Note to Self:
Even a small project can take a large amount of work!
Once upon a time, I decided to take on a new project. Because we definitely didn't already have enough projects in our fixer upper house we just purchased and moved into. *insert eyeroll*
Yes, you read that right! We just bought our first home and it's been quite the adventure so far!
The truth is there are a lot of projects. We knew there would be when we decide to invest in this home, but every once in awhile I can't help but think, "Why didn't I push harder to purchase that cute, little, newly renovated, yellow house??" Don't get me wrong, I love this house! But if there's one thing I've learned in the last month and a half of homeownership, it's that every project has 3 characteristics, they:
Are more difficult than anticipated
Cost more than you originally planned
Take more time than you could imagine
That being said, I got to the point where I was kind of DONE with the big house projects. So I decided to take on (what I thought would be) a smaller, more manageable project (cue the drum roll):
SCRABBLE WALL ART
I had seen it before and thought it would be so fun to incorporate one into the collage wall I was working through in my mind. So, I set to work!
STEP 1: Design
This step took the longest for me because I am extremely indecisive and this step involves a lot of decision making. First of which is what words/names to use. I decided to do our family's names (McKenna, Stefen, Tib, & Pepper) and then also the word "family."
Tib and Pepper are our two yorkies - aren't they adorable?
Tib and Pepper are our two yorkies - aren't they adorable?
Once you've picked your words, it's time to figure out the layout! The easiest way, I found, is to use an online crossword puzzle maker. Most of them you can just put the words in and then re-run the program multiple times to give you different layouts to choose from. I ended up using a couple different websites (linked below) because each one tends to get stuck in the same few patterns. There are a ton of other options for websites as well!
After the programs had created some layouts, I used photoshop to add the letters back in because I'm a super visual person and I needed to see it. Here's what a few looked like after the fact:
And here's some examples after I got scared to make a decision and instead decided to procrastinate by using photoshop to put real scrabble tiles into those layouts haha:
(Side note: Tiberius is Tib's full name)
After showing my husband a few layouts and asking for this opinion, he said he liked the tallest one (left on the above picture) the best. I liked it too, so I moved forward!
STEP 2: Get materials
Here's a quick list of materials I used (I'll go over reach of them a bit more when I get to the step I used them in):
- 1/4" x 4" x 48" wood
- Ruler/measuring tape
- Level
- Pencil
- Wood Stain
- Polyurethane
- Paper/stencils
- Paint brushes/toothpick
- Saw
- Sandpaper
The wood for the project was easier to find than I expected. I looked at a craft store, but they didn't have the size I wanted and it was all expensive. So I headed over to Home Depot (aka: my home away from home right now) and found some wood boards that would be perfect. The sign said they were 1/4" x 4" x 48", but when I got them home and looked more closely, the tag actually said it was 3.5" wide (which ended up working better!) These boards were $4.95 each and I needed 3 to have enough squares for my project and a couple extra for oopsies.
STEP 3: Measure & Cut
The first part is easy - whatever width your board is, measure that same distance along the length of the board and trace out the lines to cut your squares. I used a carpenter square (that's what they're called, right?) but a ruler would work too!
After I drew the lines it was time to cut the squares! Thankfully our friend was letting us borrow his saw for a couple other house projects so we already had one to use. If you don't have one, you could rent one or just cut the pieces at home depot! I enlisted my husband's help to show me how to use the one we had and he helped cut some of the boards as well.
STEP 4: Sanding
We had some fancy sanding blocks from some other projects, but just sandpaper will work as well. You just want to make sure the edges and surfaces are smooth and even. I'm not the most patient individual so I sped through this step and I'll admit my "squares" could look better than they do haha!
STEP 5: Stain
The hardest part about this step was deciding what color stain to get! I ended up getting Minwax Weathered Oak. An 8 oz container cost about $5 - and I had a ton left! So make sure you pick a stain that you'll want to use on something else. Staining itself is easy, just follow the instructions on the can! One thing I struggled with is that not every piece is going to stain the same - they all look quite different. Which is great for art, but hard for a perfectionist's mind. Here's all of them together after I stained them:
After that I finished out the letters along that same line before moving the tape and measuring/marking for the next line. As far as the space between tiles, I just eyeballed it - I was way too anxious to see the finished product to take the time to measure!
Afterward I measured and the gaps were about 1/4 inch. If I did it over, I probably would have made these gaps larger! Close up the gaps look fine, but from far away the tiles look like they're touching.
STEP 8: Sit back and enjoy your work!
That's all, folks!
