How To: Mat-less Photo Frame

January 19, 2011 5 Comments

My original idea was to simply take out the boring print the frame and replace it with a really cool piece of art I found at Brooklyn Flea for $10 from artist Bobby Hill. Our kitchen is greens, yellows and blues, so I wanted to spray paint the frame yellow to offset the green in the walls so that the blue would pop inside.

So I got to work. First things was to cut open the paper backing that held the entire frame and mat job in place, and then carefully lift the metal tongs that were holding the mat down. Once I got those up, I then just needed to slide out the matting, photo and the glass. All was going more or less according to plan when I realized the mat board was refusing to budge.

Cutting the back out.

I was gently nudging and sliding when I heard a sickening crack. Turning the photo upside down, I saw a long jagged crack in the glass from the top of the frame to the bottom. And little shards of glass all over the floor. After screaming a few choice words, I decided not all was lost, that perhaps I could just get a new piece cut at a home improvement store. I finally wiggled out the mat and just broke the rest of the glass to get it out of the frame.

The beautiful crack in the glass.

I pushed ahead with spray painting, giving it three good coats with the color “Warm Yellow” from the Rustoleum Painter’s Touch brand. I let it dry for about three minutes between coats and then let it dry inside overnight.

Getting sprayed!

Then, in placing it up against the wall to try and find the best home for it, I had a thought. Why does it even need a mat at all? The green of the wall against the yellow of the frame and blue of the painting looked really cool!

So I grabbed a couple of nails and hung the frame from the spot I liked.

Then, I placed the frame on the wall.

Almost there...

Finally, I took some masking tape (you can also use double-sided tape) and placed the photo in the center of the frame.

The view looking into the kitchen! Next thing to go, the awful curtain!

And voila! An easy, funky way to dress up the kitchen without the work of any matting! Now go out into the street and find your own cool frame to practice with!

We linked this post up to Thrifty Decor Chick’s Spray Pain Party!