Scrap-Wood Wall Covering.

I had this dull looking little bar in a closet, and I was just looking for something interesting to do in there. I also have a lot of old wood laying around, and this looked fun.

I suppose someone could actually go buy siding or fence-pickets for this, (you would need to stain them different colors for the right effect). I already had these motley-colored old fence boards, and re-using stuff like this has its own charm.

This method should work well in just about any small space, a closet, a breakfast nook, or even an accent wall in a larger room. This particular example is a small Wet-Bar just off the family-room. I figured that this was a really nice feature to have, and far too much fun for the "Shades of Beige" color pallet that it came with. I figured a small space like this would be better as a casual "Rum-shack" or "Tiki-bar" look.

1- You will need some old wood; weathered and stained is better. These are NOT going to be supporting any structural loads, so they don't need to be particularly sturdy. They are just there for appearance. We had some old fence-boards from a recent repair, so that's what I used.

Just how much wood you will need is based on the space you want to work with, (and the overall condition of the wood available). Basically, you will need to measure the area you want to cover. Measure height and width, then multiply those together for total area. Round up to the next foot or so. Then do the same for your wood, width by length, then multiply by how many boards you have, (then add about 20% for error).

2- some sort of gap-filling adhesive; I resorted to clear silicone caulking after trying other options. most glues just won't stick to old wood, (unless you get that glue somewhere that you DONT want it, then it will stick just fine).

3- A brad-Nailer; (or a small tack-hammer, tiny nails, and a nailset). The adhesive was not working out well for sticking old boards to a vertical surface. So, I resorted to using a Brad-Nailer to secure the boards until the glue could dry.

4- A table saw; This is the probably the best method for getting a consistent width on old boards. I don't really see any practical way around this, (an edge-joiner maybe).

A few notes about working with recovered wood; It's not going to be straight, flat, smooth, or the same color as the board next to it. This is part of the charm of old wood, but it also makes it..."challenging" to work with.

I am going to assume that you already have a source of old wood in mind at this point. You should have already pulled out the rusty nails and cut out the obviously rotten or broken parts by this point. (if not, you might want to go take care of that before going forward).

Honestly, you could use just about any type of wood for this, as long as the thickness is roughly the same. Scrap wood siding, pallet boards, and fencing planks are generally good for this. And if you look around, most of this kind of material is usually free for the asking, (and DO ask, don't just go pull boards off of some farmers land without permission). Be careful of rotten patches, bug nests, and peeling paint, but otherwise, the more weathered, faded, stained and worn, those boards are, the more interesting they will look.

Since our fence-boards had been out in the yard for a while, they had mud, grit and even a little moss going on. I laid them out in the driveway and hosed them down with the high-pressure nozzle. Then I went over them with a stiff bristle push-broom and some soapy water, (a little dish washing detergent and warm water works well for this). Then I rinsed them off and leaned them up against the house to air-dry. I even went down to my local builder-supply for two brand-new cedar boards, just for the contrast.

Used wood is usually warped and cupped from exposure, so I recommend using shorter lengths of wood, say 48" (4-ft.) or less. This can minimize the effect of bends and twists that would be more obvious in longer planks. It also makes them easier to fit into smaller spaces, (like closets and such).

The first thing to do is to get is a straight edge, (straight-Ish will work fine). A table-saw with a Rip-fence is best for this. I shaved off about 3/4" or so on "bulge-out" (or convex) side. This will give you a reasonably straight surface to work from when you rip down the other side of the board. Then I ripped all of the boards down to 5" so that they were all the same width. This allowed me to get reasonably even edges while minimizing waste. Then you can get reasonably square end-cuts to "true-up" the corners.

The original space was definitely from the 80's "Crome and mirrors" Era. The mirror-wall back in there helps the space look larger than it is. And really does help bounce light around, so I left it alone. Also, it would have been difficult to remove safely, (and I'm actually kind of lazy).

But those glass-shelves! I suppose they looked cool in the brochure, but entrusting bottles of expensive beverages to thin sheets of glass just seems like a bad plan, (a scary "shattered glass, broken bottles, trip to the hospital" type of bad). So, they had to go.

Then the "Mini projects" came up: Both of these "Mini projects" were pretty straightforward, but specific to this situation, so I did not include them as part of this tutorial. But I wanted to make note of them as an example of how other things can creep in to a project as you progress.

-- For some reason, the original contractor went around spraying in "Acoustic ceiling" everywhere, even in this small space. They are called "Popcorn ceilings" and I hate the stuff. Additionally, the ceiling in here had been painted an "Off-White" (making it grey) so the lighting just looked murky in there. So, I scraped down the ceiling, (a messy but manageable job) then painted it with a nice white "Ceiling-paint" (not really part of this instructible).

