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Home » DIY Projects » Easy DIY Gallery Wall with Ikea Frames

Easy DIY Gallery Wall with Ikea Frames

July 14, 2013 | By Jenna Sue DIY Projects

Here’s how to make a professional-looking gallery wall using inexpensive Ikea frames, DIY mats and your own photos!

ikea $50 gallery wall tutorial

Table of Contents

  • Gallery Wall Inspiration
  • Where to buy inexpensive Frames
  • Make your own mats using posterboard
  • Cut out an opening
  • Use the first mat as a template
  • Convert your photos to black & white (optional)
  • Print and trim your images
  • Assemble and hang
  • Use butcher paper as a guide to hang your frames
  • Hammer picture nails into marks on paper

Gallery Wall Inspiration

I’ve been pinning these gorgeous monochromatic gallery walls for quite some time now…

Source
Source
Source
Source
Ahhh…. like a breath of fresh air. So when we ended up with this large bare wall in our new master bedroom…
Paint color is Valspar’s Urban Sunrise, more photos here

I knew exactly what I wanted to do. What I didn’t want to do, however, was spend hundreds on this project—and if you’ve ever been shopping for large matted frames, you know how pricey they can be.

Where to buy inexpensive Frames

On my last road trip to Ikea, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to pick up six of these large Nyttja frames in black:
ikea nyttja picture frames

Unfortunately, Ikea no longer sells these frames, but they still have plenty of other affordable options (the best prices you’ll find on frames!)

ikea nyttja frame

Make your own mats using posterboard

As you might notice, the frame doesn’t include a mat. But there’s an easy fix:
posterboard
I picked up a 10 sheet pack of white posterboard at Michael’s for just $3 after a 40% off coupon. Super score.

Cut out an opening

To turn the sheets into a mat, I simply removed the backing from the frame and traced the outside of it onto a sheet:
how to make your own mats with poster board
Then I used my Xacto knife and ruler to cut it out. Easy peasy. I wanted the mats to make a statement so I kept the picture opening on the small side, settling on a 6″ square.
After lots of precise measurements, I cut out my square in the center of the sheet the same way I cut the outside shape. Here’s Susie modeling my fancy new mat:
how to make your own mats with poster board
I could have just skipped this step and taped or glued my photos in the center, but I wanted this to be as realistic as possible and also make sure everything was perfectly centered. It will also make things easy down the line if I decide to switch out my photos.

Use the first mat as a template

After I had my first mat made, I used it as a template and traced it onto the remaining five sheets. In no time at all, my mats were ready to rock. For the photos, I decided to go with a water theme and gathered some of my favorite Instagram photos from our travels—Mexico, California, Mississippi, Florida and Costa Rica.

Convert your photos to black & white (optional)

I opened them all in Photoshop, scaled them to size (slightly larger than the mat opening for necessary overlap), and ran a simple black and white filter over them.
black and white photographs in photoshop

Print and trim your images

I printed them out on a sheet of 13×19 paper…
black and white photographs
And trimmed them down:
black. andwhite photographs
To keep them secure, I placed a couple pieces of tape on the back:
how to make your own mats with poster board
Voila!
how to make your own mats with poster board

Assemble and hang

All that was left to do was put the frames back together…
I laid everything out to admire my work and decide on an arrangement. Susie helped oversee this process.
creating a diy gallery wall

Use butcher paper as a guide to hang your frames

Next comes the part I always dread… attempting to line everything up on the wall. I decided to try out a new method this time and picked up a roll of butcher paper from Lowe’s:
It was just wide enough and I have 135 feet leftover to use for other projects, yay!
First I trimmed off a piece several feet long and and spread the sheet onto a flat surface. While my frames were on the ground and I had them spaced out accordingly (around 2″ between the frames), I measured from one nail position to the other and made my markings on the paper:
This is just one of those things where everyone has to figure out what works best for them.
Once I was confident I had my marks in the correct spot, it was time to hang the paper up on the wall (I had my sister help with this one).
butcher paper taped to a wall

