I absolutely am obsessed LOVE coffee and was so very excited to have a space to put a coffee bar in the hall way next to the kitchen. There was a large space about the “bar” area that I wanted to fill with artwork that fit with the theme. On the opposite wall, I have framed burlap boards & a shutter for our mail, so I wanted to stick with rustic (which most of our house is – rustic antique) but add an element of coffee as well. I had been itching to do something with this pallet we had, and after seeing a couple of “coffee maps” of the world, I had an idea. So the husband graciously helped me get the pallet pulled apart and prepared, and my vision became a reality! It’s such a wonderfully easy way to make larger “artwork” and inexpensive too!
Here’s what you’ll need:
old pallet // reciprocating saw //wood stain // coffee beans
How to make your pallet “canvas”:
- When you get a pallet, make sure it has a lot of slats still.
- You will want to choose the side with more slats as your “front”.
- Once you have done this, start removing slats from the back
- make sure to leave one at (or close to) the top to hang from
- To remove the slats, you can pry off the nails of each board you wish to remove
- this is time consuming and harder than you think!
- we opted to use the reciprocating saw instead to cut off the nails and then remove the nails later…MUCH easier.
- Once you’ve removed the boards & the leftover nails, start placing the slats in the empty slots on the “front” of your pallet.
- most will be able to fit into place, but you may have to remove some the front slats and reposition to make a flat canvas
- nail the slats into place in the original nail holes
- Now you’re ready to make your design!
How to do the design:
- Stain your pallet whatever color you want – I went with a darker wood stain.
- Do this outside, or in the garage, or really anywhere you have a tarp.
- Allow stain to dry for a few hours (or overnight).
- Draw your design (be it a map or what have you) on in pencil first
- Cover your design with the coffee beans, layering for the thickness you desire.
- You may have to move beans around to perfect your shape.
- Once your design looks like you wish, start gluing!
- I used a combination of glue gun & Gorilla glue once I ran out. As long as it’s a stronger glue, it doesn’t matter – but make sure your glue dries clear – this is important!!
- Leave flat to dry for a few hours before hanging.
- When hanging, make sure to use a stud finder so the weight of the pallet can be supported.
- Hang, and enjoy your creation!
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| the finished product! |
Have you ever made any pallet artwork? I’d love to see what you created!
