This DIY framed canvas art is a budget-friendly way to bring a gorgeous piece of art into your home for very little money.
Framed canvas art can run anywhere from $100 to $1,000+ depending on quality, and the frames are usually pretty thin. This frame is large and in charge, and it can be built from scrap wood you may have lying around the workshop (aka the garage)!
Several people have asked where they can buy the beach picture I used.
It's my own photo from our favorite vacation spot (30A Florida), and you can buy it HERE!
I originally planned to just DIY a large canvas and make a thin wooden frame, much like the one I made earlier for my DIY abstract art piece. That simple framing tutorial is one of my most-viewed posts, so I planned to reuse that approach and create something similar. If it ain't broke, don't fix it, right?
But when I hung the canvas on the wall just to get a feel for the space, it was definitely too small for the spot above my mantel. This screenshot from a video on my Instagram Stories shows how small it looked… Sorry for the poor quality, but it'll do the trick to show the scale.
Scale matters a great deal in decorating. I see this problem a lot in the real world, when a homeowner puts something way too small on the wall. Trust me, I've been one of those homeowners, as seen in these master bedroom photos. What I didn't consider when I hung my photo wall above my bed was that the scale was way too tiny!
If I'd hung this canvas on the wall with a thin frame, it would have been a definite NO. That's not to say I don't have decorating "no's" all over my house, but I've learned to consider scale when hanging things on walls.
It's a lesson I've picked up pretty well over the years from studying the masters and earning my "Google University" interior design degree.
So, back to the drawing board for the focal point of my summer mantel. I keep a pile of wood scraps in the garage that I've collected over the years. There are pieces from old pallets, some old barn wood, and leftovers from past projects. I pulled out a few pieces that looked like they'd work and started piecing them together around the canvas.
See the Framed Canvas Art on My Summer Mantel HERE.
And I ended up with something I absolutely ADORE! It would never have turned out so well if I hadn't tested the canvas in the space first. So don't be afraid to check things as you go and take a detour when needed! I'll show you how I made it all. Are you ready?
What You'll Need for Your DIY Framed Canvas Art
- Large Canvas – mine was 20″ x 30″
- Printed photo the same size as, or larger than, your canvas – I used Shutterfly to crop and print my photo. You can purchase my beach photo HERE.
- Mod Podge, matte finish
- Small Paint Brush or craft foam brush for the Mod Podge
- Cutting Board & Utility Knife
- Extra Blank Canvas (optional)
- Scrap Wood for the frame – use whatever you have on hand, or cheap common board from the hardware store!
- 1 x 2 x 8 Common Pine Board
- Kreg Jig – perfect for joining corners and pieces of wood for the frame
- Drill
- Miter Saw – this is the one I have now, and I highly recommend it!
- Kreg Jig Screws – I used 1.5 inch screws for my boards, and this PDF will tell you which size screw to get
- Wood Glue
- Sand Paper
- Paint and Stain of your choice
- Brushes for paint and stain
How to Build Your DIY Framed Canvas Art
Step 1. Mount the Print to the Canvas
The first step in creating your masterpiece is to use Mod Podge to adhere the print to the canvas. Paint a medium to thin coat of Mod Podge onto the canvas.
Then press your print onto the canvas. Turn it over and place heavy objects on the underside of the canvas to help the print adhere with little to no bubbling.
I let my canvas sit like this for more than 24 hours, but less time would probably be fine!
Step 2. Trim the Excess Print Around the Edge of the Canvas
If your print is like mine and overlaps the edges of the canvas a little, place the canvas (print-side down) on your cutting board and trim off the edges with a sharp utility knife.
Step 3. Choose and Cut Your Frame
Now it's time to head out to the wood pile (or the hardware store) and select your pieces for the frame. You can use any size boards, as long as they're kind of similar on every side.
My boards were all different lengths (not shown), so I had to cut them down to size.
TIP: If your miter saw doesn't have a laser, pull the saw down to touch the wood before you cut. Make sure the cut line sits right at the outside edge of the blade, with the piece you want to keep on the opposite side from the blade. This keeps you from cutting your wood too short. You can always sand it down a little if it's too long. P.S. I know there are more technical terms for all of this, but I have no idea.
My frame boards aren't exactly the same size on each side, but I'm okay with that. I liked the funky, non-symmetrical look of the frame.
