#framing tips

Framing is expensive! Framing large things gets ridiculously expensive. Not to mention transporting your gigantic painting/poster/picture. And who doesn’t like to save money?  

I devised three ways to save on framing at my house:

Cheap Already-Framed Pictures

Okay, so this one’s easy and useful. I go to the Goodwill, or a similar reseller, when I need a regular sized frame. They have plenty to choose from, just ignore the picture that’s already in it! Find a frame you like and bring it home. Take out the glass by removing the back. (It may need to be cut off.) If you don’t like the color of the frame, this is a good time to paint it.  

Color is a good way to make mismatched frames look like a set.  

Put the glass back in, then your picture. There might be space in the margins around your picture, so use blank paper as a backing, or fancy it up with some glitter, fabric, paint, etc.  

A Wooden Crate

I think shadow boxes are so rad! They have a dimensional aspect and allow for more variety, such as being able to display non-flat items. Sometimes wooden crates can be found or purchased inexpensively, especially if damaged or dirty. Damage adds character and dirt can be cleaned! When I moved into my house, the previous owners left us several interesting items. One of them was this shallow crate I used as a frame.  

It was covered in spider webs and dirt, but I saw potential. I had recently picked up this amazing giant squid print at the Emerald City Comic Con and I knew the box was the perfect way to display it. I cleaned and oiled the wood and cut the edges of the print so that it would fit perfectly inside. I struggled with a way to fix the print to the wood, I didn’t want it to just sit at the bottom. It turns out that oiled wood is difficult to get something to adhere to (like tape). I was finally able to get it stuck on with hot glue.  

Frame with Trim Board

I especially liked this idea because it potentially saved me hundreds! I don’t know how much it would have cost to frame this giant map. I wracked my brain for months to figure out how to frame my map without forking over a large sum of cash. (Plus transporting the thing!) I finally realized that I could just tape the laminated map onto the wall with painters' tape and nail trim boards around it to create a “custom frame”. 

The safest way to hang a picture is with a plug and screw. First, find out what kind of wall you have by tapping it. If it sounds hollow, it’s plasterboard (drywall) and you will need a drywall plug. If it sounds solid, it’s a block wall and you need a regular plug.

Most people don’t want to drill a hole in their wall, but if you bash in a nail into a solid wall it will bend, chip off the plaster and result in a huge, ugly hole. If you put a nail into drywall it may hold for now, but chances are the picture will eventually fall and break.

You will need: 2 stickynotes, a pencil, a drilling machine, drill, plug, screw and a screwdriver.

Follow these simple techniques and you will have the picture hung in no time.

1. Find the wall you want to hang your picture. Get somebody to hold it at the right height (normally eye-level at the centre of the picture). Then take one of your stickynotes notes and place it at the top of the picture in the centre.

2. On the back of the picture, pull the cord or wire so it is tight and measure the distance from the top of the frame to the wire, write this on your second stickynote.

3. Fold your second stickynote in half twice, then open it again.

4. On the wall, measure down from the first stickynote and place the second stickynote so the vertical fold is at the distance you measured. The folded note will now catch the dust and save you a trip with the vacuum cleaner.

5. Drill slowly to begin the hole. If it is solid wall, have your drill on the normal setting until the hole has started, then switch to hammer action (marked on the drilling machine with a little hammer). Bring the drill out of the hole a few times to clear out the dust.

6. When the hole is deep enough (slightly longer than the plug) take out the drill, take off the sticky note with all the dust.

7. Push in the plug gently until it is flush with the wall. Then screw in your screw leaving it proud about 5mm.

8. An easy way to locate the string is to place a fork over the screw; this will catch the cord easily.

9. Simply hang the picture, pull out the fork, stand back and do a final straighten. Simple!

OTHER TIPS!

If you are hanging the picture on a drywall, find where you want the picture to hang, then tap the wall to right and then to the left. There will be a wooden vertical beam every three-foot. If you can find one near (it will sound solid when you tap) you can put a screw directly into this without needing a hole and plug.

 Make sure you are not going to drill near a socket. By law wires have to run vertically from the floor to the socket or light fitting. But if you live in an old house the wires could go vertically. If in doubt don’t drill.

You can get away with using a drywall plug in a brick wall but not a regular plug in plasterboard wall.

Thanks to www.donalmccann.com for great shots.