• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

The Happier Homemaker logo

  • Home
  • Recipes
  • Home & Garden
  • Printables
  • DIY
  • SHOP
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Home Tips
  • Printables
  • DIY
  • Free Organizing Course
  • Clean Routine Academy
  • Mom's Chore Toolbox
  • Shop
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
  • ×
    Home » Uncategorized » DIY Wooden World Map Art

    Last updated: Sep 28, 2021 by Melissa Riker · 167 Comments

    DIY Wooden World Map Art

    wood world map leaning against wall

    Decorate your walls with this beautiful DIY Wooden World Map for a fraction of store bought price.

    Last week while perusing the web I came across an amazing  Wooden World Map on Vivaterra (no longer available).  I thought that it would be a gorgeous addition to my son Jack's room-he is very much a little geography nut.  The price tag however-a whopping $475-was not going to work.  I knew I could make my own knock-off.

    woodwallart
    An in progress picture of assembling the wood for the world map art

    If you like this DIY tutorial you should also check out how to hang curtains with command hooks!

    How to Make a Wood World Map

    I started by creating a wood base with scraps left over from my DIY Headboard build a while back. I simply nailed the planks to the scrap wood on the back to stabilize them.

    I then printed off a map template online and began the painstaking process of tracing it onto the wood-the easiest way to do this is using carbon paper between the printed map and the wood. The stain you use later will cover the traced lines.

    A world map stencil on top of the wood to make the outline for staining the world map

    Below you can see the map traced onto the wood.  After I traced the map I prepared the wood with a wood conditioner and sanded it with a fine grain sandpaper.  (DO NOT SKIP THIS STEP-YOUR STAIN WILL BLEED IF YOU DO NOT CONDITION YOUR WOOD!!)

    A wooden world map art with the world stenciled out but not stained

    I then used the leftover Mission Oak stain from my headboard project and a small paintbrush to paint the map design onto the wood. Use very fine paint brushes to outline sections at a time then fill in with a wider brush. Updated to add: I used a variety pack of inexpensive brushes like this when I made these maps to sell years ago because the stain pretty much ruins the brushes.

    And here it is! I love it! I like that it has a rustic, distressed look to it.  It was quite the process to make but I am just tickled at how it turned out-so much so that I decided to make them to order through my Etsy shop as well! (Update: I am not currently selling these maps.)

    A wooden world map art with the world partially stained showing the progress
    Here it is with a darker stain:
    A finished wooden world, stained map art


    Now I need your opinion-I had originally planned to hang this on the wall in my son's room but one of the other projects I started this weekend was making him a headboard-my husband had the idea of framing this out and making it into his headboard...what do you think? I think it could look pretty cool but I'm not 100% convinced yet.  Your thoughts?

    Thanks for stopping by!  Be sure to follow me on Facebook and Pinterest so you don't miss the fun!

    Other map projects:

    map coasters diy tutorual mod podge

    DIY Map Coasters

    desk after

    Vintage Map Desk Makeover

    « Fast DIY No Sew Bench Cushion
    How to Spray Paint Fabric »
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Email
    • Flipboard

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Thi công hồ bơi says

      December 07, 2017 at 2:06 am

      I knew I could make my own knock-off.

      Reply
    2. Miranda says

      May 31, 2017 at 10:09 am

      We are making a coffee table, and I wouldn't love for it to have something extra like this on top. Could you paint the map on and then stain over for a different affect? What paint would you suggest?

      Reply
    3. Acheter des vues youtube forum says

      December 20, 2016 at 6:19 am

      Hello! I could haave sworn I've visited this web site before but after going through some of the articles I realized it's new to me.
      Regardless, I'm definitely pleased I discovered it aand I'll be bookmarking it and checking back regularly!

      Reply
    4. Ariane says

      November 29, 2016 at 12:19 pm

      Hi I saw that you mentioned thewood dimensions were 21"x31". I was wondering what size map did you use?
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        December 02, 2016 at 7:56 am

        I believe it was the printout that was 4 by 4 pages ~Melissa

        Reply
    5. Shana says

      October 25, 2016 at 4:58 pm

      I just tried this DIY and used a wood conditioner but my stain still bled. Does the type of wood used make a difference? If so, what type did you use? Thank you!