I also decided the boards around the canvas didn't look finished enough, so I miter cut a 1x2x8 board to finish off the frame. I think it gives it a more polished look.
Step 4. Paint Your Frame.
OK, so I decided to paint the individual pieces of the frame before putting it all together, because I wanted each piece to look a little different.
I did, however, go ahead and assemble the thin inner frame, since it was all going to be painted the same. I'll show how I did that later, though.
I didn't really plan out how I'd paint each piece, but I did choose my paint colors. I picked 3 colors that looked beachy and matched my decor. Then I chose one "stain" color and decided to use a combination of all of them.
By the way, I love the Better with Age product! I used it last summer with Amy Howard, the creator of the product, and I just loved it. I haven't had time to play with it since, though. I used it on 4 of the 5 pieces of wood in my frame, and I LOVE it!
It isn't an actual stain, but it's a water-based product that reacts with the tannins in raw wood. It gives a gorgeous gray, weathered wood look. For the top board on the frame, I also applied Venetian plaster. You can find the exact tutorial for this process on Amy Howard's site HERE.
For the bottom frame board, I just painted layers of every paint color I had, starting with the gray, then white, and then a very dry brushing of the blue. Do you know how to dry brush paint? You load a little paint onto your brush and then brush most of it off onto another surface before brushing on your wood. I use a scrap piece of cardboard to brush off the excess before painting my piece.
After painting all of my pieces, I sanded them with fine-grit sandpaper until they looked good to me. I didn't paint full coverage on most of the pieces, but the sanding knocks more paint off to give it that distressed, beach-worn look I was going for!
Let all of the pieces dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Step 5. Assemble Your Frame
Now it's time to put the frame together. I was a little worried about this step because my boards were different sizes and had natural wear and knots, but it worked out! It would obviously be easier if you're using new boards from the hardware store.
You could use a variety of methods to assemble your frame, but I chose wood glue and my trusty Kreg Jig. It's perfect for joining boards without bulking them up, and it makes a super sturdy joint!
I had to put the canvas in the middle as I pieced the frame together, because I couldn't get it just right without it in there. Here are all of the joints I made. I messed some up at first and "x'd" them out in the picture.
So … the joints were so tight that the canvas got stuck in there when I finished. Ha!
I assembled the thin top frame before I painted any boards, because I was going to paint it all white. I also used my Kreg Jig to join the corners. The Kreg Jig drilled a bit through the sides of the boards, as you can see in the picture above, because I didn't have short enough screws, but it doesn't bother me and you don't notice it on the frame. (I should have used 3/4 inch Kreg Jig screws for this board, but I only had 1.5 inch screws.)
Step 6. Give Your Canvas a Professional Texture with Mod Podge
I should probably make this step a whole separate post, but for now I'll include it here. I tried a tip I got from my friend Tasha at Kaleidoscope Living.
I love how mine turned out. It hides any small bubbles that formed when I put the print on the canvas, and it keeps the finish from looking shiny and reflective. The matte sheen lends itself to a more textured, beachy look. I love how it turned out!
So, you just brush a layer of matte Mod Podge on top of your print.
Then press a blank canvas on top of the Mod Podge. Press it down really well, then lift it slowly to keep the canvas pattern on it. Lift it straight up and don't move it around, or the canvas texture will look smeared.
This is how it should look when you pull the canvas off…
Keep repeating these steps until you cover the entire canvas. I had to go back and redo some spots, but it was super easy! You can see how it looked before the Mod Podge dried all the way.
Don't worry, it will dry completely and leave a wonderful, professional canvas look!
Let it dry completely before moving on to the next step.
Step 7. Add the Thin Frame to Finish It Off
Now it's time to add your thin frame to the top! I went with the super easy route and just used wood glue to stick it on.
Make sure it's straight and exactly where you want it, then set some heavy books or boxes on each corner.
Let it dry for a few hours.
Step 8. Add a Hanger to the Back
I didn't get a picture of this step, but I used one of these.
Step 9. Hang Your Beautiful Frame and Admire!!
Yay!! You did it! I'm so happy with how mine turned out, and I know yours will be fabulous too. If any part of this tutorial doesn't make sense, just leave a comment below and I'll try to clear up any confusion.
And if you end up making one for your home, send me a picture at [email protected]. I'd LOVE to admire your handiwork!
If you want to see the frame and how the whole summer mantel turned out, then click HERE.
And if you'd like this beach picture, you can buy it HERE!
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