Create a unique, rustic wooden garden path for your garden or yard in a quick afternoon, with a clever frame that won’t easily rot!
Thanks to some really epic summer-like weather recently, I’ve been working on the landscape in the garden and yard areas.
Since I removed all my flowerbeds out of the backyard, that area is so easy to keep up! But my front yard is quite another thing…
Most of the area by the front door is surrounded in flower beds… which makes for very pretty focal points! But it does require more effort for sure.
Reclaimed wood garden walkway – visit HERE
Previous walkway
One front yard garden feature you may remember from the past was this little wooden walkway that leads from my driveway into my front yard.
This garden path lasted for a GOOD long time, despite me not protecting the wood with anything!
But once the wood eventually broke down, I threw a few cement walking stones in its place until I could come up with some other unique garden pathway once again.
And of course, over time, things got messy…
The current situation!
Welcome to reality. LOL
The spring flowers happily pushed their way up in between the concrete stepping stones any which way they could. And weeds competed for space.
But rather than JUST weed, I decided this was an epic reason to create a NEW reclaimed wood garden pathway with a unique twist… this time it would be garden-themed!
So it was time to play… bringing out some reclaimed wood planks from my very substantial stash, I dry-fit boards over top of the mess until I came up with an idea I love even more than the last garden walkway!
My goodness… the new walkway design is SO easy to make and is much better protected from the elements too thanks to the unique way the top planks are placed! This new look made quite an impact for the front garden that was not only beautiful, but so useful too!
Desire a new, beautiful garden path that’s easy to make in a quick afternoon with any reclaimed wood you may have? Here’s how!
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DIY a beautiful and easy reclaimed wood garden path that won’t rot!
Supplies I used:
2 long treated support boards cut to fit – mine measured 2″ x 4″ cut at 6′ long
reclaimed wood planks – mine are reclaimed cedar fence planks shown in THIS POST, cut to 6″ x 20″
Stencils from Funky Junk’s Old Sign Stencils:
Funky Junk’s Old Sign Stencils used:
- Locally Grown Herbs
- Garden Shop
- Wild Flower Seeds
- Shipping Crate Stamps
- Welcome to my Garden (for Tours Until Dusk)
Cordless drill and screws
Outdoor durable paint – I used Fusion Mineral Paint in Ash
(click HERE to find a local Fusion retailer near you)
Preparing the area
1. Clean out the area you wish to place your garden walkway, then lower the depth of the sod.
The soil was scooped out to lower the level of the pathway, so once the wood was in position, the garden path would be level with the attached driveway and lawn.
This also makes for easier lawn mower positioning.
Dry-fitting the reclaimed wood boards
2. Dry-fit two long support boards along with the top wood planks to design what you want.
This part of designing your walkway is a little like playing with blocks. Simply place the support boards into position, then decide if you’d like your pathway to have straight lines or curves.
Board measurements:
Two support boards – 2″ x 4″ cut at 6′ long
Cedar fence planks for top – cut to 6 deep” x 20″ long
How to curve the garden path:
Since my own path was to be slightly curved, this took a little fiddling to get it right…
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- Position support boards on a slight angle and wide apart.
- Lay walkway boards on top, having them touch on the inner sides, and slightly spaced out on the outer sides to create a gentle curve.
- Double check that the support boards don’t show, while still offering maximum support, so the walkway doesn’t tip if you step on a plank edge.
Painting the support planks
3. Cut support boards to fit, then paint or weather-treat if desired.
I used reclaimed treated fence posts, and set them direct on the soil.
You could also place landscape fabric underneath if desired. I find the path easy to tip to weed as-is.
I ended up painting the tops in Fusion’s Ash so they’d visually disappear once the top planks were in position. It looked way better!
Weather protection ideas:
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- use treated wood
- gravel
- garden fabric
- treat the boards first
Designing the wood planks:
4. Design / decorate the top planks as desired.
I ended up painting random top planks in Fusion’s Ash.
View stencils HERE: Locally Grown Herbs / Garden Shop / Wild Flower Seeds / Shipping Crate Stamps
Stenciling the planks with garden stencils
Then garden inspiration hit, so some planks were stenciled with some garden stencil designs as if the pathway was made from garden crates! Fun!
The designs were stenciled in Fusion’s Ash.
At the time, I chose not to topcoat to further protect the stenciled designs, but I would suggest to do so as future pressure washing removed most of the lettering on these.
How to stencil
- Position stencil into place with masking tape.
- Load stencil brush with paint, then remove most paint onto a rag to create a dry-to-the-touch stencil brush.
- Tap paint through the stencil to achieve the desired effect.
Learn more about how to stencil from THIS POST.
View a short video near the bottom of this post so you can see how the pathway was stenciled and built.
Attaching the stenciled planks
5. Position the stepping planks on top of support boards where desired, then attach with screws from the top, using outdoor deck screws.
Because the walkway was curved, the right side of the boards touch while the left side of the boards are slightly spaced.
And as you can see here, the black support boards practically disappear! All you see is a pretty walkway along the mulch path. Perfect!
So are you even ready to see how cute this turned out?!
The finished garden path!
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How fun, right?! This garden-themed reclaimed wood walkway is rustic, easy to make, totally customizable and it works awesome! I love all the textures the rustic wood gives with the different plank treatments!
And it’s built to last for an outdoor space, thanks to the top planks sitting on top of support planks! I found this design to last much longer than the previous designs.
Where to find garden stencils
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View stencils HERE: Locally Grown Herbs / Garden Shop / Wild Flower Seeds / Shipping Crate Stamps
I personally love theming the wooden pathway with garden stencils, however you could design your timber walkway any way you wish!
