Scavenger Chic

Bamboo or Pallet Wood Valance – Easy diy

• By Joan
• February 1, 2016
• 9 Comments

January was spent getting my youngest son’s bedroom painted and organized. What used to be a jungle themed bedroom has grown up substantially…a little of out with the old and in with the new. The desk redo with the mismatched file cabinets was a huge part of the transformation as was a new paint color.  What you didn’t see were the bamboo valances on the opposite side of the room that were part of a whole jungle theme.

The bamboo had to come down but it was such a fun and easy project, I just had to share it with you.

So while I’m deconstructing the valance, I’ll show you how it was put together then we’ll be on to the next…a pallet wood valance.

The base of both valances is this simple construction box made of 1×8 pine. The longest piece will be the outside measurement of your window plus 2 inches.  This outside measurement should include the window trim.  The end pieces are 4 inches each. Nail or screw your boxes together as shown above. I had added a couple of L brackets on the inside of the box for added stability. If you use glue with the nails, you probably won’t need the L brackets.

The bamboo, used to cover the valance, ranges in height from 9 inches to 15 inches with every length in between. Each piece was centered and glued in place with liquid nails. You’ll want to do the ends too. Let dry overnight.

All ready for hanging. It really is that easy.

So after 15 years the bamboo valance was coming down, but the window looked kind of plain with just the blinds, we decided to redo the valence in pallet wood. It sort of matches the pallet backed IKEA shelves on the other side of the room.  If you need a reminder, you can find them here.

The bamboo came off really easily from the old valance but the builders adhesive put up quite a fight.  Getting the old glue off was definitely the hardest part of this entire project, but eventually I had a fairly even surface for nailing on my pallet wood.

The pallet wood for the valance, unlike the bamboo, was all cut the exact same length two inches longer than the width of the 1×8, or 9 1/2″.

Start with the ends,  cut the pallet wood wide enough so that the end matches up with the front of the valance. Nail into place. As with the bamboo valance, you could also use a builders adhesive here instead of the nails.

It’s now just a matter of cutting the pallet wood, centering, and nailing.

The valance is easily hung with these hooks hung on screws inserted in the wall.  

A while back I did another valance covered in torn paper bags, it gives almost a leather look. If you’re interested, I found a tutorial for paper bag floors here, which will give the same basic look.

For a more classic look, you can cover your 1×8 with batting and staple on fabric.

While on my search for window toppers, I came upon this one for a kitchen. So unique. I found it over at Robojunker.com. What a great way to show off a collection.

Can you think of any other valance covers I missed?

Stay inspired.

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