How to Frame a Poster for Less than $10

How to Frame a Poster

Don’t forget your safety gear when woodworking! Here are my recommendations for safety glasses and ear protection. No excuses!

Start by measuring your poster. I’ll be framing two that are both 34″ x 22 1/4″. Subtract 1″ from each dimension to determine your interior frame size.

Decide which way you want your 1×2’s to face out from the wall. I went with a shadowbox effect by standing the 1×2’s on end to create a deeper frame. Add 1 1/2″ to the longer sides to cover the ends of the short boards. If you’re creating your frame with the wider side facing out, you’ll want to add 3″ instead.

I had my son calculate how many inches of wood we would need for one poster. See, kids? Math is useful outside of school!

Cut two pieces for each length. You can even have this done at your home improvement store if you don’t have a saw!

If you want to hide the screw heads, use a countersink drill bit to predrill holes. Otherwise, regular pre-drilled holes are fine. Drill two on each end of the long pieces (I’m making two frames, which is why there are four pieces pictured below.)

Now, assemble your frame! Make sure your corners are square and the edges are flush. I like to use clamps to hold everything in place while I’m joining pieces together.

I wanted to hide my screws and seams so the poster frame looked like one solid piece. Use wood filler to cover up any holes or gaps, then sand everything smooth when dry. You can skip this step if you like, especially if you’re staining your frame. “Stainable” wood filler sometimes takes stain differently than the wood, and will be obvious in your finished project.

Your frames should look like this when finished.

Remove any sanding dust from your poster frame, then paint or stain. I went with basic white because there are a lot of colors going on in these Pokemon posters! Prop up the corners so you can paint all the way to the edge.

When your paint or stain is dry, flip the poster frame over so the back is facing up. Lay your poster upside down on the frame, using tape to keep it in place. Staple around the perimeter with 1/4″ staples.

Attach a sawtooth picture hanger to the top, and hang it on the wall!

Looking for these Pokemon posters for yourself? You can find the horizontal one here and the vertical one here.

I made a stained version of this poster frame a couple years ago. Just changing the finish gives the frame a whole new look!

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