How To DIY A Rustic Farmhouse Ceiling From Old Wooden Pallets

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A few weeks ago, I wrote a post and shared a little peek at our entryway and everyone LOVED the ceiling. And guess what?

I do, too! Like, I really, really love it SO MUCH.

How To DIY A Rustic Farmhouse Ceiling From Old Wooden Pallets

We did it on a whim and I can't believe how amazing it looks. It was a bit tedious and, frankly, sweaty – but it was 100% worth it in the end.

And the best part? We made it entirely out of the tops of the tables we made out of wooden pallets for our $5,000 wedding!

So it's bad ass AND sentimental (seriously, not to get too gushy but I love walking in our house and seeing something that reminds me of such an amazing day in our lives).

A bunch of you asked me to show how to DIY a rustic farmhouse ceiling from old wooden pallets. Keep reading for a full tutorial:

Supplies:

• Old Wooden Pallets (or Stained 1″x4″s)
• Reciprocating Saw
• Sander
• Polyurethane
• Gloves + Sponges
• Finishing Nailer + Nails
• Saw

Directions:

Step One:

Use the reciprocating saw to carefully cut the wood on the tops and bottoms of the wooden pallets off.

You'll actually be cutting through the screws and nails that hold the wooden strips on so BE CAREFUL.

Step Two:

Tap out (i.e. remove) as many of the old screws/nails as possible.

Personally, I didn't stress out too much about this because I liked the look of the old nails in the wood (plus, it was going on the ceiling so no worries about someone cutting themselves on it).

All I cared about was getting rid of the ones that stuck out in the back because you'll want the wood pieces to lay as flat as possible.

Step Three:

Use the sander to sand the worst of the roughness off the wood pieces.

I kept mine a little distressed (again, they were going on the ceiling so no risk of injuries).

Step Four:

Measure the area you'll be covering (in our case, the ceiling) and make a rough template on the floor or ground (I used a dropcloth that was basically the right size).

Take the time to carefully lay out the wood pieces the way you want them to appear on the ceiling.

The easiest route is to make piles of the wood pieces that are the same width and depth.

Then, create rows using all the wood pieces from one pile.

Step Five:

Use the gloves and sponges to apply a thin coat of polyurethane over the top and sides of each wood piece (just the fronts, no point in doing the backs).

Follow the instructions on the product. I only did one coat but do as many as you need to.

Step Six:

After the polyurethane has dried, you can begin adhering the rows of wood pieces to the ceiling.

Use the finishing nailer to nail the wood rows on to the ceiling.

We started in the center (which happened to be where our light fixture was) and worked our way out (if you ceiling is a crooked then you'll need to make adjustments as needed to make the rows even).

If an end piece was too long then we'd cut off the excess with a saw. Keep going until the ceiling is covered.

Just a note: If you have any lights then you'll need to pre-cut a an opening around the junction box.
We did this by using an old junction box as a template and tracing around it with a pencil. Then we cut it out with the saw.

Step Seven:

ENJOY. No seriously, you're done.

See, I told you it was easy (but definitely tedious).

Just a note: If you'll be doing this as a wall feature then I would encourage you to cover the feature area in a coat of brown paint before you adhere the wood pieces to it.
Otherwise, you'll be able to see the wall color underneath as it will show through the cracks. Our ceiling was high enough up that we didn't have to worry about this but a wall would definitely show it.

Will any of you be creating a rustic farmhouse ceiling from old wooden pallets in your home?