How to Make a Frame for a Vintage Tin Sign

by Sarah's Big Idea

$30

1 Hour

Easy

Alternative title: How to Cover Stuff Up and Pretend It's Not There. Because I don't know anything about bricks and mortar. But I do know how to cover stuff up and pretend it's not there.

The lazy way to fix a hole in the wall.

Let me back up a step. We have a hole in our chimney. I don't know how it got there or what it's for. I also don't know what purpose that paper-plate-looking thingy serves, other than to occasionally fall out of the chimney-hole for no apparent reason and scare the crap out of me.

how to make a frame for a vintage tin sign, crafts, home decor, woodworking projects

I wanted to get rid of the tin cover (it's not actually a paper plate), but I'm way too lazy to learn how to patch holes in a brick wall. So I bought a fun "vintage" tin sign to cover the hole. The only problem? The sign was too small. Which is why I decided to build a frame for it.

How to make a frame for a vintage tin sign.

This was actually a really simple project. I used 1x4's and Minwax Whitewash Pickling Stain for the "background" of the frame, and 1x2's (with Minwax Ebony Stain) for the frame itself. The whole thing is held together with pocket screws.

Just pocket screws. That's all.

I didn't even bother to use wood glue on this project. (Remember that part about me being lazy?) Once it was all stained and screwed together, I gave it a coat of Polycrylic.

To hang the sign, I used eye screws, picture wire, and tiny aluminum cylinders called ferrules.

Hang the frame with picture wire.

The whole contraption gets hung from a screw-hook in the ceiling. Make sure the screw goes into a joist, or use an anchor that can handle the weight of the frame. The finished product is a heckuva lot heavier than the original tin sign.

Anchor the screw in a joist or stud.

And that's it. Ta-daa!

The sign and frame cover the hole perfectly.

The hole is "fixed," and I have the privilege of being greeted by a profane rooster when I walk down the stairs into the kitchen every morning.

If you'd like more details, or want to see pictures of the kitchen renovation that exposed that chimney in the first place, hop on over to http://www.sarahsbigidea.com/2014/06/how-to-fix-a-hole-in-masonry/.