Hammer picture nails into marks on paper

I used a level on the top and bottom to make sure it was perfectly straight. Then I just hammered my nails into the markings I had made:
Once all six were up, I ripped the paper off leaving the nails behind, and hung my frames. This is so much easier than any other method I’ve used! Make all your markings on paper so you don’t have to mess up your walls. Genius.
Tip: if your frames are slightly off, you can gently hammer the nail in the direction you want to go. I had to do this for one frame because the hanger wasn’t exactly in the same position as the others (I guess that’s what comes with a $7 frame… oh well).
Tip 2: to keep the frames hanging straight, use a bit of tape looped together (or putty) to gently hold it in place at the bottom:
These frames are so lightweight and easy to move out of place since they are hanging by just one nail, so this little bit of tape is perfect to hold them steady without damaging the wall.
For a couple hours of easy work and around $50, our room went from this:
empty gray wall
to this:
gray wall with gallery wall with black frames and black and white photographs
bedroom with gallery wall with black frames and black and white photographs
gallery wall with black frames and black and white photographs
gallery wall with black frames and black and white photographs
gray wall with black frames and large white mats
Hopefully this post can help solve someone else’s empty-wall syndrome… I really can’t think of anything better to spend $50 on!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Alexa says

    March 20, 2016 at 1:53 pm

    Really live your wall color! What gray paint is that?

  2. Mimzy says

    September 11, 2014 at 7:52 am

    Love it!

  3. Jessica Plattner says

    August 4, 2013 at 11:48 pm

    Love it! I just did something similar in my dining room and was having trouble with the frames easily moving off center. Your tape idea is so simple and genius. Thanks!

  4. Han @ Brooklyn DIY Designs says

    August 2, 2013 at 5:38 pm

    Ikea is my source for affordable frame! sometimes i get lucky and find some nice ones at the local discount store.

    I have been wanting to try and make my own mats, there is a tool that you can use to cut beveled edge to look more professional.

    great black and white gallery wall! I always love the clean look but I also love my colors too!

  5. Queenie Galvez says

    July 18, 2013 at 8:12 pm

    I love how it turned out! Went to Ikea and only the assorted colored ones are $4.99. �� The black ones are regular price $7.99. Pls advice…. thanks!

  6. Queenie Galvez says

    July 17, 2013 at 4:08 am

    I love how it turned out! I went to Ikea today and to my surprise only the Nyttja colored ones are $4.99 and the black ones are regular price of $7.99. 🙁

  7. annie hearts says

    July 16, 2013 at 3:53 pm

    I've always loved a gallery wall. You did a fantastic job Jenna Sue!

    I hope to post about my gallery wall soon…
    🙂

  8. Miss MP says

    July 15, 2013 at 4:43 pm

    This is so great! I've put off doing a gallery wall because of the cost of buying friends. Running (not walking) to ikea this afternoon to pick up 8 of these for above my sofa.

  9. Jenna Sue says

    July 15, 2013 at 3:01 pm

    Thanks Chris! It's Valspar's Urban Sunrise, more photos here: https://jennasuedesign.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-master-paint-trim-plank-wall.html

  10. Chris Dodaj says

    July 15, 2013 at 2:20 pm

    I am so going to do this! What is the color grey on that wall? I love it!

  11. Lounge 20 says

    July 15, 2013 at 6:26 am

    Really beautiful, great job! Funny, I had the similar idea for my walls at home, it´s on my todo list for this summer. Will check the frames when I´m at IKEA the next time… Patricia

  12. LiveLaughDecorate says

    July 15, 2013 at 1:33 am

    Great job lady! Those gallery walls aren't cheap or easy and you've made it look so fab and easy. I'll look at those frames now with a new eye. P.s. I always use those small Velcro circles or squares to hold those suckers in place. They're pretty much set in place

  13. Mel@JunkinJunky says

    July 14, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    That is a seriously high end look at a great low cost. Gorgeous!

  14. Jenna Sue says

    July 14, 2013 at 11:05 pm

    Thanks Shawna! It's Valspar's Urban Sunrise, more photos here: https://jennasuedesign.blogspot.com/2013/03/new-master-paint-trim-plank-wall.html

  15. Dakota Creek Chic says

    July 14, 2013 at 10:52 pm

    I love it! Looks great!! I also love the paint color…what did you use?
    Shawna

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Hi, I’m Jenna and I’ve been designing and DIY’ing my way through homes since 2008. Join me as I learn, share my experience, and hopefully encourage/inspire you along the way!

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