Liberty Wall Art from Scraps

This is decorative wall art assembled from a pile of scrap furring strips — mixed 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, and a 1x6 — glued and nailed to a plywood backer to form a pieced, planked pattern (the original spells out a patriotic 'Liberty' motif, but the technique makes any blocky word or geometric design). It's the ideal use for the offcut bin, and it's forgiving in a way almost nothing else is: the whole appeal is the handmade, slightly-uneven character, so precision genuinely doesn't matter.

The method is three steps and no joinery. Lay out the mixed-width boards into your pattern following a plan (or your own design), keeping in mind that the different board widths create the visual texture. Paint and distress the boards before assembly — painting them loose is far easier than cutting in around them once they're mounted. Then glue and nail them to the plywood backer, working from one corner across, keeping top edges flush and checking for square as you go so the overall panel stays rectangular even if individual boards don't line up perfectly.

The plywood back is cut slightly smaller than the board field so it doesn't show around the edges. Use a 1/4" to 1/2" plywood or even OSB — it's just a substrate. Because it's a decorative piece and not structural, 1" nails and glue are all it takes. Distress to taste; the more casual, the better it reads.