2014 at 9:52 pm

    Thank you all! I would love to see photos if you try it yourself.

    Reply
  5. morganculture says

    March 28, 2014 at 7:19 pm

    I **LOVE** this! Any thoughts about how it would work for an exterior wall?

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      March 28, 2014 at 7:27 pm

      Thank you! I’m not sure about making it work for outside… What did you have in mind?

      Reply
      • morganculture says

        March 28, 2014 at 7:46 pm

        I’ve been looking for a solution for this insanely ugly cinderblock wall. http://inglewoodcraftsman.files.wordpress.com/2014/03/image5.jpg Obviously the spraypaint idea isn’t going well…

        I see pallets for free all the time on Craigslist, so they’d be easy enough to find. The major concern I’d have is securing them to the cinderblock wall itself.

  6. Lourdes says

    September 11, 2014 at 3:46 pm

    Love your bedroom!

    Reply
  7. Deb says

    September 14, 2014 at 11:13 am

    Would the same technique apply to brick? Been wanting to do one inside wall brick.

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      September 14, 2014 at 1:11 pm

      Deb – we haven’t done a brick accent wall yet so I’m not sure! But, we do have a lot of brick that we’re in the process of exposing in our new investment property. We’ll share how that whole process goes once we figure it all out 🙂

      Reply
  8. Kenya @ Kenya Rae says

    January 13, 2018 at 10:33 am

    This is gorgeous. I wanna do this to my ceiling… but I heard breaking apart pallets is hard work!!

    Reply
    • Catherine says

      January 13, 2018 at 9:28 pm

      Thank you! It’s not easy!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 19 Insanely Cool Pallet Walls | Beginning in the Middle says:
    September 16, 2014 at 2:31 pm

    […] did a pallet accent wall in our master bedroom, and it completely transformed not only the wall, but the entire room.  […]

    Reply
  2. 6 Stunning DIY Wall Decoration Ideas | DIY and Crafts says:
    December 29, 2014 at 4:04 am

    […] Image: source […]

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  3. Dare To Be Different: 20 Unforgettable Accent Walls says:
    January 13, 2015 at 1:05 pm

    […] Sure, the wood pallet craze might be waning, but if rustic décor is still your M-O, this type of accent wall is unbeatable. Depth, character, visual interest, and warmth are all immediate results of a wood pallet accent wall. Bonus: DIY compatible. […]

    Reply
  4. Dare To Be Different: 20 Unforgettable Accent Walls ⋆ Steal Mag says:
    January 13, 2015 at 1:15 pm

    […] Sure, the wood pallet craze might be waning, but if rustic décor is still your M-O, this type of accent wall is unbeatable. Depth, character, visual interest, and warmth are all immediate results of a wood pallet accent wall. Bonus: DIY compatible. […]

    Reply
  5. Dare To Be Different: 20 Unforgettable Accent Walls | Club Oferteproprietari.ro says:
    January 14, 2015 at 3:09 am

    […] Sure, the wood pallet craze might be waning, but if rustic décor is still your M-O, this type of accent wall is unbeatable. Depth, character, visual interest, and warmth are all immediate results of a wood pallet accent wall. Bonus: DIY compatible. […]

    Reply
  6. DIY Pallet Accent Wall | Beginning in the Middle says:
    January 17, 2015 at 10:59 pm

    […]  This post is old.  You can find a new and improved version of our post at our new site here!  While you’re over there, you can check out our latest projects […]

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  7. 10 Pallet Projects For The Homestead says:
    November 8, 2015 at 9:01 am

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  8. 10 Pallet Projects For The Homestead | BuzzViral says:
    November 13, 2015 at 7:25 am

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  9. 17 Admirable Room Makeovers With Wood Accent Walls says:
    December 30, 2015 at 6:53 am

    […] Photo via http://www.beginninginthemiddle.net […]

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  10. How to Save Money When Upgrading Your Home | Comfort Spring says:
    March 9, 2018 at 7:25 am

    […] want is a half completed room getting in the way of all the other things going on in your home.  DIY Pallet Wall […]

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