How to Make an American Flag Wall Hanging

Americana design will always have a place in homes across the country, especially around the 4th of July. With a little time and some ingenuity, you can have a rustic American flag wall hanging, suitable for above your mantel or outside by your front door.

Things You'll Need

• 5 picket fence posts, or five boards cut to the same length and cut to a point on one end
• Red, white and blue paint
• Nails
• Wire
• Nail boards
• Star stencil
• Paper towels
• Stencil brush
• Paint brush

Instructions

1. Lay your picket fence posts or boards side by side on a solid surface. The worst part of the wood should be up. The boards should be facing the same direction. It will look like a fence without the gaps between the pickets.

2. Lay your nail boards on top of the boards you just laid out. The nail boards should be facing vertically if your flag is horizontal. The nail boards should be long enough to reach across all five boards, but should not be able to be seen from the front of the flag. Two or three nail boards should be enough to securely hold the board.

3. Turn the flag over and measure out the corner where the blue star field will be. The blue should go to part of three boards and should be 1/3 to 1/4 the length of your pickets.

4. Paint the star field blue. The shade of blue you choose will depend on the decor you're matching. A deeper blue will look more antique than a bright blue, and will be better for older pickets. Don't try to be too perfect, the flag should look rustic or antique.

5. Paint the remaining pickets to make the stripes on the flag, alternating the red paint shade and the white paint. There should be one color on each board. If you are using older wood instead of a paint brush, consider wiping the paint on with a paper towel to give a stained effect. Using cream- or sand-colored paint instead of white will make for a more rustic look.

6. Stencil the stars in the blue field after the blue paint is dry. There doesn't have to be 50 stars, and they don't have to be in a certain order. The flag should look a bit abstract. Consider arranging your stars in a circle instead of rows.

7. Flip the flag over when all the paint is dry. Use picture-hanging wire stretched across nails, or eye hooks, to give your wall hanging something to hang on.

Tips & Warnings

• For a more rustic look, consider distressing your flag with a crackled paint finish or sand some of the paint off.

• Be careful when nailing the boards to the nail boards because it's easy to go all the way through the wood if your nails are a bit too long.