How To Make A Cool Art Frame

Build A Frame Using Wood, Acrylic Sheets, Wire, Nuts and Bolts

Sep 22, 2009

Make an industrial-looking frame with simple items that can be found at a hardware store, or materials hanging around your garage.

Custom picture frames can be quite costly. Even the ready made picture frames can be expensive and for the most part boring. Creating artwork for gallery shows or for home décor I’m always trying to find an interesting but cost effective solution. For a recent gallery show piece I made an industrial looking frame with simple items that can be found at a hardware store, some of the materials I found hanging around my garage.

First you’ll need to decide what size frame you’ll need. I suggest going with standard frame sizes. This helps in finding a pre-cut piece of acrylic to go over the wood base. Most hardware stores will cut a piece of wood to your specifications and at most hardware stores the first two cuts are free. For my project I needed an 11x14 frame for my 5.5x7 inch art piece. I picked particle board because it’s cheap and easy to work with. It’s also very light weight which is good for piece intended to be hung on a wall.

Next you’ll need a piece of Acrylic sheet. This is usually found in the door and window section of the hardware store. Acrylic is better than other plastic choices because it is clear like glass so it won’t affect the look of your artwork. These sheets are inexpensive, usually ranging in price from $1-$10 depending on the size. Be sure to leave the protective film sheet on acrylic until project is completely finished to avoid scratching.

You’ll need four nuts and bolts and eight washers, one on each side of the frame. One washer should go behind the bolt on the front of the frame, acting as a buffer between the bolt and the acrylic. The other washer should go on the back of the frame before the nut acting as a buffer between the wood and the nut. Try to pick the smallest size possible for easier drilling into the acrylic. Acrylic cracks easily when drilled and the smaller the hole to be drilled the better.

Once you have your wood, acrylic, and nuts and bolts chosen it’s time to drill into the wood. Mark in the four corners of the wood where you want the nuts and bolts to go. You’ll have to drill into the wood and acrylic separately as they need different drill bits. Choose a drill bit that is slightly larger than the bolts you have chosen to avoid cracking and splitting once the bolts are screwed in. Drill the holes where you’ve marked.

Now, using a strong masking tape, tape the acrylic sheet over the piece of wood. It’s best to place a secure piece of tape on both the top and bottom and left and right sides of the frames. Using a step drill bit or a plastic drill bit, drill four holes into the acrylic sheet in the same spots as the holes in the wood. It is best to go fast through acrylic. Unlike other materials acrylic can crack at slower drilling speeds.

Now that all the holes have been drilled, take off the tape and remove the acrylic sheet. Prime the wood with one to five layers of primer or white satin spray paint. Once the primer is completely dry paint the wood any desired color. I like to use spray paint as it coats evenly and goes on quickly. You can sand between coats it you like and even sand the corners for a more founded edge if you want.

Once the paint is completely drive spread a thin even layer of decoupage glue to the back of your artwork and secure it firmly in place.

After the decoupage glue has dried completely, remove protective film and place the acrylic sheet back over the piece of wood and line up all four holes. Put in one bolt with a washer between it and the acrylic sheet. Place another washer on the bolt on the back of the wood and screw on the nut. Do this in the other three holes.

The frame hanging wire will go on the top two bolts at the back of the frame. Unscrew those nuts and wrap the wire around once completely on the left bolt, screw the nut back on to this bolt hold taught. Now pull the wire tight towards the right bolt. Wrap the wire around the right bolt once completely. Screw the nut back on to this bolt hold taught. Use an adjustable wrench to tighten both bolts securely. Use a pair of wire cutters to cut the excess wire near the bolts.

The copyright of the article How To Make A Cool Art Frame in Crafts is owned by Katherine Montalto. Permission to republish How To Make A Cool Art Frame in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.