How to Make a Large Poster Frame {for only $6}

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I recently went on an Amazon kids shopping bender.  I was legitimately becoming worried that I had a problem.  Children’s educational toys are a major black hole.  Fine motor skills.  Gross motor skills.  Flash cards.  Educational videos.  It’s never ending.

While on my shopping spree I came across the most amazing alphabet poster.  I fell in love with the artwork, and was absolutely convinced that if I didn’t buy this poster, my children would never learn the alphabet.  No, it’s not rational.  Yes, I bought the poster.

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Then the poster arrived.  Like the product description warned, the poster was really big.  Then in a bit of even less-rational behavior, I didn’t want to hang my new poster.  I had major visions of the twins tearing the thing off the wall.

Now, this fear is totally rational.  I recently spent hours cutting and applying removable wallpaper in the twins’ room.  Hours.  Then one night after bedtime, I heard the twins babbling and playing.  This isn’t totally abnormal, and unless they are upset, I let it go until they fall asleep.  I heard rattling paper, but just assumed that Miss B had snuck a magazine into her crib.  After about 30 minutes, when the commotion hadn’t died down, I poked my head into their room.  No, Miss B did not have a magazine.  She had a crumpled up ball of removable wallpaper.  It turns out Sir R had been peeling pieces off the wall and handing them to his sister.  What.  The.  (Insert your favorite 4 letter word here).

Ok, so some legit concerns about poster hanging, and maybe a bit of traumatic stress from the removable wallpaper fiasco.

I wasn’t crazy about hanging a traditional frame.  It just seemed too heavy.  I really wanted to make a simple frame with just wood at the top and bottom.  I was still afraid that people would bump against the poster or the twins would pull at the bottom of the frame, and rip the poster.  It wasn’t until I pulled out the duck tape that I solved this dilemma.

Here we go.  How to make a large poster frame.

 Step One: Home Depot

Head on over to The Home Depot with about $6 in your pocket.  I selected pine lattice, and cut four pieces.  Choose a length that is just a bit longer than the width of your poster.  In my case, the poster was 30″ and I cut the lattice 31″.

The Home Depot has cutting stations in this section, so you can just cut whatever you need.  They charge by the foot at checkout.  Too easy.  I also like this option because then I don’t have any sawing to do at home.

Step Two: Stain

Stain your four pieces of lattice.  You only have to stain one side and both edges.  I just used a rag to wipe on the stain.  Wait about 10 minutes, and wipe off the stain.  Let everything sit for at least 24 hours before you move on to the next step.

Side Note: Do you like my formal workspace?  I just used a dollar store laundry basket on the laundry room floor.

Step Three: Tape

Tape is my secret weapon on this project.  First, use duck tape to reinforce the sides of your poster.  I ran white duck tape down both edges of my poster (on the back).  This way, if little hands tug at the bottom of the poster, the poster won’t rip!

Second, is masking tape.  This is optional depending on what type of border your poster has.  My poster had less than 1/2-inch of white space at the top and bottom.  I knew that my lattice pieces would end up covering some of the art, so I had to lengthen the poster.

I ran masking tape along the top and bottom of the poster (on both sides).  This way, I could use less poster as overlap between the pieces of lattice and not have to cover any of the art.

Step Four: Glue

Run craft glue along the unstained sides of the lattice.  Place the two pieces together at the top and bottom of the poster.  Then use clamps (or a heavy object) to hold the wood together until the glue dries.

Step Five: Drill

I used three drill bits for this step.  I started with my smallest drill bit.  Then I worked my way up until the hole was big enough to fit my twine for hanging.

You will need two holes drilled on only the lattice at the top of the poster.

Step Six: Hang

Run rope or twine through the two drilled holes.  Tie a knot, and you are ready to hang your poster.  Too easy!

I hung my new poster in the “play” half of the living room, and am loving it!  The gray stain is perfect with the rest of my decor, and the twins love their new poster.  Also, my irrational mommy mind is significantly less concerned about my children’s ability to learn the alphabet.