There is actually one more step for me - I'll be making a collage wall with some pictures and quotes too. So that's what I'm working on now! But until that's done, I'm just happy seeing this up on our previously empty wall and knowing that I did this project from start to finish!
This was such a fun project and I'm glad I took the time away from the stresses of homeownership to do this!
I hope you enjoyed my tutorial! If you have any questions feel free to email me! And if you make you're own scrabble wall art I'd love to see it!
Thanks everyone!
The hardest part about this step was deciding what color stain to get! I ended up getting Minwax Weathered Oak. An 8 oz container cost about $5 - and I had a ton left! So make sure you pick a stain that you'll want to use on something else. Staining itself is easy, just follow the instructions on the can! One thing I struggled with is that not every piece is going to stain the same - they all look quite different. Which is great for art, but hard for a perfectionist's mind. Here's all of them together after I stained them:
STEP 6: Trace & Paint Letters
I had a hard time deciding how to do this next step because I wanted my tiles to look like real scrabble tiles, but I also wanted the process to be fairly easy. There are letter stencils you can get, but I didn't like the font. There are letter stickers as well, but I didn't like any of the sizes. So I decided to go with the good old tracing and painting method haha.
First you have to decide on a font and print out the letters/numbers you'll need in the size you want them. I used Arial font, size 250 (letters) and 65 (numbers).
When you have them printed out, trace the letters onto the backside of the paper with a pencil, making sure to make the mark dark (lots of lead dust - I use super technical terms if you couldn't tell).
Cut out the letters and numbers and gather your tiles together. Make sure you know how many of each letter you'll need and also what number goes with each before you do this next step!
Put the pieces pencil side down on the wood tiles, then trace over the edges of the letter. This will transfer the markings to the wood (very lightly) so you know where to paint!
I used black acrylic paint to fill in the letters/numbers. This was probably the most frustrating part of the project because I didn't have great brushes (I just used what I could find in my old craft supplies). Because of this, I had to use toothpicks to help with a lot of the edges and details.
STEP 6: Polyurethane finish
After all the paint dries, it's time to finish them off with a polyurethane spray! I used the one pictured below (about $7), but Home Depot has lots to choose from. I picked this one in particular because I like the satin finish more than glossy and this was one of the least expensive options. Like with the stain, just follow the directions on the can and you'll be good as gold!
QUICK SIDE NOTE:
Along the way, I laid out the tiles and discovered that the layout we chose was actually too tall for where we wanted to put it on the wall - I almost cried! So instead of the taller layout, we just kind of turned that one on it's side and went with a wider design.
STEP 7: Hanging the pieces
During my prep for this project, I found lots of different ways to put together and hang the letters. Some people connected them on the back with wire/tape, others attached them to a board and hung that on the wall. I decided I wanted each of the letters to be separate so that in the future I could move the letters around as we have kids - or just get more dogs ;) haha
The way I decided to hang these letters separately involved using command strips (the velcro ones). Now, I'm pretty cheap and I like to keep my projects as inexpensive as possible. SO I bought a 16 set pack of small command strips and then cut them in half to double them! This wouldn't work for all projects, but since each letter tile wasn't very heavy, it worked well for this. You just have to make sure you cut them in half like a hotdog instead of a hamburger (y'all know what I'm talking about). After you cut them, put the two velcro pieces together and now you have one set to use!
Here's a picture:
Once you have all your command strips cut and put together, it's time to attach them to your letters. The easiest way is to take off the plastic part on one side, stick it to the tile, and leave the other plastic piece on until you're going to place it on the wall.
Once you have all your tiles ready to go, just slap them on the wall! Ta-da!
. . .
Just kidding ;) If you're anything like me you're going to need them to be perfectly straight or you'll lose you're mind every time you see it! To make sure the tiles were straight, I used a tape measure, pencil, level, and painters tape.
First I measured to find the middle of the wall, made a couple marks using the level, and then placed painters tape in a straight line across the wall. Next I figured out which letter was the middle of my design and put that one on the wall first, using the painters tape as my guide.
Afterward I measured and the gaps were about 1/4 inch. If I did it over, I probably would have made these gaps larger! Close up the gaps look fine, but from far away the tiles look like they're touching.
STEP 8: Sit back and enjoy your work!
That's all, folks!
There is actually one more step for me - I'll be making a collage wall with some pictures and quotes too. So that's what I'm working on now! But until that's done, I'm just happy seeing this up on our previously empty wall and knowing that I did this project from start to finish!
This was such a fun project and I'm glad I took the time away from the stresses of homeownership to do this!
I hope you enjoyed my tutorial! If you have any questions feel free to email me! And if you make you're own scrabble wall art I'd love to see it!
Thanks everyone!
