Published May 24th, 2026

 

Code 3 Designs is a family-owned woodworking shop based in Sheridan, Wyoming, where we craft custom wooden wall art by hand. Each piece is made to order with care, shaped by years of experience and a deep respect for the materials. Our work reflects a personal touch, blending wood species like maple, walnut, and cherry with thoughtful design to create art that truly belongs in your home. This post walks you through a straightforward, three-step process to design your own personalized wall art with us. We emphasize a collaborative approach where your ideas and stories guide the creation, making sure the final piece expresses your personality and style clearly and beautifully. From choosing the type of art to selecting the wood and sharing your meaningful details, we handle each step with steady hands and attention. What follows will give you a clear view of how we bring custom wall art from your vision into reality.

Step 1: Placing Your Order And Sharing Your Vision

Code 3 Designs is an online woodworking shop based in Sheridan, WY, creating custom wood and resin wall art, wooden plaques, and custom wood signs made to order by Kevin, a retired firefighter with 35 years in the fire service, and his family team.

Step one starts with a simple decision: what kind of wall art you want us to build. We keep the choices clear. You pick a general product type such as a wooden plaque, a custom sign, or a larger piece of wall decor. That first choice sets the scale and purpose of the piece, whether it hangs over a mantel, fills a hallway, or marks a special spot in your home.

Next comes the wood. We work most often with maple, walnut, and cherry because each species has its own voice. Maple runs lighter, clean, and smooth, good for crisp lettering or bolder colors. Walnut carries a deep brown tone with rich grain, strong enough to stand on its own with minimal color. Cherry sits in between, warm and steady, darkening naturally over time. When we read your notes about style and setting, we think about which wood will age well in that space and match the mood you want.

Once the basic shape and wood species are clear, we move into the part that matters most: your story. This is where you share the details that make the art personal. Some people send a short note with key ideas; others lay out a longer description. Both work. What helps us most is direct, concrete input:

• Names, initials, or family phrases that need to appear.
• Important dates such as weddings, retirements, or memorials.
• Meaningful symbols: a badge outline, a simple heart, a cross, a mountain line, or a favorite animal.
• Style preferences: clean and modern, rustic and worn, bold colors, or natural wood with light accents.
• Any reference photos that show fonts, shapes, or layouts you like.

We read every line of that input carefully. After decades in the fire service, Kevin learned to listen first and act second. That carries straight into the shop. When you mention a phrase your parent used to say, or a symbol tied to your work, we treat that as the anchor of the design, not an extra detail.

Clear, plain language works best. You do not need design terms. Telling us, "I want this to feel calm," or "This should honor my time in uniform," gives us more to work with than any technical description. If something matters more than anything else, say that outright, and we will center the layout on it.

All of this information - your product choice, the wood species, and the personal touches - forms the foundation for the custom wall art collaboration. From there, we sketch a design concept that translates your notes into shapes, lines, and color so the next step becomes a focused, shared design process instead of guesswork. 

Step 2: Collaborating On The Design

Once we have your notes and general direction, we move into the back-and-forth design work. This is where the idea on paper starts to look like the wall art that will hang on your wall.

We begin with a rough layout based on the wood species, size, and key elements you shared. That first pass often looks like a simple sketch or digital mockup: where the wording sits, how a badge or symbol fits into the field, and how negative space keeps the piece from feeling crowded. The goal is not perfection on the first try; the goal is clarity.

We send that concept to you and ask targeted questions instead of vague ones. Does the main phrase feel centered in importance, not just in space? Is the symbol large enough to read across the room? Do you want the grain running vertical or horizontal behind it? These details seem small, but they decide whether the finished art feels calm, strong, playful, or formal.

From there, we adjust. Sometimes that means tightening the lettering, shifting a date below a name instead of beside it, or simplifying an emblem so it reads cleanly in wood and resin. We keep the language plain and the options focused, so you are choosing between two or three clear directions, not twenty confusing ones. Each round brings the layout closer to what you had in mind.

Translating The Design Into Wood

Once the layout is locked in, we turn to the lumber rack. We pull boards of the species you chose and sort through them by hand. We look for straight grain where lettering will land, and for character grain - knots, curl, or color shifts - where open spaces can show it off. If a board does not meet the standard, it goes back on the rack for a different project.

Preparation starts with milling the wood flat and square. That means jointing, planing, and cutting to final size so the panel sits true on the wall and the edges line up clean. Any glue-ups for wider panels get dry-fitted first; we check that the grain flows from one board to the next so your eye reads a single field of wood, not a patchwork.

