DIY Simple Poster Hangers For Less Than $3.00 Each!

My little entryway from the front door needed some help. Since we moved, I have been ignoring it. I placed a farmhouse bench and a galvanized milk can with cotton, but it was lacking. Since the wall was long and blank, I decided a gallery wall would bring some life to the space.

I wanted my entryway to have an eye-catching gallery wall because it’s the first thing you see when entering our cottage. The wall was long and blank, and I felt that a carefully curated gallery wall would bring life to the space and make a great first impression.

I didn’t want just any gallery wall; I wanted it to be cohesive and visually appealing. While I enjoy thrifting for frames, I prefer a more uniform look rather than having mismatched frames hanging everywhere. I know I am so OCD!

For the wall gallery, I planned to use beautiful black-and-white images of my grandbabies in a way that would be visually appealing and create a warm and welcoming atmosphere in our entryway. I wanted the gallery wall to not only add interest to the space but also serve as a personal and heartwarming display of our grandbabies.

Choosing The Print Size

After searching on Pinterest for inspiration, I saw several DIY frames where that used large engineering prints. And, at only three bucks, I decided to look into these prints.

But unfortunately, where we live in southeast Georgia, they stopped allowing you to print images using engineering paper. But, I knew I could find something similar.

I then began browsing the website of my local Staples store to find different print options. I found the perfect image printing option…a poster!

Even though they were around $11 a piece, I wanted the paper to be thick and sturdy so they would last for a very long time. And with the money I was saving making the frames myself, it was a win-win.

They offered different-sized posters. I went with the 12″ x 18″.

I am a sucker for black-and-white images. They have a timeless and classic aesthetic, and they create a sense of nostalgia and elegance. By stripping away color, you are allowing your eye to focus on the emotions portrayed in the photograph.

Now it was time to round up a few of my favorite photos of my grandbabies. D and I have five grandbabies, four granddaughters, and one grandson.

After choosing our favorites, I placed the order. Here is what one of the finished posters looked like:

After printing they were rolled and placed in a wrapper. To flatten them out, I placed a few heavy books on top of the posters. After about three days, the posters flattened out nicely.

The DIY Simple Poster Frames

I did not want to spend a fortune on frames. I knew trying to find five matching poster frames would be a challenge. But I was determined to figure out a budget-friendly alternative.

If you have been following me, you know that I love adding wood accents to a DIY project. I love the farmhouse, rustic feel that wood gives a space.

D and I took a trip to Lowe’s and looked at different wood options to create the frames. Since downsizing to a small cottage, we no longer had any of our power tools or saws, so we needed a simple alternative.

And I then remembered I had a couple of paint sticks from my last DIY Botanical Wall Print project. At around $1.30 a 3-pack, they would not only be budget-friendly, but easy to assemble. And the length was perfect. We just had to cut off the handle portion.

Prepping the Paint Sticks

I placed a paintstick on top of the poster and measured. I drew a line with a pencil to show D where the paint stick needed to be cut. He used a small hand saw to trim the paint sticks to the size I needed for each poster.

We needed two pieces cut to size; one for the top of the poster and one for the bottom.

He then sanded the edges with a piece of 220-grit sandpaper.

I stained each piece of wood with Minwax Special Walnut stain. I only added one coat because I wanted a lighter wood color for this project.

Attaching The Posters to the Wood Pieces

To attach the poster to the wood piece (after they were completely dry and not sticky) we used small staples. We stapled one piece to the top, and one piece to the bottom of the poster.

My plan was to add hooks to the wall and hang the posters with leather twine I had in my stash. But I felt that was way too much work and too many holes in the wall.

I placed one of the posters that I had finished up against the wall. It was perfect as it was! All I had to do was align the top of the posters to match. I eyeballed it, but you can certainly measure for accuracy.

Here is one of the finished frames before I added it to the entryway wall.

I used 15lb 3M adhesives, two on the top wood piece and two on the bottom wood piece to secure the poster to the wall. D was nice enough to help measure to make sure the posters were lined up. I also placed a longer piece on each side so that it would adhere to the wall and not get damaged.

Now that the wall is finished, I plan to find an entryway table that I can center under the posters. Another thrift store trip is right around the corner!

If you have tried making these DIY simple poster frames, head on over to my FREE Facebook group, Redhead Remakes, and share your project! We would love to see your finished DIY posters!

Be sure to check out my other easy DIY Projects while you are here.

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