Salvaged Bench Back Wall Art

Today's project starts with a funny story.  My daughter, Emma, rides horses so I am often hanging around barns.  Recently, I spied a stack of old wood and broken bench pieces out beside the barn.  Apparently, these things were waiting for the burn pile.  Being the “picker” that I am, I was caught digging through the pile and much to my daughter's embarrassment, soon was loading this bench back into my car.  After a whole lot of, “I can't believe you, mom's” I got my prized possession home with me. I had really been looking for a large piece of architecture to hang on my wall above my sofa, so this seemed like the perfect piece.  The problem was going to be getting it up there to stay.

Would you pass up this pile?

Once I got it home, I scrubbed it clean and sanded it down really good.  The finish was flaking off and before painting, I wanted to remove all the yuck.

Much better!

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I decided to paint it white.  I didn't want it to look too finished, so I went with a distressed look.  After painting, I sanded down the edges to give it the added interest I wanted.  I left it without a top coat since it wasn't going to be exposed to any elements hanging in my house.

Once painted, hanging it on the wall was much easier than I expected.  I used two eye hooks and heavy gauge wire attached to the back.  Then hung it with screws and anchors in the wall.

Here is the finished piece.

For added interest, I hung my tobacco basket and wreath on the front of it.  I think it makes a great statement over the new couch!

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To life feeling like home!

XO,