-- While I was up there, I replaced the existing "recessed canister" light with a modern LED-light kit from the building supply store, (also not part of this instructible). These LED-kits are readily available at most home-improvement stores and are surprisingly easy to manage. Really easy, not much more difficult than changing the lightbulb, you should look into these.

-- When I painted the ceiling, I was not particularly careful about getting paint on the sidewalls. Mostly because I planned to cover them up anyway. However, if I had thought it through a bit, I would have probably painted those walls in a darker "undercoat". A brown color would have worked well, and a matte-black would have made for interesting contrast in the spaces between the boards. I might try this in another project.

I removed the trim-covers for the light switch and power-outlet in the space, (you should probably turn off the relevant circuit breaker for this part). Then I pulled them out from the wall as far as their wires would allow them to go. Then I covered the exposed connections with electrical tape. This would allow me to safely use the (new LED) light in the space while working in there. And I would need to cut the wall boards to fit around the electrical boxes anyway.

Because it was such a small space (the upper half of a closet really), I cut the boards short to counter the twists and grain-cupping on most of them. In this case I used three lengths: 12" (1 foot), 18" (1 and 1/2) and 24" (2 foot). This allowed me to piece the boards together in a pleasing "staggered" pattern before installing them. I even picked up new cedar boards for contrast.

I started at the lower back corner by the mirror and worked my way out and up from there. Take your time making the cut-out for the electrical boxes. Small holes are easier to cover, but don't block the screw holes, you need these to re-install the plugs and covers later.

I tried to simply "Glue" the boards to the wall at first. But the adhesive, drywall, gravity, and the porous old wood were not "playing well" together. Construction adhesive might have worked, but it's kind of expensive, and can be hard to clean-up. I tried several other adhesives and settled on simple clear-Silicone caulking. This takes time to set-up, so I resorted to my trusty old pneumatic Brad-Nailer, (which requires an air-compressor to function). I think there are electric brad-Nailers available, or you could try a simple tack-hammer and small finish nails, (I used 1-1/4" 16ga. nails). Remember, the nails are just there to hold the board on the wall long enough for the adhesive to set.

These old boards were all sort of warped or curved, and the thickness varied some. but as long as they are the same width, they can match-up on the long-edges. This will cover most of the major gaps, and minor misalignments just add character. And since I had started at the lower edge, (the counter-top in this example) the offset of the boards all sowed up at the top. I toyed with the idea of just leaving it that way for a haphazard look, but I decided to go for a top "Trim-board" to finish it off.

Once you are finished with the walls and other tasks, it's time to re-install the plugs and switches (if any). You can probably leave the electrical tape on the contacts if you didn't put to many layers on there. Remember that these devices mount flush with the surface of the wall, (not the box), and the boards may have added a lot of material between the electrical box and the device. You may need longer screws to re-install them, (another trip to the Home-store). And if you are at the home-improvement store anyway...

It's probably time to replace the wall plates too, (mine were yellowish plastic things). there is usually a selection available, but You could easily just use what you have, or decorate your own, it's your space!

Remember those "panic inducing" glass shelves? I got rid of them! You may not be dealing with shelves at all. But, if you DO have shelves, make them safe!

I used simple "1x10" pine lumber for my replacement shelves, (which is actually 3/4 inch by 9-1/2 inches for some reason). I cut them about 1-1/4" shorter than the space is wide, (for clearance). Then I sanded them smooth and applied a simple polyurethane sealer-finish. Mine were about 1.5" deeper than the glass shelves had been, so I drilled a small 5/16" pocket-hole (about 3/8" deep) where the brackets matched up.

By this point you should be liking how the space came out, now for some decoration!

I actually splurged on some fancy "Tiki style" wall-plates for the plug and switch, (they were pricey and will mostly amuse only me). But really any decorative plates would have worked.

Then I put some of my larger bottles back in the bar, you know, just to check the spacing. (I actually had room for another shelf, which I installed).

Then I ran some festive LED String-lights (from amazon) along the shelves for atmosphere. Originally, I had them on the front of the shelves, but they got in the way. I relocated them to the back of the shelves with removable-adhesive mounting hooks. They work much better back there.

I had some vintage "Cocktail napkins" that were framed, so I hung those in there too.

You can use Metal signs, old stickers, fridge-magnets, pins, or whatever you want for decoration. It's your space, just have fun with it!