As Sherry mentioned in her Pinterest Challenge post this morning, we DIYed some easy wood frames to showcase her homemade artwork. We did it partly because we wanted to save money and partly because we wanted to see how simple this project could be.

We challenged ourselves to spend nothing and use only materials we already had on hand. That ended up being:

• leftover scrap wood
• wood glue
• a staple gun
• a hammer
• sandpaper
• a miter saw (a miter box and hand saw also work)
• duct tape
• spray paint (paint-and-primer in one)

To get started, we dug through my enormous basement junk pile and found enough scrap wood. We also used a spare canvas still wrapped in plastic as a template for the frame size, which kept our cost at zero for materials.

The plan was straightforward: cut 45-degree mitered angles on all four boards and join them into a frame. I have a power miter saw, so cutting was quick, but if you don’t own one, an inexpensive miter box and a hand saw will do the job — it just takes a little longer. To make sure parallel sides matched, I clamped two boards together and cut them at once. Cutting two at a time improves both speed and accuracy.

After the first miter cut, I laid the stacked pieces on the edge of the canvas to mark the next cut, overlapping the canvas slightly so the finished frame would sit properly around the canvas.

With the boards still aligned, I made the second 45-degree cut in the opposite direction. At that point the two long sides were ready. I repeated the same method for the two shorter sides: stacked, cut one 45-degree angle, matched it on the canvas, then cut the opposite end. In about ten minutes I had all four frame pieces cut and ready.

Because Sherry painted two canvases, I repeated the process with another piece of scrap wood to make a second frame. The wood was a different, more rustic type, but the size matched and the slight mismatch in appearance added character.

Before assembling, I lightly sanded the cut edges to ensure a smooth fit. To keep the construction simple and inexpensive, I used wood glue to bond the corners. Normally I’d reach for nails, screws, or pocket holes for added strength, but glue allowed the project to remain accessible to anyone without specialized tools.

Sherry suggested stapling the corners on the back to help hold the glued joints while they set. We used a staple gun we already had for upholstery projects. The staples weren’t driven fully into the wood by the gun, so I tapped each one in with a hammer to secure them completely.

After stapling, the frames felt fairly solid, but when I flipped one over it was a little misaligned. To fix that I applied a bit more glue into the visible gaps from the front. I also swapped to a different bottle of glue that was fresher and more reliable.

Both frames sat for a couple of hours while the glue cured. When we checked them again the joints had tightened up and the frames no longer looked wonky — they were actually quite sturdy.

Next, Sherry took the frames outside and gave them a coat of satin white spray paint that included primer. Spraying saved time compared with brushing on primer and paint, though either approach works depending on your preference and available supplies.

For hanging hardware, Sherry initially nailed in a couple of sawtooth hangers on the back because we had them around the house, so there was still no purchase required. To attach the canvases to the frames we used duct tape. It’s not the most elegant finish, but it was free, fast, and allowed us to swap out the artwork later without committing to a permanent attachment.

In the end, we didn’t use the sawtooth hangers for one of the pieces because the artwork ended up in the kitchen. For the piece above the stove we used 3M velcro-style picture hanging strips so it could be easily removed for cleaning. We had to buy those and a small piece of plexiglass to protect the canvas from kitchen splatter, so the only out-of-pocket expense for the project was about $6 total, which we counted in the Pinterest Challenge cost.

Overall, this simple DIY produced a pair of attractive, functional frames using mostly scrap materials and a few basic tools. It’s an easy weekend project for anyone looking to frame canvases without spending much money or investing in specialized hardware.

Update: We created a “Shop Our House” resource to help you identify furniture and decor seen in our home, along with paint colors and product details for items we mention.