DIY Wood Wall Decor

Have you ever moved into a new space and realized that you didn’t have anything to put on your new walls? Or have you looked around your current space and wished for an inexpensive refresh?

You’re in the luck! These DIY wood squares are the perfect decor for any space. But beware: once you make one, you might fall in love and want to make some for every room in your house!

Let’s start DIYing!

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Tools

• Nail gun
• Miter saw with fine tooth saw blade and a handsaw OR a handsaw with a miter box
• Glue
• Clamps

How to Make Simple Wood Wall Art

New to DIY? Download our free 5 Steps to Getting Start with DIY guide!

Step 1: Cut wood for the frame

First, cut the boards for the frame. We made our wood squares 12″ x 12″, so we cut two boards to 12″ and two boards to 10.75″.

If you would like the breakdown of our exact measurements for every piece (yay for not needing to do your own math!), you can download them at the bottom of this post. 

Note: To ensure you cut the boards to the same length, stack them on top of one another and tape the edges. This way you can cut both at the same time. If you are wanting to make two (or three) wood squares, double (or triple) the amount of pieces we mention in this tutorial.

Step 2: Glue the frame

STEP 3: create the diamond

Position your miter saw or miter box to cut at 45-degrees.

Cut the four boards you will use to create your diamond. You can cut the first one and then use it as a template for the rest.  

Glue and clamp your diamond in place.

Repeat to create the square in the middle of the wood art.

Step 4: make the corner pieces

The next pieces will likely be too small to cut with a miter saw, so you might need to break out the handsaw for the next step.

Mark the center of your board and place your saw in the 45-degree slot of your miter box. Line up your wood so that you cut to the center of the board.

For these pieces, one side will be an arrow and the other side will be a normal cut.

Measure 2x the length that you need the pieces to be + a little more to account for the saw blade. Cut both sides to be an arrow. 

Note: If you don’t have a miter box, that’s okay! Just use a square ruler to mark your 45-degree angles and then cut along those lines. 

Cut the board in half to create two equal pieces. Repeat steps 8 and 9 so that you have 4 equal pieces.

Glue the pieces into the corners of your wood art.

Note: if any of your pieces are snug, use a rubber mallet to position them into place.

step 5: add additional nails

Once all of the glue is dry, add two nails to the top and two to the bottom for extra support.

Step 6: sand and stain

Hand sand the wood square, paying special attention to any areas that might have gotten glue on them. We first went over with 120 grit and then finished with 220.

Stain your wood square. We used Minwax Special Walnut to achieve our look.

P.S. Wish you could stain like a pro? Check out our staining guide!

step 7: hang your wall art

Attach a picture frame hanger to the back to easily hang your wood square.

There you have it! DIY wood wall art that will look good in any room of the house.

These wood squares are especially great for any awkward spaces or walls that you might have. You can hang them as squares or as diamonds. They also work great as frames for small photos or artwork.

Looking for more wall decor ideas? Check out our roundup of 19+ of the best DIY wall decor ideas on the internet!