DIY Wood Pallet Photo Display

A simple DIY Wood Pallet Photo Display that’s easy to make, and perfect for displaying all your photos with farmhouse charm!

wood pallet photo display 2

DIY Wood Pallet Photo Display

I recently acquired a bunch of wood pallets, and I couldn’t wait to get going on a list of projects that I had in mind for them.  I had a vision of using them to display family photos, and there was a blank spot in my house that would be a perfect place for it to settle in.

I love love love the end result!  The clothespins make it extremely versatile, and I can switch pictures in and out whenever I like.  I’ve clipped our most recent family pictures, but I thought about displaying past photos that were taken during the current season or holiday. It would be so fun to feature old Halloween pictures at Halloween, Christmas pictures at Christmas time, etc.

Where can you find wood pallets?  I would suggest checking at some of the larger stores in your area–like Wal-mart, Home Depot, etc.  Some stores will give them away if asked. You might even luck out and see some on the side of the road (I always look around on heavy trash day in our area)! I couldn’t find any like that, so I checked craigslist in my area, and found someone selling them for $1.  That’s just about as good as free!

When I went to pick them up, there as a pile to look through, and I was happy about that, because I only wanted the more weathered looking wood.  Some pallets are newer, and they don’t have the same look.

 

SUPPLIES:

wood pallet
2 wood pieces for the back–2-3 inches in width, not quite as tall as your display
wood screws OR nail gun and nails
clothespins
spray paint
hot glue gun
vinyl lettering

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Cut your pallet pieces to the size you want. This will take some work–removing them from the pallet itself, removing or bending down nails, etc.  I didn’t want my ends to be even, so I cut them accordingly.

2.  Lay them out the way you want them to be–good side down. Cut 2 wood pieces to act as stabilizing braces.  This can really be any kind of wood, and I just grabbed some from the wood scrap pile.  If I was going to hang it on the wall, I would have used thinner, flatter pieces, to make it not quite so heavy, but since this was going to sit on a ledge, it didn’t matter.  Line them up so they cross all of the boards, then use your nail gun to nail them on.  Our nail gun was being used by a friend, so I used wood screws instead–worked just as well.

3.  Sand, sand, sand.  My pallets were pretty rough, and I didn’t want any splintery pieces poking out.  I used a rough grit (60) sandpaper, and went over it until those pieces were smooth.4.  Spray paint your clothespins–or even cover them with cute scrapbook paper! Once they’re dry, lay them out on your planks to see how you want them to be lined up.  I clipped pictures on first, so I could see where they would fit best.  I wanted to be able to use both 4×6 and 5×7 pictures, and I came up with a layout that would work–even when I switched out pictures.  When you’re ready, hot glue the clothespins into place.5.  Add your vinyl (I used typewriter font), and clip on your pictures!

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21 Comments

  1. Since Facebook is notorious for not letting page owners know when I tag them, I thought I would stop by myself and let you know I featured this post and my readers loved it! https://www.facebook.com/CraftsbyAmanda/photos/pb.323548680216.-2207520000.1395952982./10153979848160217/?type=3&theaterter

    1. I applied it just like I would to any other surface–and used a credit card to really push it down as firmly as I could. Have you used vinyl before?

  2. I LOVE this! Right up my ally – rustic, and versatile. And I love your idea of changing out the pictures to match the seasons of years passed. Brilliant!

    1. Thank you so much, Courtney!!! I made this years ago, and it’s still one of my favorite things ever! xoxo

    1. I cut my own, but before I had a vinyl cutter I used http://writings-onthewall.com. They are awesome–call and talk to Becky, and tell her I sent you!! xoxo

  3. Thinking of making this as a wedding gift for my photographer cousin. I have pallets but the wood is super flimsy and some of the boards crack easily. What size screw or nail would you recommend? I imagine that if I attempted thisI would have the following problems:
    A. it would split the wood
    B. go through the front of the pallet
    C. not go far enough in and the boards would eventually fall off.
    Got any tips?

    1. You can actually use wood glue–we like Tite-bond. Let something heavy sit on the top until it’s completely dry! Good luck–I think it would make a darling wedding gift! xoxo

  4. Hi there Kierste, can you please tell me how do you put the Family name also the other writing on down the bottom of the finish pallet. Thank you Marilyn

    1. Hi, Marilyn! I used vinyl lettering to add the names! There are lots of places online to order it—do a quick google search, and you’ll find quite a few. Etsy.com is also a great place to look!

  5. What is vinyl for? Where is it attached to? I don’t see it? Is it over each picture? What is “typewriter font” used for?

    1. The vinyl lettering is spells out all the text on the board, and the typewriter font is the font I used to create the vinyl lettering.

    1. Hi, Michele! I found the pallet as it was–all in one piece, so I didn’t have to put anything together. Look for them behind stores (sometimes they get rid of them), or even on Facebook Marketplace, etc.

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