DIY Network

Eerie Wall Mural The DIY rescue team add the look of trees through a window. From "DIY to the Rescue" episode DTTR-105

This old movie still (with the sinister tree branches showing through the window) was the inspiration for Steve Boreman's wall mural.

Steve Boreman's love of old horror movies from the 1930s led to the creation of a wall mural relief created from plywood. The mural, created in sections, represents a window through which a skeletal tree casts an eerie shadow.

Materials:

Luan plywood (thin, light plywood that is often used as veneer)
design and pencil
jig Saw
sandpaper
paint (we use a soft gray and an additional lighter gray)
measuring Tape and Level
brad nailer or small brads and a hammer.
drill with a small bit (to pre-drill the plywood, if necessary)

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	Figure A
	Figure B
	Figure C

1. Transfer your design to the appropriate size of plywood.

   Note: Luan plywood has a smooth front side and a rough back side. Make sure to cut out your design so the smooth side faces out.

2. Cut the design pieces out using a jig saw with a fine-toothed blade (figure A) to avoid chipping the wood. Sand the edges.

3. Paint the cut pieces (figure B) and add details as desired.

4. Assemble your cut-out design on the floor and determine the placement on the wall. Use a measuring tape and level to mark the best place to start. We wanted our window cut-out to line up with the height of the window on the adjacent wall to create a shadow effect.

5. Use small brads to attach each piece to the wall (figure C). Remember that the Luan plywood is thin and can easily split. If needed, pre-drill the holes. We installed our mural into plaster walls, which can chip if larger nails are used.

Window Shadow Paint Technique

The DIY to the Rescue team painted the walls a soft gray and then created darker gray 'shadows' of each window. To achieve this effect, hold a spotlight at an angle to the window to create real shadows on the far side of the window. Pencil those shapes in and then paint them in using a darker shade paint.

TIP: remember that paint dries darker than it looks, so the wet paint may look lighter than dry wall paint.