Do you have an odd-sized poster or picture you can't find the right size frame for and you don't want to spend a ton on a custom frame? An easy and affordable solution is to make your own wood picture hanger.
What is a wood picture hanger you ask? A wood picture hanger is a great alternative to a traditional picture frame to display your favorite poster or artwork. Simply put a wood picture hanger has wood slats that are cut slightly longer than the width of your piece of art and are mounted at the top and bottom of your poster.
There are several different ways to mount the wood slats so they hold your picture. I opted for a permanent solution since I knew I wasn't going to be changing out the pictures in the future.
Several years ago I got a large calendar that had beautiful graphic drawings for each month of the year. I kept the calendar thinking I would frame them and hang them on my wall as a decorative display. I shopped around looking for the right size frames with no luck! Years flew by and I still hadn't come up with a great and affordable way to display the pages.
Until...
One day when I was scrolling through Pinterest and came across these cool-looking wood picture hangers. I knew right away that this was how I wanted to "frame" my calendar pages! I headed out to the hardware store to get the supplies I needed so I could build some custom wood picture hangers. The end result turned out better than I had hoped and so I thought I would share with you how I made them with an easy-to-follow tutorial.
This post contains affiliate links which means if you click on a link and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. For more information please see my Disclaimer page. Thanks!
I really enjoy making custom wall decor to fit the spaces in my home. You can check out a few of my other creations here and here.
DIY Wood Picture Hanger Tutorial
Gather up the following supplies from your local hardware store before you start this project.
Supply List
1/4" x 1" x 8' flat pine molding
Wood stain or paint (optional)
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Step 1
Measure the width of your poster or picture. I wanted the wood slats to be about 1/4" longer on each side of the picture so I added 1/2" to the width measurement of the picture. Transfer the measurement to the wood molding and cut 4 pieces to this length.
Step 2
Sand each piece of wood, wipe it down with a clean rag, and then paint or stain each piece letting them dry completely. (optional step)
Step 3
On the back side of each wood slat measure and mark 1/4" which is the amount of wood overhang you choose for each side of the frame. Next, lay your poster face up on a flat surface, place one wood slat on top of it and adjust how high up on the picture you want the frame placed.
For my calendar poster, I didn't want to cover up some of the dates and design so I marked lightly on the poster where I wanted to place the wood frame and then measured this mark so I could transfer the measurement to the back of the wood. Do this for the top and bottom of the poster.
Place both the top and bottom frame slats face down on a flat surface then place your poster over the wood slats making sure to adjust the picture along the pencil marks you made.
Step 4
Staple the poster in several places along the top and bottom wood frame pieces.
Step 5
Next spread a thin layer of wood glue on the back of the remaining two wood frame pieces. Align the wood pieces over the front pieces and staple down the poster making sure to keep the edges even. Clamp the wood pieces together on each side of the frame. Let the glue cure overnight.
Step 6
Now it is time to attach the leather cord or twine to the back of the wood frame for hanging. Depending on the length of your wood frame and how long you want the hanger to be your measurements may differ from mine. To determine the length of your twine I measured and marked 1" in from the end of each side on the backside of the top frame. Unroll a length of twine and stretch it between the two spots you marked add an additional two inches and cut the twine to that length. Tie a knot at each end of the leather cord or twine then staple each end of the twine to the wood frame.
Woohoo! You did it! You make your own wood picture hanger. Now go hang up your custom-framed piece of art and enjoy looking at it all the time.
Since I had a few supplies on hand before I started this project (like the stain, staple gun, and twine) the total cost for this project was less than $10! I just love how these wood picture hangers look and I can't wait to make a few more for some of the other pictures and posters I've been holding onto for a while!
I'd love to know what you plan on framing with a wood picture hanger. - leave me a comment to let me know what you will frame. Did you choose a coordinating paint color for your wood or did you stain it? I'm thinking of painting my next wood picture hanger frame and I can't wait to see how it turns out.
More DIY Tutorials
If you liked this project make sure to check out these other easy DIY projects and tutorials:
How To Make A Wood Coinhole Game
.jpg)
