January 8, 2019

Simple DIY Canvas Frames

DIY

Happy New Year everyone! I can’t believe we are over a week in 2019 already! How did everyone spend their first days of the New Year? I certainly had a LOT of fun….organizing and decluttering the house. It was actually not that fun at all but it does make me breathe a little better when the house is just a little less dirty and a little more organized. After months of having art and whatnot in a pile on the floor, this week my husband and I finally created the little mini gallery wall in Lucas’s room/nursery! With that done, I have the DIY on how to create your very own frame for a canvas. Scroll down to find out just how easy it was! And in advance, we did this while it was getting dark with some porch light so I apologize if the pictures are not the best! 😉

 

  • two 8′ cedar or pine wood (measure your canvas beforehand)
  • nail gun
  • miter saw
  • wood filler
  • 180-220 grit sandpaper or electric sander 
  • 320-400 grit sandpaper to sand between paint coats (optional)
  • paint (optional)
  • paint roller or brush (optional)
  • 2 medium screws per frame (we used a 1 1/4 size)
  • 2 hooks per frame (if canvas comes without)
  • canvas(es)

 

These are the two canvases that I wanted to be framed so we went ahead and bought enough wood to make two frames.

 

Put the wood against the canvas and make a mark so that you know where to cut it. Go ahead and cut that first piece so that you can use that piece of wood to measure out your other side and cut it the same way. Do this for all four sides. If the top and bottom sides of the frame is bigger or smaller than the sides, then take your wood and put it against your canvas to make a mark and cut like you did the first time.

 

Next, you cut an angle on both sides of all your wood so that you can connect the pieces of wood together. Make sure all sides are cut at the same angle. The top of the canvas should meet the bottom of the angled cut, just like the bottom of the canvas should meet the top of the angled cut. See below for it to make more sense!

 

After that is done, nail the sides all together. We nailed in two on each side of the corners, just like shown below.

 

Alright, your frames are all put together! Now go ahead and fill all the nail holes with wood filler and any other imperfections. Take your sandpaper or sander and sand down the frame so that there are no imperfections and everything comes out nice and smooth.

 

If you’re painting your frame(s), well now you are ready to paint! I used an AllDeco Interior/Exterior paint that I bought from Hobby Lobby which was left over from a previous DIY. The yellow color was exactly what I wanted anyway! If you are wanting less brush strokes, I suggest using a small roller to paint, but to be honest it doesn’t really matter. After the first layer of paint dries completely (usually takes a full day if you’re using this paint), sand your frame(s) one more time and give it another coat if needed. Let it dry again.

 

The pictures above then show you to unscrew the hooks from the canvas and screw it onto the frame just like that. If your canvas(es) do not have this, no need to worry. Stores like Hobby Lobby, Michaels, Lowes, etc. have different ones you can buy that you can screw on just like that.

What you see circled here is a screw on each side that keeps the canvas attached to the frame. Go ahead and do the same thing to yours. Now that you have everything put together, your DIY is finally done and ready to be hung! It honestly is the simplest thing ever that just requires the right tools.

*go here to check out how to create a canvas frame out of decorative wood trim (video included!) as a budget friendly option to custom framing

 

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *