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Tuesday, June 3, 2014

DIY Picture Frame

I have been saving several pieces of wood from an old house my brother was restoring (the house is at least 75 years old). I collected a few interesting pieces and tucked them away for a future (unknown) project.  
I finally decided wanted to make a rustic tray, but my boards weren't long enough, so I decided on a picture frame instead.  

Here's the finished product.
  I'll walk you through the process,
 so you can make your own frames.


Here are the boards I had collected for a project. I'm sure they're laden with lead paint.  They're pretty in all their chippy glory.  I was able to cut the boards with a chop saw and then used a piece of composite wood for the base of my frames.  I painted the composite board with some water-based white paint and when it was dry, I sanded it some so it would look a bit distressed, too.




I glued the boards down with some wood glue and put something heavy on top of them and let them dry over night.


 I sealed the frame with a clear matte finish spray. 

I found these nuts at my local home store. 
 They are called speed nuts.


I bought these two plastic picture frames for $2 at Wal-Mart. I assumed that they wouldn't have glass, but a plastic product since they were so inexpensive.  I was kinda hoping for the plastic...but, I was surprised that they were glass....a good glass, too.  The edges are sanded so there were no SHARP edges!  I'm always fearful that I'll slice my finger open while cleaning the glass of a picture frame...just saying.


I did some measuring.


I used a tool that you would start a pilot hole for a screw...gave it a few taps and I was able to just twist the screw into place.  Don't over tighten as you can crack the glass (lesson learned).



I selected a dowel to prop up the frame. 
 You may add a hanger if you'd 
rather use the frame on the wall.


I keep a piece of wood to drill 
holes in to see if I'm using the right size bit.



I had to be careful and not drill too deeply.


I drilled two holes so I could use the frame horizontally or vertically.


Then, I slipped in the picture behind the glass
 and tightened the screws just a bit--and I was done!


4 comments:

Kelly said...

I love how that turned out! I never would've guessed that you made that. It looks so professional. I like how you didn't have to cut a square hole out for the picture too. Good idea to just lay a piece of glass over it like that.

Revi said...

Clever, great-looking AND a keepsake all in one. Nice, Marsha!

Lou Lou Girls said...

This looks amazing! Pinned! Please join us tonight at 7 pm and party with us. We feel honored when you stop by! http://loulougirls.blogspot.com
Happy Monday! Lou Lou Girls

Unknown said...

Nice picture frame! I like how creative this project is, and how easy it is to do. The glass was a nice touch, by the way. And this is also a great way to reuse those pallets, rather than throwing them away. Anyway, thanks for sharing this lovely DIY with us, Marsha. All the best!

Lynne Hollaran @ Suburban Glass Service, Inc.