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crafts crafts + DIY photo crafts
January 4, 2018

DIY photo pallet {mod podge photo transfer to wood}

In today’s post: Learn THE BEST (and fastest) way to do a mod podge photo transfer and put one of your favorite pictures on a wood pallet!

Chances are you’ve seen tutorials that show you how to use Mod Podge to transfer a photo onto wood before. And maybe you’ve even tried it. If you have, you realized that it’s a bit of a fiddly process – it’s not the fastest thing in the world and it’s pretty easy to mess up, and maybe you were even frustrated enough that you gave up. Or maybe you decided not to try it at all because it looked like too much work.

Well, I’m a little obsessed with transferring photos to different surfaces and figuring out which methods work best. And I’ve had a breakthrough when it comes to the mod podge photo transfer that makes it faster, easier, and just about foolproof!

Learn the best trick for transferring a photo to wood with this simple DIY photo pallet. The best way to do a mod podge photo transfer.

Here’s the main idea: you start with a color copy of your photo and a wood plank or pallet. Paint the wood with mod podge, place the color copy down on it, and let it dry. Then get the paper wet and rub it off, leaving the ink behind. Your photo is magically transferred onto wood with the pretty wood grain showing through. So cool!

Wood pallet that a photo has been transferred onto

The end result really is pretty cool, but there are a few problems: as you’re rubbing off the paper you have to be very careful to make sure you don’t also rub off the ink. That means you have to go slowly and carefully, and hope you don’t rub anyone’s head right out of the project, because that will ruin the entire thing.

Wood pallet sign with family photo transferred onto it

What I’ve discovered recently, however, is that if you let the photo dry on the wood for a full 72 hours, the ink transfer is much more permanent. That means when you start rubbing the paper fibers off you can go much faster without risk of damaging the project. It ends up being easier and faster. I was able to remove all the paper from this large 12×16 inch wood pallet in about 45 minutes, which is just one episode of whatever show I happen to be binge watching. Not too bad for how pretty it turns out!

Wood pallet sign with photo transfer

Keep reading for the best way to do a mod podge photo transfer.

Photo transfer to wood pallet sign

How to do a mod podge photo transfer to wood

First you will need a piece of wood to transfer your photo onto. You can use a plain piece of wood, or a piece that looks like a pallet. I found this 12×16 inch wood pallet at Walmart. Sand it until it’s nice and smooth, then wipe off any dust.

Unfinished Wood pallet sign

You’re also going to need a laser print of your photo. It should be printed on normal paper (not photo paper) and must be reversed. My local copy shop can print color laser prints on normal paper up to 13×19 inches in size – check with your local copy shop (Kinko’s, Office Max, etc) to see what size they can print at before your purchase or make your wood piece. Be sure to crop your photo to the size of your wood piece, and then send it to the printer. Remember:

  • color laser print (or copy)
  • on normal paper
  • reversed image
  • printed out at the size of your wood piece (mine is 12×16).

The copy shop should be able to do all of that for you.

A family photo with people in front of a mountain

Some wood photo transfer techniques use gesso or another type of photo medium, but I just use Mod Podge matte. It’s easy to find in any craft store and most big box stores.

NOTE: there is a Mod Podge made specifically for photo transfers, but I prefer NOT to use it. The photo transfer mod podge will transfer the whites in your photo, whereas using normal mod podge turns the whites in your photo clear, allowing the wood grain to show through.

A bottle of matte Mod Podge

Adhere the photo print to the wood using mod podge

Begin your mod podge photo transfer by painting an even layer of mod podge on your wood pallet. I used a cheap foam brush to do this.

Painting mod podge on the wood pallet sign

Immediate place your print photo side down on the wood pallet. Use a credit card to smooth the paper down, wiping off any excess mod podge that squeezes out the sides.

Hand using credit card to smooth photo down

Ok, here’s the important part: Leave the piece to dry for 72 hours. Most photo to wood transfers recommend waiting 8-24 hours at this point, but the next step is much easier if you wait three full days!

Remove the paper to reveal the photo transfer

After 72 hours, you can start removing the paper to reveal the mod podge photo transfer. This does take a bit of time; for this large 12×16 inch piece the paper removal took me about 45 minutes. Smaller pieces will take less time.

Begin by spraying the piece with water. As it gets wet, you will be able to see the picture through the paper.

Photo starting to show through wet paper

Start rubbing the paper with your finger or a damp towel. The paper fibers will begin to roll up and you’ll be able to peel them off.

Finger rubbing wet paper fibers off gently to show picture through

Continue to rub and peel off paper. As the paper dries, you’ll need to spray it again and keep rubbing off fibers.

Picture shows through where paper fibers rubbed off

As you rub off paper, you’ll see more and more of the photo. But as the photo dries it will get hazy again, showing you where there are still more paper fibers. Spray them again, and rub them off. You’ll have to repeat this process 3-4 times. If you’d like to see a video that shows this process, click through to this post.

If you did not let your project dry for 72 hours, you run the risk of rubbing the ink off during this process, and have to be very careful not to do so. But letting it dry for a full 72 hours makes the ink transfer fairly permanent and so you can get all the paper fibers off more quickly. Just pay attention to what you are doing, though, because I cannot guarantee none of the ink will come off if you are rubbing really hard.

Family photo is showing through, but some paper fibers remain making it cloudy in places

So just be careful and continue the process until all the paper fibers are gone. It’s so much fun to see the photo transfer appear!

Finish wood pallet photo transfer

As a final step once all the paper fibers are removed, paint over the piece one more time with Mod Podge to seal it. Then it’s ready to display!

