This weathered reclaimed wood is such a quick project, and an easy way to add character and charm to your home! I love my new weathered reclaimed wood kitchen bar.
A few months ago I shared my vision for the bar wall in my kitchen. I had the idea of reclaimed wood planking on my bar for years, but I didn't know exactly how to pull it off. I knew I could do it, but it would be a LOT of work, so I kept putting it off. Then one day while I was browsing Pinterest, I found this image.
Deluxe Design Studio
Hallelujah!! The clouds parted, the angels started singing, and it was exactly the look I wanted in the kitchen. Even the setup was similar enough to my kitchen to give me a great idea of what it would look like.
Around the same time I got in touch with Stikwood, a company that sells Peel & Stik reclaimed and sustainable wood panels. Seriously, it's real reclaimed wood with a peel-and-stick backing, which makes Stikwood panels the easiest way to add reclaimed wood to your home.
And y'all. Let me just tell you something. I thought I would really like the end result of my weathered reclaimed wood kitchen bar, but y'all! I am in love, and I don't care who knows it!!!! (Name that movie!)
The wood adds so much character and charm to my kitchen, I can't even stand it. So if you've been toying with the idea and thinking about doing the same in your space, I say go for it! Affiliate links are used for your convenience. See my full disclosure policy here.
OK, here's how I did this easy DIY peel & stik project.
Tools Needed for DIY Reclaimed Wood Wall
- Stikwood in Weathered White
- Saw (I used my miter saw, but you could use a hand saw just as easily. See my favorite DIY tools here.)
- Rubber seam roller
- Level
- Pencil
- Tape measure
I first opened the box of reclaimed wood and nearly squealed with delight. This stuff is authentic, real wood with real knots, imperfections, and a beautiful weathered paint job. When I first took a poll and asked you what color I should choose, most of you said weathered gray.
But in the end I fell in love with the weathered white. I do value your opinions, I promise! But I had to go with my gut on this one.
I love that it brings together my white cabinets and gray countertops. I guess when I replace my countertops, I'll have to keep them the same color. Ha!
My second thought when I opened the box was that it wasn't nearly enough wood to cover my bar, but in the end it was exactly the right amount, with a tad left over. (Yay for a future project!)
Before You Start
Before I started my project, I had to think through a couple of things.
- I chose to remove the trim right under my countertops. I have never really liked it, and it seemed like the perfect time to say "bye!"
- It was good that my bar was already painted white, because you can see through some of the gaps between the boards and the knots. Paint the wall if you don't want the color to show through.
- I also had to think about my starting and stopping points. I needed to make sure the ends of my project were finished, so I started on one end next to my board and batten. But the other end of the bar didn't have a good stopping place, so I had to add a piece of wood trim. (Stikwood sells corner trim and edge trim, but neither one was what I needed.)
- Take out all of your reclaimed wood pieces and roughly figure out which layout looks best, staggering the light and dark pieces and the lengths.
Getting Started
If I had to do it all over again, I would start at the bottom of the wall, since I ended up having to cut the bottom pieces lengthwise to fit. Because it's hard to see the top of the wall with the countertop overhanging, it would have been smart to put the trickier pieces at the top. So think through where you want to start.
OK, now that we've thought everything through, it's time to peel and stick! This part was so easy! I had some extra work because my wall had odd angles that I had to miter cut, but otherwise this project would have only taken me a few hours at most.
I just measured and cut, making sure each piece and each row stayed level.
I used my miter saw to cut the pieces. Since the boards are fairly thin, I put a heavy board on top of them to keep them flat and make sure the cuts were even. It worked perfectly!
By the way, the adhesive is strong! It isn't going anywhere. Use your rubber seam roller over each board once you've stuck it on to make sure the adhesive is pressed down well.
I accidentally placed a board the wrong way, with the miter cut on the wrong side, so I had to remove it. Let me just say it's not the easiest thing to do.
I got it off, but it damaged the wall a bit. Be sure you're sticking them where you want them, and double-check the direction if you have to miter cut one side.
Once I got my system down, it was just a matter of sticking them on, and it went pretty fast!
This is what my bar looked like before the reclaimed wood:
And now it's loaded down with character and charm. I think it adds a ton of depth to my kitchen. Makes me happy!
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OK, I'll stop with the picture overload now. Haha! I just couldn't help myself.
Where would be the perfect place for some reclaimed wood in your home??
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