DIY Reclaimed Pallet Wood Photo Frame
If you’ve ever wanted a simple DIY project that makes your home feel more “put together” without spending a ton of money, a DIY photo frame from reclaimed pallet wood is one of the easiest wins.
They’re small, but they make a huge difference, especially if you build them to match other furniture in the room. The best part is you can size them for any photo you want, and each frame ends up with its own character depending on how the pallet boards look.
For these frames, I used pallet wood with a mix of wider and narrower slats, laid them out in a pattern that looked good, sanded everything down, stained it to match my sliding barn doors, and assembled it using glue, clamps, and a pin nailer. To finish it off, I added a simple sissle rope hanger and a centered binder clip to hold the photo.
TL;DR
Cut pallet slats to fit your photo size, sand them smooth, stain to match your room, then glue + clamp everything together. Add a rope hanger on the back and a centered binder clip on the front to hold the photo without glass or frame hardware.
Why Pallet Wood Frames Work So Well
This is one of those projects where “perfect” isn’t the goal, the little imperfections are what make it look good. Pallet wood already has texture, knots, and a worn-in look, which gives the frame a rustic style that works great with farmhouse, industrial, or modern DIY décor.
And if you stain it to match something else in the room (doors, shelves, furniture, accent walls, etc.) it looks like it was meant to be there.
Quick Tip
The trick that makes these look “custom” is mixing board widths. If every slat is the same size, it looks like scrap wood.
Tools & Materials Used
This is a fun DIY project that can be completed with basic tools and ads a nice touch to any room.
Tools
- Measuring tape
- Pencil
- Miter saw or circular saw
- Palm sander (or sanding block)
- Pin nailer
- Clamps
- Staple gun
- Small screwdriver for attaching binder clip
Materials
- Reclaimed pallet wood slats (mix of widths looks best)
- Wood glue (same one linked in my previous post)
- Stain (I used the same color as my sliding barn doors)
- Sisal rope (or any rustic rope for hanging)
- 1″ binder clip (to hold the photo)
- Small wood screw (for the binder clip)
- Staples (for attaching the rope)
Two Finished Frames
Step 1: Choose and Prep Your Pallet Wood
I started by grabbing a pallet that had a mix of different slat widths, some narrow, some wider. That variation is what makes the final frame look more intentional and less like a basic rectangle made from identical boards. As you can see, the cross pieces are narrower than the vertical pieces.
Once the boards were separated, I cut them down into usable pieces and removed any obvious staples or nails. Pallet wood can be rough, so this step is worth doing carefully.
Step 2: Measure Your Photo and Plan the Frame Size
The biggest advantage of building these yourself is that you can size them to fit any photo.
I started by deciding what photo size I wanted to display, then sketched out the overall frame size. Once I had my measurements, I cut the pallet slats down to match the dimensions I drew up.
At this stage, I also laid the boards out in different orientations until I found a layout that looked balanced. Even though it’s simple, this part makes the frame look “designed” instead of thrown together.
Step 3: Sand Everything Down
Pallet wood is usually rough and splintery, so sanding is what makes it feel like an actual finished piece instead of scrap wood.
I used a palm sander and worked each board until the surface felt smooth enough for indoor use. I wasn’t trying to make it furniture-grade smooth, just clean, consistent, and comfortable to handle.
Boards Laid Out & Sanded
Step 4: Stain to Match Your Other Furniture
For this frame, I used the same stain color I used on my sliding barn doors so it would match other projects in the room.
This is one of the easiest ways to make smaller DIYs feel like part of a bigger “theme” in your home.
Step 5: Assemble the Frame
Once the stain was dry, I assembled the frame using:
- Wood glue
- Clamps
- A pin nailer to hold everything while the glue set
The pin nails aren’t doing the heavy lifting, the glue is. The nails just make assembly easier and keep the boards from shifting while the clamps do their job.
I left everything clamped until the glue fully dried.
Step 6: Add the Rope Hanger
After the frame was dry, I flipped it over and attached sisal rope to the back using a staple gun. This gives it a rustic look and makes it easy to hang on a nail or hook.
Make sure the rope is stapled securely. I like to use multiple staples on each side for peace of mind.
Step 7: Add the Binder Clip Photo Holder
To finish it off, I centered a 1″ binder clip on the front of the frame and fastened it with a small wood screw.
This is a super simple way to hold the photo without needing glass, backing boards, or complicated frame hardware and it keeps the “reclaimed” style consistent.
Completed Frame
Tip
Before you glue anything, lay the boards out and take a quick photo of the pattern you like. The layout of the woodgrain pattern makes a difference in final look.
Tips for Better Looking Pallet Frames
- Lay out your boards before cutting so you can choose the best grain and pattern.
- Don’t over-sand: a little texture is part of the reclaimed look.
- Match your stain to another DIY in the room for a more finished, cohesive look.
Final Thoughts
This is one of my favorite kinds of DIY projects because it’s quick, cheap, and genuinely useful. You end up with something that looks custom, matches the style of your home, and gives reclaimed pallet wood a second life instead of throwing it away.
If you’ve got leftover pallet boards sitting in the garage, this is a great way to turn them into something you’ll actually use and once you make one, you’ll probably want to make a few more in different sizes.