Wood pallet photo transfer

If you like photo projects, be sure to check out these posts:

40 of the best photo crafts

20 DIY photo gifts

Easy photo transfer with tattoo paper

Heart family photo display

Mod Podge, family photo transferred onto wood

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Home » photography » DIY photo pallet {mod podge photo transfer to wood}


25 Comments

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Comments

  1. Rebekah Anderson says

    January 14, 2018 at 5:09 pm

    I’ve loved reading your posts for awhile now, so I decided to
    Join your group and never miss another good idea ?.

    Reply
    • Tiffany Joseph says

      July 27, 2019 at 6:29 am

      To seal the picture you use the mod podge again- what about the mod podge glass acrylic sealer ?

      Reply
  2. Dorinda says

    April 30, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    How can you transfer photos using ink jet printer. Would it still work.

    Reply
    • autumn says

      April 30, 2018 at 7:57 pm

      No, it must be a laser print.

      Reply
      • Katie Mathwig says

        July 18, 2018 at 10:40 am

        Would this work if you stained the wood first?

        Reply
  3. Michelle says

    June 19, 2018 at 12:29 am

    That’s s cool! Would this work with text rather than a photo?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      April 16, 2019 at 11:58 pm

      yes but you would need to reverse the text so it comes out the right way once you’ve transferred it 🙂

      Reply
  4. Karen says

    September 10, 2018 at 12:07 pm

    I want to put a map on the seat of a wood chair. What can I use to permanently seal it from wear of sitting on it? Thanks for your help

    Reply
  5. christine mason says

    September 16, 2018 at 3:57 pm

    Can I do this method with a photograph?

    Reply
    • Sam says

      April 16, 2019 at 11:56 pm

      only if the photo is printed on regular paper otherwise it doesn’t work because of paper used for actual photos

      Reply
  6. Ronnie says

    October 4, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    You make things way too complicated. I did his in the 70’s with a loved one’s pic. I put it on a Reader’s digest book that had been been painted on the edges with gold and looked real pretty all laid out! One thing is that anything will stick to mod podge unless you. Put a coat of clear spray of something on it. I know cuzz I tried wrapping my project in newspaper when I was moving and the newspaper stuck to it and reuined it completely.

    Reply
    • Melissa says

      August 6, 2019 at 7:22 pm

      Ronnie, I think you missed the concept here. It is not to just attach a photo to the wood. It is to have only the image on the wood. Not the paper. It is suppose to look like it was actually printed on the wood.
      But you are certainly right about stuff sticking to Modge Podge.

      Reply
  7. Madeleine says

    October 27, 2018 at 7:22 am

    Good idea but can I do the same thing on fabric? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Ema Johnston says

      February 9, 2021 at 2:32 am

      Hey yeah you sure can, there is a specific mod podge. Photo transfer medium (mod podge) that works the same, print your image and paint over it with the mod podge, lay it flat onto your fabric and smooth it out. Leave it for at least 24hrs and use the wetting method to remove the paper

      Reply
  8. Linda Gatchell says

    January 10, 2019 at 7:53 pm

    Does it matter what type, quality or thickness of wood that you use in this project?

    Reply
  9. Mattie says

    February 4, 2019 at 10:26 am

    Can I use glossy mod podge as a transfer medium or must it be matte?

    Reply
  10. Sarah GOODBREAD says

    March 7, 2019 at 9:13 am

    Can you do this with a black and white picture?

    Reply
  11. Gail says

    May 22, 2019 at 12:49 pm

    Hi do I just use just one kind of Mod podge Mate or do I need to use something different to deal it? Thanks in advance. I want to try this on pallet boards looks so cool

    Reply
  12. Clinton R LeFort says

    November 9, 2019 at 6:59 am

    I was writing a DIY for how to do mod podge and found your photo on Google Images. I read your DIY photo transfer on your blog and it seemed to be very meticulous. I really don’t understand the reverse image and photo placed down process and I wish there were a video of the process. I really enjoyed the explanation and the result.

    Reply
  13. Evelyn says

    August 17, 2020 at 6:32 pm

    I dont know what was so hard about this. I felt your directions were clear and concise. I just wish I could do it with ink jet. Thank I will try it

    Reply
    • Toni Carter says

      February 2, 2021 at 12:40 am

      U can, I’ve seen other videos including a woman who did the exact same thing showing/comparing the results of both ink & laser printed pics. One just looked more rustic then the other.

      Reply
  14. angie escobedo says

    December 3, 2020 at 10:19 pm

    Can I put mod podge on wood an to speed up dry time process can I put wood on my heat press an can I use a puc that I have already that was printed from like Walgreens

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. 41 DIY Pallet Wood Signs to Make and Create | SawsHub says:
    April 23, 2019 at 8:19 am

    […] Take a look at the next step here: http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com […]

    Reply
  2. Fresh and Fun DIY Mod Podge Ideas & Projects • The Budget Decorator says:
    May 14, 2019 at 7:58 pm

    […] ‘It’s Always Autumn‘, learn how to do a Mod Podge photo transfer on wood! This photo pallet project is creative […]

    Reply
  3. Image Transfer To Wood Inkjet Or Laser – Wood Working Idea says:
    February 14, 2020 at 9:59 am

    […] Download Image More @ http://www.itsalwaysautumn.com […]

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I'm Autumn, a mom of five who loves ice cream, Masterpiece Theatre, and clothes that hide the fact that I eat so much ice cream. When I was 18 I got a job at a craft store and told everyone (regularly) how much I hated crafts. Well, things change! Read More…

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