USA Pallet Wall Art

Tracy Snyder
by Tracy Snyder
When we saw others making pallet wall art my husband and I knew right away that we wanted to make one in the shape of the USA. It turned out better than I could have imagined.
To create this we started with a map that the right size for our space. I found this map at a local education store for around $6. Cut out the outline of the USA (sorry Alaska and Hawaii) Then lay your map on your work surface and lay out pallet boards to cover your map. Try flipping and turning the boards to make sure you have the least amount of gap space between boards. Pallet boards are warped so you may have to cut them short in some spaces to line them up just right. Also keep in mind where any gouges or knots will fall on your map. Once you have your boards the way you want trace the map.
With the map on top of the boards the way you want them mark where spots will fall like Maine, Texas etc on the edges of the board. If you shortened any boards mark where those ends line up with the neighboring boards. Now keep the boards in order but flip them all over and line them back up with those marks.
Measure your pallet boards and cut a piece of plywood to that size. Add adhesive to the pallets then set the plywood on top. Using the marks you made on the pallets set the map outline upside down on to the plywood and trace the reverse image. This will help you place screws out of the way of the jigsaw later. Make sure to get screws in at each end.
Once the glue is set you can flip it over. This step isn't necessary but was helpful. We cut the large rectangle down with a circular saw, just outside the map lines.
Now get to cutting with your jigsaw. This took me over an hour to cut. Just be patient, remember you can always make another cut to take off more but if you cut off too much you can't put it back (usually). I can't tell you how many chunks I cut off. If a cut isn't working come at it from a different angle.
We made a time lapse video of the jigsaw process.
Clean up tight spaces and sand rough edges. This wall art will be HEAVY. We hung ours on our wall using a cleat screwed into the studs of our wall and into the back of the pallet art. Great for
Tracy Snyder
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
Go
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Tru Tru on Dec 14, 2018

    What store did you get your map at?

Comments
Join the conversation
2 of 8 comments
  • Lisa Sinclair Lisa Sinclair on Dec 08, 2018

    Even tho I love this idea ,just as it is. In case someone really felt bad abt eliminating poor Hawaii and Alaska. You could always make a pallet backing then mod podge the actual map to the boards.

  • Jim Cox Jim Cox on Feb 25, 2020

    This looks great. I'm gonna have to figure out Hawaii though ; )


Next