Wood Slice Wall Art • Tutorial

As promised in my last post, here are the steps I followed for making the rustic branch wall art in my laundry room.

You need to know that right after I posted my branch wall art yesterday, I got a telephone call from my daughter teasing me. "Mom, you are just about the only person in the world that worries about art in the laundry room!"

Could be!

Supplies Needed:

• Assorted branches in a variety of diameters - 3/4" up to 4"
• 1 piece masonite or other 1/8" thick material for backing big enough for your composition
• Epoxy glue
• Paint to match the wall
• Roll of paper & thin markers to make plan
• Paint Brush
• Sandpaper
• Spray adhesive
• Saw - band saw, dremel saw

The process:

• Collect a variety of sticks and logs. I selected ones with smooth bark like birch, beech and maple. 

• Using whatever saw you have access to be it band saw, miter saw or hand saw and miter box, cut the branches into a variety of thicknesses. I cut them from 1/4" to 3" in length. I cut about 75 but ended up using 50. 

• Sand one end smooth. I used a belt sander but this could have been accomplished by hand. It would take a lot longer though. I do appreciate the access I have to my husband's workshop!

• Roll out a piece of paper large enough for your finished wall hanging. I used the back side of some ugly Christmas wrapping paper I had.
• Arrange the disks in a random layout. I achieved this by taking the 4 largest and placed one near the top, one near the bottom and two in the middle area.
• I then filled in around them with a variety of diameters. 
• I tried to never have two pieces of the same height touching.

• Once you have a layout you are pleased with, trace its outline with a marker.
• Put a sticker on each piece and number them sequentially.
• Remove each disk, one by one, and sketch its location adding the number for future identification.

• Spray adhesive to the back of your drawing and quickly place it on the backing material. I used 1/8" masonite.
• Don't let the glue dry, but spray and place quickly. This will allow you to peel the plan off later.
• I skteched a line 1/4" inside of the outside rim of my composition. This will be my cut line because I want the wood slices to hang over the edge of the backboard. I don't want the back board visible when this is mounted on the wall.

• I drilled holes at each of the pinch points. This step is a convenience so the saw blade doesn't get stuck in a corner. I can maneuver more easily if there are open holes.

• Working on a band saw I cut out the design. The red mark you see above is the inside cut mark I am cutting too. 
• This step could be completed with a little Dremel jig saw as well, and maybe even better because it has a tiny blade. 

• Once the design is cut out carefully peel off the paper design.
• You need to save this to help relocate the wood slices so don't let it rip apart as you peel.
• Take a piece of sand paper and do a quick sanding on all edges. They don't need to be super smooth but you do want to remove the roughness.

• Paint the back board to match the wall.
• There will be many gaps in the arrangement of wood slices and you want the color showing through to match the wall. I had paint left over from the laundry room re-do.
• It required three coats to cover and I painted both sides.

• Once the paint dried, I placed all the disks on the backboard, rearranging them for the best coverage. I tried to match the plan.
• I mixed up a batch of 2-Ton epoxy, applied some to the bottom of each wood slice and pressed it in place.
• I saved a couple well placed small wood slices out and didn't glue them down.
• Instead, I screwed the wall hanging to the wall in those locations and then used Blue Tack to stick the wood slice covers over the screws.

And the final result is all I had hoped for. It reflects my love of nature and the warmth it adds by using it indoors but still has a contemporary flair to it.

Send photographs if decide to make a wood slice wall hanging for your home!

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Rustic Décor • With a Contemporary Flair
• Branch Overview
• Birch Overview
• Laundry Room Reveal
• Laundry Room Reveal • The Cabinets
• Laundry Room Reveal • Ikea Hack • Kvartal
• Laundry Room Reveal • The Ironing Board solution

©2013AshbeeDesign, Marji Roy

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