Simple DIY Poster Frame

Do you have posters still stuck to your walls with Blu-Tack? If your style has moved beyond the college dorm, then you need to get a frame for those prints pronto! This is a cheap, easy way to graduate those posters to the next level.

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Update: I recently made two more poster frames for my son's Pokemon themed bedroom! Check out the tutorial (with much clearer pictures) here.

In our continuing quest to transform our basement media room, Steve found a great Firefly poster at a local comic book store that he wanted to decorate the space with. I didn't want to just stick it to the wall, and store bought poster frames seemed to either be cheap black plastic or really expensive custom wood. I made my own frame instead for under $10!

As usual, I scoured the internet for ideas. This tutorial from Young House Love was just what I was looking for. I decided to go with 1 x 2 boards rather than the 1 x 3's they used. I didn't want the frame to protrude too far off the wall and get smacked by our son who likes to do crazy gymnastics on our super soft new carpet.

I picked up two 1 x 2 x 6' select pine boards that had similar grain patterns. I measured and cut them so that the top and bottom pieces were 1" longer than the width of the poster, and the sides were ½" shorter than the length, as the tutorial suggests. In retrospect, the sides should have been 1" shorter than the poster, because I had a bit of trouble stapling the ¼" overlap onto the frame.  But anyway...after a few simple cuts, it was time to assemble!

I got to break in a new tool for this project! I always have problems getting a square corner clamped properly, so I got this handy corner clamp at Harbor Freight. It held each corner in place while I drilled the pilot holes and screwed in the 2" screws. I double checked that the corner was square with my speed square before I started drilling.

After the frame was assembled, I stained it with Varathane gel stain in Dark Walnut. I decided to use a gel stain because pine has a tendency to be blotchy when stained with a traditional water based stain. I finished up with a coat of polyurethane to seal it. After everything was dry, it was time to attach the poster, which had been lying flat under some books for a few days to stop it from curling up.

I taped the poster to the back of the frame, making sure all the sides were even. Once everything is perfect, use a staple gun to attach the poster to the frame, making sure that the frame is completely behind the spot where the staple will go. I scored the edge of the frame onto the paper with my fingernail at each point I wanted to staple to see exactly where it was. I used ⅜" crown staples and attached them a few inches apart.

Once everything is secure, attach a sawtooth picture hanger to the back, and a nail or screw to the wall. Then it's ready to hang!

I'm so excited to finally have something hanging on our bare walls in the media room! There are a few posters in our son's room that may be getting the same treatment soon. No more tacky Blu-Tack in our house!

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