How To Make A Fourth Of July Pallet Flag: DIY

TEMECULA, CA — With the July 4th holiday on its way, it's time to decorate with all things red, white and blue. A nod to the flag in the front yard might be just the thing your home is missing, and this DIY flag pallet project is something simple and fun to do with your family.

Here is an easy, fun Independence Day project that won't break the bank. You don't need to be a woodworker or master craftsman to create this rustic vintage-looking flag.

All you need is about an hour, a pallet in decent shape, a drop cloth, a paintbrush, and three "tester" cans of red, white and blue paint from your local home warehouse store.

No pulling apart the pallets is necessary for this project, which will save time and energy.

When you turn the pallet on its side, the boards run horizontal, allowing you to envision the stripes of "Old Glory."

There are 13 stripes on the flag, to represent the original 13 colonies.

First thing, section off your boards so that you can square off the blue for the stars.

Next, though this is a rustic project—and rustic means it doesn't have to be perfect (yay!)—you will want to download a star template for painting your stars. Print out on card stock to ensure that your paper doesn't disintegrate during the painting process.

I suggest creating a "paint wash" on the boards to give the project an even more vintage feel. Take your blue paint and pour into a disposable cup. Dribble in a bit of water to thin it out. Now you can use an old cloth to dip and rub the paint across the wood surface. Watch that the color isn't too thin, so it doesn't run. I chose to do a full bright paint job—but next time? I think a paint wash would be even better to create that antique-I found this in a barn feeling.

If you want to get really detailed, you'll need to fill in those blank spaces with extra boards. We weren't that fancy, but check out these spectacular wood flags from our friend and Americana collector, Temecula resident Bonnie Helmantoler.

Pallet wood is perfect for paint-washes to create that old-timey feel of faded paint—as it is so dry it drinks in the water leaving a rustic-looking painted surface.

When that dries, use your white paint and a small brush to paint each star. As this flag isn't true to traditional size (it will end up a square) you can paint as many stars as you like. If you don't end up with 50, chances are you won't, it doesn't matter. A field of white stars against a blue square gets the point across that would make even Betsy Ross proud.

Next, you'll want to come close to creating the same effect of the 13 stripes.

They start with red and end with red. Depending on the number of boards in your pallet, you may have to paint a few of them both red and white. I figured I would paint each pallet board slat red, and go over the dried paint with white.

Make it dark and bright, or thin out your paint with a bit of water to get that faded look.

This is a perfect family project if you're trying to entertain bored kids this summer. When you let the littles help, it most certainly won't be an actual work of art, but it will stand proud in your front yard and is always a good Flag Day and 4th of July lesson.

I think the last time there were 15 stars on the flag was in 1792.

NOTE! If you paint all the red first, let it dry, and return to paint the white stripes you have less of a chance of ending up with pink on your American flag.

Finally, the only amount of time this project takes is the drying of your paint and touching up the borders. Before you know it, your DIY Vintage Pallet Flag will stand proudly in your front yard.

Getting real? Sometimes it's better to let the kids help than for the project to be perfect.
No, the lines aren't straight. The stars are too big. But what do we remember years later? Doing this together.

Happy 4th of July! From all of us at Patch.com