Pallet wall

So Nic tells me he is willing to do something to the baby's room, but he doesn't really want to do a major project before the baby is born. 

Oh, no problem! How about a pallet wall? Looks easy enough- here- read this blog about how to do it!

Well...

After Day 1, Nic wasn't all that thrilled with me or my fabulous idea. 

Nic had seen a bunch of pallets in a trash pile near our house because a brick wall was being built around a neighborhood. He made several trips and collected about a dozen pallets. 

We {he} started the project the following weekend. Using a pry bar, he attempted to remove the wooden pieces from the pallet. After about 1.5 hours, 2 full pieces of wood came off the pallet, along with more sweat than I've ever seen, and a lot of frustration {with me}, I pleaded for him just to get wood pieces from Home Depot. But when Nic has his mind made up about something, there's no turning back....

He decided to use a recumbent saw and just saw through the nails. Brilliant! But it still took a lot of time. Like most of the day. He power washed the boards before Day 1 was over. 

Day 2 was sanding each board. He has a lot of patience. Seriously. 

The following weekend he started putting them up. The corner was tricky but it looks great!

It was a lot of up and down the stairs, measuring each piece, sawing, re-measuring, and nailing (by hand) into the studs. Almost every single piece is nailed into a stud. He's good. 

But he didn't do it alone...

It took a whole weekend, but it was worth it! Well, I think it was. I haven't asked Nic his thoughts yet...

I began white washing that week. I mixed 1 part paint with 2 parts water and brushed the paint onto each board. After the paint was on, I used a rag and wiped it down. 

I couldn't reach the top row...

But my lovely husband could (after getting home at 9:00 p.m. from driving to Houston and back that day- have I mentioned he's a saint?  If not, he's a saint.)

Here's a picture of the gray wall completed next to the pallet wall. The gray looks great and brings out the gray in the wood. It's beautiful!! 

Next step... Decorate! His room will be gray, cream and little hints of red. So excited!! I'll post again when the room is completed!