Vintage Window Repurposed as Picture Frame
I saw an old window used as a picture frame at an art gallery once, and I loved it. It was not hung up, but leaned against the wall. Last year my husband replaced all the windows in a house he rehabbed, and brought the old ones home (yay for me!) So I cleaned it up, painted it, and put pictures in it of all our precious grandkids.
This is what the window looked like when I got it.
It was pretty rough, and needed to be scraped clean.
Most of the window glazing came out (the putty used to keep the glass from falling out.)
My husband said that since this is not going to be used outside, that we could use caulk instead of reglazing the window panes. He did this part for me. Much quicker. He was careful to keep the caulk line from showing through to the front of the window.
Next step, wipe it clean and paint. No need to tape off the glass, just slop it on. You'll see why in the next 2 steps.
After it's dry, use a box cutter, razor blade, or exacto knife to score the paint along the edge of the wood.
Because you scored it, it scrapes off easily with a razor blade. So easy!
All clean and ready for your photos or artwork.
It was tricky editing all my photos and printing them (at Walgreen's) the right size for the window panes. I tried it with 8X10's and matts first, but the matts detracted from the wood window frames, so I enlarged them to 11X14's and trimmed them to fit. I TAPED them behind the window with regular clear tape. There are now several other suggestions in the QUESTIONS below for other ways to do this. The photos were the only cost, and would depend on the size and number of window panes.
Comments
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I would love to see it hangin' on a long wall.......It is a real conversation piece and the corner is not the place...... only for unruly kidz....:))))) Please hang it up.......your children and grandchildren NEED to be SEEN. I have one, this is my thoughts anyway!!!!
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By all means!! I think it is a great and rustic way to show your photos. I have boxes of them!! Bravo
Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
How do i place pictures from behind the glass. With tape? Without being noticed