Stencil design tips:
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No need to worry if the entire stencil doesn’t fit on a step plank. A trick I use is to simply use bits and pieces of the stencils to achieve the perfect fit, which ultimately further customizes your projects anyway!
View Wild Flower Seeds stencil HERE
Try different stencil positions. Moving 10 LB off to the side made this look like more of a random stamped crate. Just what I wanted anyway!
View Locally Grown Herbs / Shipping Crate Stamps stencil HERE
Locally Grown Herbs was teamed up with part of Shipping Crate Stamps for a random crate stamped look.
I like to angle some stencil images and even run off the edges of projects when attempting a random stamped look.
Easy to customize for any garden space size
Aside from looking totally adorable, I think the best thing about this garden-themed reclaimed wood walkway is the fact that you can so easily customize the size desired to suit either large or small gardens.
I just love how charming this easy DIY project turned out, and really adds a touch of rustic appeal to the garden, don’t you think?
As for how it fits in with the rest of my front yard?
Nestled amongst all the shrubs, ferns, ground covers, flowers and other greenery, I’d say beautifully!
It also provides a great focal point from the bench to truly enjoy it!
Video
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Click above to watch a short video to share some of the walkway steps!
Other garden pathways made of brick, pavers, natural stone or gravel paths, wood chips, mosaics, sand or other loose materials are all great ideas too.
However if you’d like a DIY project that’s something a little different that’s also super cost effective, I personally think this reclaimed wood garden pathway is one to make! It’s my personal favorite one to date.
Think you’ll give this idea a go?
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Other beautiful garden path ideas to make
from reclaimed wood:
A super-easy two-pallet walkway
Pallet path porch for a garden shed
Other garden project hits:
How to edge flowerbeds like a pro
Make a reclaimed wood garden fence
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Visit many other garden-themed projects HERE
Check out all other stencil projects HERE
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Wow what a great idea and you did a fantastic job putting it all together!
Thanks JoAnn! It really brought in a rustic touch in just the right way!
Donna,
Love it! A job well done.
Thank-you Nancy! This was a fun one!
Cute!
Thanks Teddee! Couldn’t have been easier as well!
I have been wanting to do a scrap board walkway for awhile now, just haven’t gotten to it. I like the idea of the two boards underneath first! I hadn’t even considered that.
Now you have me fired up once again to get mine done. Thank you.
Yay Pamela! Yeah, I like this idea better than my last since the wood you see isn’t embedded in the soil. I think it’ll last a lot longer! I hope you go for it, it was SO easy!
OMG! How cute! I would love to do something like this around my house, however we do have carpenter bees that buzz around during the summer. Do you have any insects that go after the wood? I’m thinking maybe since its pallet wood and some pallet wood has been treated, that maybe that would deter any insects?
Thanks Sharon! No, on the west coast of BC we don’t have a wood pest issue. Maybe you can ask your local lumberyard the best kind of wood for your issues or try and found out how to seal the wood or treat it?
I love, love , love this idea!!!! I’m making a rock garden down by my creek, thinking it might need a walkway.?
Thank-you Lisa! Sounds like you have the PERFECT little spot to make it even more special!
Your garden path is sooo clever and quaint! The new look is such an improvement. The old stones just didn’t do your garden justice. The natural element of wood truly blends in much better with your natural landscape. Well done….AGAIN.
Thanks Sharon! Yeah, those stepping stones were just a quick (lazy) fix. You know me… gotta have the old wood! haha
Love this project, but cannot get the Video to work.
Would love to see the steps in video.
Anyone else had that problem?
Hi Sandra, do you have an ad blocker on? If you turn it off, you should be able to watch!
I love it almost as much as the original. Not sure where in my yard I can do this but I’m determined to figure out a place! Love it!
Haha, thanks Jill! Hope you can find a spot to make it work!
The first time you shared your garden path I fell in love, but this new version is sooooooooooo stunning Donna. It makes me want to rearrange our flowerbeds so I can build one too. Gorgeous
Gosh, I love everything about this sweet wooden walkway, Donna!
Love the stenciled planks and fusion paint. It’s adorable and easy to do. Absolutely great!
This is so stinking adorable! I need a pathway in my life. Thanks for posting this! Love it!
This is so cute. Such a clever idea. How do you edge your garden beds to look so nice?
Hi Jo!
Thank-you! Find the flowerbed edging tutorial at: https://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2012/07/how-to-edge-flower-beds-like-pro.html
This look absolutely gorgeous! When it rains, do the planks become slippery?
Thanks Brandi! They didn’t appear to be. I don’t generally walk on them when they are wet though!
This is absolutely brilliant, and exactly what I wanted! Even though I didn’t know I wanted it until I saw it! Now I am really excited to get started on this project and clean up the walkway down the side of my house.
Thank you so very very much for posting this!
Where do you get the reclaimed wood? We live in a rural area- South of Pittsburgh- near West Virginia and Ohio. We have been trying to find just a couple of boards for shelves but haven’t found anything. Thinking of making nighttime raids on one of the many falling apart buildings??
Hi Jo!
This wood is from a fallen down fence in this post:
https://www.funkyjunkinteriors.net/2015/03/an-old-fence-wood-lottery-win.html
I keep my eyes open for things about to collapse, then ask! haha
Thanks- I need to be more brave, I guess no ninja night time raids. Of course at the moment I don’t think I can approach anyone I don’t know well… There is a wonderful old falling down shed by a horse field up the road from us. But I kind of love it-I don’t want to put it in the owners mind to tear down??♀️
Haha! Yes, I understand that completely! But if they plan to take it down anyway, at least they may call you before they do! I’d perhaps leave a note with your number… can’t hurt to try.
I absolutely love this idea and your execution Donna. We do get the odd snow fall in Edmonton, I expect the shovelling would enhance the effect of aging. I just might try it.
‘Just love it!!