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        October 26, 2016 at 2:37 am

        Oh no Shana!I normally use cheap wood planks from the outdoor lumber section at Lowes-it's been a really long time since I've made one so I don't remember the exact name they were called but they were less than $3 for a 6 foot length. Can you do a test area with more conditioner? Maybe it's extra porous and you need to let it soak in more conditioner before it won't bleed with the stain... Sorry not to be more help, that's the only thing I can think of to try. ~Melissa

        Reply
    6. DL says

      August 24, 2016 at 4:05 pm

      Hi there!

      About to give this a try this weekend. Just wondering what you used to remove any excess stain? or did you just ensure you weren't using too much at once?

      I'm either going with the Minwax conditioner & stain or the Varathane stain which doesn't require conditioning and then following up with polyurethane.

      My understanding is you sand (going from maybe 120, 150, to a 180 grit), apply the conditioner, waiting at least 15 mins, then removing any excess at which point you can start staining. I've heard you can leave the conditioner on as long as you want but wanted to get a sense of what you did over time?

      Any tips would be appreciated, doing this for my gf's birthday. T

      Thanks!

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        August 25, 2016 at 3:22 am

        Hi Dan, I used a very fine paintbrush for the stain and did not load much stain at once so did not have to remove excess. I did minimal sanding on my wood, just really to remove any very rough spots or splinters. I don't have any experience with Varathane but in my experience not conditioning the wood led to bleeding of the stain. I would apply the conditioner and let it soak up in the wood and spread any excess. Once the wood was dry from the conditioner I'd start the staining process. Good luck with the project, let me know if you have any more questions! ~Melissa

        Reply
        • Angie says

          April 22, 2017 at 10:01 pm

          Did you trace the map before or after conditioning and sanding? Seems the sanding would erase your tracing.

          Reply
          • Melissa says

            April 24, 2017 at 4:52 pm

            I traced it after the sanding and conditioning Angie! ~Melissa

            Reply
    7. Kira says

      May 16, 2016 at 9:26 pm

      This is an old post so I may not get a reply but just thought I’d try…
      I’m attempting to make this but I’m having major problems with the stain bleeding and I am using the wood conditioner recommended and following the directions on the can.

      I’ve been racking my brain for things I can use as a barrier over the pencil boarders, glue, crayon wax, etc. But nothing is working. Any tips would we greatly appreciated. Yours is so beautiful, thanks for posting your tutorial!

      Reply
      • Melissa says

        May 23, 2016 at 9:16 pm

        I'm sorry Kira, I'm not sure why you're getting bleeding if you have conditioned the wood prior...I have never had any issues with it if I did the conditioning step in all the maps I used to make to sell on Etsy. I'm sorry not to be of more help!

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Primary Sidebar

    Meet Melissa

    Hi, I'm Melissa and I have a passion for helping people find effective ways to clean and organize, feed their families, and truly enjoy their homes.
    More about me -->

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Reader Favorites

    banana chips in white bowl

    Homemade Banana Chips Recipe

    Cinnamon apple bread sliced on a cutting board next to two apples

    Cinnamon Apple Bread Recipe

    cinnamon candle in jar with orange bow

    DIY Cinnamon Candles

    hand holding dirty washing machine seal open

    How to Clean a Front Load Washing Machine

    More Reader Favorites Here

    30 Minute Meals

    white spoon with Swedish meatballs

    Turkey Swedish Meatballs

    two bowls of chicken and dumplings

    Easy Chicken & Dumplings

    creamy cajun chicken penne pasta in skillet

    Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

    pasta primavera in white bowl

    Pasta Primavera Recipe

    See More

    Featured On:

    collage of logos of major publications and TV networks

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    About

    Privacy Policy

    Disclaimer

    Terms & Conditions

    Accessibility Policy

    Newsletter

    Newsletter

    Sign Up! f

    Contact

    Contact

    Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Featured in:

    website and magazine logo collage

    Copyright © 2022

    175765 shares
    • 256