Honestly, I was at a friend's house in Tacoma last weekend and noticed they used old pallet wood for their entire kitchen backsplash. It looked way better than I thought it would.

They just sanded it down, stained it a light gray, and sealed it with a water-based poly. The whole thing probably cost them under $50. Got me thinking about using reclaimed wood for a feature wall in my own place. Anyone tried something similar and have tips on cleaning the wood first?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_jenny3mo ago

Go for it, just check for nails first.

aaron6773mo ago

That light gray stain sounds perfect for a feature wall. @the_jenny is right about the nails, but what about cleaning off old dirt or paint? Did your friend have to scrub each board with anything special before sanding?

oliver_mitchell1mo ago

Oh man, the dirt and paint situation is its own adventure. My buddy just grabbed a pressure washer and went to town, which honestly felt like overkill but worked great. He did say to watch out for old paint that might be lead based, so he wore a respirator just to be safe. After that he let the boards dry for a few days before sanding, which sounds tedious but beats breathing in mystery dust. Your mileage may vary though, especially if the wood's been sitting outside for decades. Just don't skip the cleaning step unless you want your stain to look like a Jackson Pollock painting.