How To Install A Pallet Wood Back Splash
Submitted By Circa Dee
Today I have a before and after reveal for you that I am super excited about! Here’s a glimpse at the after…
Last week we spent some time focusing on the dated galley kitchen in Cape May. The cabinets, appliances, countertop and backsplash were all very late 80′s style but in excellent condition from little use over the years. It is like no one ever used the kitchen in this old beach house ’til we got here. With that said, we just couldn’t justify a full reno nor was it in the budget. Here’s the awful before…
We found a couple of ways to transform this galley to become the rustic coastal kitchen that the beach house (and us) deserves.
Starting with the backsplash…the original was a sheet of plastic. So 1988. In the photo above it looks like drywall but it is actually waterproof. This turned out to be a great base for the new reclaimed wood backsplash. Would you believe it if I told you that reclaimed wood is an old shipping pallet? For more details on the pallet wood, click here.
True story and I love it! Ryan took a weathered oak pallet board apart and cut them into 18 inch segments. He laid them out to play with the configurations and I scrubbed them clean. I actually bathed them in the bathtub. Weird but totally worth it.
The bf adhered the wood backsplash to the plastic walls with liquid nails. He mixed up the light and dark colors and stained and plain in the layout to give lots of texture to the wall.
Then it was time to give the cabinets a makeover. We removed all of the doors and primed the wood veneer. I couldn’t wait to kiss the 1980′s builder grade cabinets goodbye! Isn’t it crazy how much of a disaster zone a little project can become?
We chose Benjamin Moore’s Woodmont Cream for the cabinets to brighten up the space.
It worked. Two coats and they’re like new and so. much. brighter. For more details on how we painted the laminate cabinets, click here.
And I’ll tell you what, with this new look in the kitchen I like the old school appliances. I might even call them vintage, with love.
I couldn’t be happier with the end result.
Would you believe this transformation only cost about $60? The cost of paint, primer and liquid nails plus our time planning and labor.
Did I mention the pallets were free? Trash to treasure baby!
I am the husband of the amazing Cassity of Remodelaholic. I love to problem solve and to design and build things inside and outside the house to make life better. I am a professional Landscape Architect by trade and love the outdoors.
To tell you the truth, when I read the title of the post, I thought “Oh my, is that going to look ugly?!” I’m happy to say, that actually looks kind of cool! Well done!!
I love your backsplash. I would love to change mine but it has fake brick and the only way to remove it is to remove the dry wall also and I am not sure my husband is able to do that, so who knows if I will ever achieve what I want. Love your blog.
The pallet wood backsplash looks great. WE have beadboard on our backsplash and I have to say that it rarely takes cleaning so I doubt you will have any trouble with keeping it clean. Good for you for thinking out of the box.
very pretty amazing transformation
I absolutely LOVE the back splash. Question, did you coat it with anything to keep it from deteriorating or getting grungy? And when you say you bathed them, could you give any tips on this? I think this “wood” look awesome for our back splash! Thanks so much for sharing!
Amazing project. Looks great!!
Thanks for your kind feedback everyone! We cleaned with household cleaning products and did not coat them but you could certainly use a flat poly. I posted a follow up on the pallet wood here: https://circadee.com/2012/02/03/backsplash-follow-up-part-2-pallet-wood/
~Dana
That is seriously cool! Love the contrast between the dark weathered wood and the bright, clean cabinets.
Wow, that’s gorgeous! Will you come to my house now?
I’m also tackling a small scale kitchen makeover & LOVE your new backsplash. I think it looks awesome. My only question is if the area were used constantly (mine is!) would you be concerned with how to keep it clean?
Thanks for sharing!
This was a guest feature, so I can’t tell you how it is holding up, but yes I would be a little concerned. You might have to use a dry wire brush to remove any food that flips onto it (after it has dried) from a mixer or what not. You might also consider waxing it, you’d have to test out a few boards before to see if it even worked.
Look at you go – how amazing!
LOVE !
XOX
Thanks, Suzan!
The link below is for an MSDS for methyl bromide (bromomethane is the same thing.) In its pure state, it is a very volatile gas. Since it was a pesticide treatment on the wood in question, my guess is that it was applied in a diluted liquid form. Given its very high vapor pressure, it seems very likely that most, if not all, of the material should have evaporated long before now, in its end-of-life state. The pesticide action would be probably on the bromide ion solids left behind. An article I consulted on the material from Cornell confirmed that the amount of bromide ion left behind is minimal when methyl bromide is uses as a soil fumigant. I would expect similar action in a porous wood product.
Nevertheless, I recommend that the people handling the wood wear gloves (probably a good idea anyway, for splinter protection,) eye protection (again for dust being generated) and a disposable face mask, to prevent dust inhalation.
One thing I would add to this great redo is to add drawer pulls. I would be concerned that all the opening and closing of cabinets snd drawers would cause the paint to chip and peel quickly. Have also seen posts lately of people painting and refinishing their laminate countertops. Great job
Hi, love the idea. My question is did you seal the wood with anything so it’s washable?
I’ve never seen someone do a wood pallet backsplash before, but I LOVE it! I have this small wall that needs some interest to it, so I thought I would cover it with wood pallets. I have seen most people use liquid nails then their nail gun, but I see you said you just used liquid nails to attach the wood to the wall. I do not have a nail gun so I am wanting to just use the liquid nails too, but wasn’t sure it would stick to the wall because of a long dry time. What liquid nail product did you use?
I would love to do this & the Bathroom wall. I’ve an idea but don’t know how to implement it? How about taking some of the boards&attaching somehow to form staggered shelving.How could this be achieved? I wouldn’t think just the Liquid Nails,could hold it well in place. The shelves could hold small light weight Knick Knacks. Any brackets would affect the next board to lay flat. I don’t have the Power Tool that creates Notches. That could work for those that have. Making the notch where the small bracket is. Any thoughts on how to achieve this?
P.S. I own a Mid 80’s Manufactured Home& very outdated. My Cabinets are the worse! Plus I’m disabled(entire Spine is fused except for 2 Vert./neck. Live alone& can only rely on myself. Can’t afford a Handyman. I’ve the DYI knowledge but,need ways to make ALL projects easier.