After the blank is built, we transfer the approved design. Lettering and symbols are laid out with reference marks so spacing matches the mockup. Here we slow down. A fraction off at this stage shows up forever. Years in the fire service taught Kevin that small checks now prevent big problems later; the same mindset runs through this step.

Working With Color, Resin, And Texture

If your design includes epoxy resin, inlays, or color, we plan those layers before any pour or paint touches the wood. Resin work means building clean boundaries so it does not wander into areas meant to stay natural. We mix pigment in controlled amounts so the color supports the design rather than overpowering the grain.

For painted details or stained accents, we map out which elements stay natural, which get color, and which receive only clear finish. Masking and test boards come first. A bold color for lettering gets checked on an offcut of the same wood so we see how it reacts with that exact grain and tone.

Throughout this stage, we keep you in the loop on major visual choices. If we are weighing a deeper blue against a softer one for a flag field, or deciding between a matte or glossier resin look, we share photos and quick notes so you see the direction before anything is permanent. The aim is simple: when the piece arrives, it should look and feel like the vision you and we built together, translated into solid wood, color, and light. 

Step 3: Delivery, Installation Tips, and Enjoying Your Custom Wall Art

When the finish cures and the last edge is eased, we shift from building to protecting. The piece has already taken time, care, and steady hands; the packaging needs to do the same work in a different way.

First, we wrap the surface so nothing rubs the finish during transit. Corners and edges get extra padding, because that is where impacts like to land. If a piece includes resin inlays or raised letters, we support those areas so they do not flex or catch pressure. Once padded, the art is locked into a snug box with enough clearance that a drop or bump hits the packaging, not the wood.

Inside, we include simple notes about orientation and handling. Wood moves with seasons, and although the finishes we use offer strong protection, we still respect the material. Keeping the box dry, avoiding direct heat, and opening it on a clear, padded surface keeps that first unboxing calm instead of stressful.

Installing Your Wooden Wall Decor

Hanging comes next. Most pieces go on standard wall anchors or into studs, depending on size and weight. If the art is long or tall, we suggest two points of support instead of one, so the piece stays level and does not twist over time.

• Height: Aim for the center of the artwork to sit near eye level in the room where it will live.
• Studs vs. anchors: Use studs for heavier pieces, quality anchors for lighter ones or where studs do not line up.
• Spacing: If you pair it with photos or other decor, leave open wall around it so the main design can breathe.

For office walls or high-traffic areas, a French cleat or similar hanging hardware spreads the load and keeps the piece tight to the wall. A small level and a strip of painter's tape for marking holes turn installation into a short, straightforward task rather than a guessing game.

Choosing The Right Spot

Placement changes how the art feels. Over a mantel or sofa, a wider piece anchors the room and reads from across the space. In a hallway, a narrower plaque at shoulder height invites closer reading as people pass. In an office, a piece behind the desk often becomes the background for conversations and video calls, so bolder symbols and clear lettering work well there.

Light matters too. Natural light from the side shows off grain and texture; direct, harsh light from above can flatten color or glare on resin, so we favor softer angles and indirect lamps. If sunlight hits the wall for long stretches, a bit of distance from the window keeps colors more stable over the years.

Living With A Piece You Helped Create

Once the art is on the wall and the tools are put away, there is a quiet moment where you just stand back and look at it. Every design choice that we talked through together - wood species, layout, color - is now locked into something you can touch. It is no longer a sketch or a set of messages; it is part of your space.

Dusting it with a soft cloth now and then is usually all it needs. The deeper care sits in noticing how the wood shifts with the light during the day or how a phrase or emblem draws a comment from someone who understands its meaning. That reaction, that small pause, is what we think about while we are in the shop shaping boards and checking details.

From first idea to final hanging, the process has been a collaboration. Our role is to guide the woodworking and finishing with steady, practiced hands; your role is to bring the story. When both pieces line up, the finished wall art does more than fill a blank spot - it quietly reflects who you are every time you walk past it.

Designing your own personalized wall art with us follows a simple three-step method: choosing the right piece, selecting the wood that speaks to your style, and sharing the story that makes it uniquely yours. This straightforward process turns your ideas into handcrafted art that carries the warmth of real wood and the care of steady hands. Every project reflects Kevin's decades of experience, from the fire service to the workshop, where patience and precision meet creativity and pride. We invite you to explore our online store or reach out to start a conversation about your custom project. Together, we can craft a piece that feels like home, a tangible expression of your personality and memories. Consider this an open invitation to join us in the workshop, where your story shapes the art and every detail matters.