Honestly, I never thought I would be posting a DIY project on my blog. After all, I consider myself to be a “DIY wannabe.” I even have a Pinterest board titled “DIY I might actually do.” With that said, I recently finished a simple project that I wanted to share as it yielded great results! So stay tuned to learn how to make incredibly easy DIY map frames.
What you need to make this incredibly easy DIY map frame
Wood
I bought my wood quite a while ago for another project (I, ahem, never did), so I’m not sure exactly what it was. The following are good choices:
Lowe’s 1’4” thick by 1 ½ wide by 4 ft long “severe weather whitewood lath” (50 count) was $18.68 but out of stock.
Similarly, Lowe’s also has a ¼” x 1 ½” x 8 ft long redwood lath (10 count) for $15.48.
Home Depot has a very similar product for $27.57.
Glue
I used Gorilla hot glue for the project as I wanted to make sure all the pieces stuck together well.
Jumbo craft sticks
I got mine at Walmart, but I noticed Dollar Tree now carries them!
Paint
You can use either paint or stain on the wood pieces. I preferred the paint, as the stain has such a strong odor. In addition, I wanted to be able to easily adapt the color by adding or wiping off paint. I used a foam brush with my paint.
As far as color, I used black and hot chocolate. Both are acrylic paints which can also be purchased at Walmart for about a dollar each. The paints in the picture are old ones I already had.
Other materials
- Jute covered wire from the Dollar Tree
- Wire cutters (also from the Dollar Tree)
- Nails to hang the pictures (you don’t really need the picture hanging kit I incluAe ded in the photo)
- Mod podge to seal the frames (also a Dollar Tree purchase)
Are these really frames?
You may be asking, why do you keep calling them wall frames? Okay, perhaps they are not technically a “frame,” but I didn’t know what else to call them. I suppose they are more like a scroll. My first thought was to actually frame the maps all the way around, but decided against it. I really liked the colors of the map and felt that putting wood all the way around the maps would take away from the vibrancy of the colors.
Are these map frames really incredibly easy to make?
Yes! They really are incredibly easy DIY map frames. If I can do it, so can you!
How do you make these map frames?
First off, I apologize for not taking pictures of the steps. It wasn’t until I was done that I thought of making a blog post out of the project. The steps should be easy enough to follow.
1. Cut down your sticks
I wanted about an inch and a half sticking out of each board past the edge of the map. I needed it to be just long enough to wrap the burlap wire around each end of the top board (I used the wire to hang the maps). Lay one of your sticks on the top edge of your map. Move the board so that it sticks out 1 ½ inches on the left side. Measure 1 ½ inches on the right side and mark your board where you need to cut it.
2. Paint all your sticks
You will only need four if you are going for the same “scroll” look I used and you have two maps. I made the brown paint really watery before applying it to the wood and then wiped off the excess with a rag. I did the same with the black paint as I wanted a richer color. Keep alternating between the two until you get the shade you want. Let them dry.
Sand them lightly and then if you’d like, apply a coat of mod podge over all the sticks. This seals them.
3. Glue on the sticks
Lay your map on a flat surface and place your sticks on the top and bottom of your map. Make sure you position them where you want them before gluing them on.
4. Glue craft sticks to the back
To make your frames extra secure, glue the craft sticks to the back of the map where the map and board meet.
5. Wrap the jute wire around the ends of the boards
5. Take the jute covered wire and wrap around one end of the board. Decide how long you want the hanger to be. I just lightly wrapped it around the other end and then pulled it in the middle (between the ends) to determine how long I wanted it. Once I had the correct length, I cut it and then cut another piece the same length for my second map.
After you have both ends wrapped (I also tied a small knot), you can glue the jute wire in place with your glue gun.
6. Hang it up and enjoy!
Hang it up and step back to admire your DIYing prowess. Now you can make any printable into a scroll.
I have some Mom quotes like this in my free resource library you can print for free and “frame.” Check out the assortment here.
Have fun creating!