DIY Custom Picture Frames

Step 6 Mount the Picture

Now we want to mount the picture to the mounting board.

First cut the acid free paper so it will cover the mounting board where the picture will sit. This will protect the picture somewhat from the acid in the mounting board. Glue it to the mounting board using the acid free glue. Keep enough of the acid free paper left over to make mounting corners and mounting strips. Allow the glue to dry before mounting the picture.

While we are waiting for the glue to dry, we will make mounting corners. Cut 4 strips of paper 1" x 4" to form a mounting corner:

1. Fold in half lengthwise and unfold.


2. Fold the right side so that the top edge lies alongside the center crease


3. Fold the left side similarly.


4. Turn over. You now have one mounting corner. Repeat with the other three corners.

Create a couple strips out of the last bit of acid free paper. Glue them to the back top of the picture using the acid free glue. This will stabilize the picture. This step is only required if you are mounting a large picture. For smaller pictures the corners should be adequate.

Now make lines so you can tell where the picture will fall on the mounting board. The easiest way to do this is to use a scribe set to the actual width of the matt board less the overlap over the picture. A scribe is a tool that has a block that glides along the edge of a board and an arm that sticks out with a pencil or sharp nail at the end. This allows one to mark a line precisely x" from the edge of the board (see picture). The matt cutting tool I got has a scribe built into it. I set it to 2" (remember that the PD is 4" smaller than the OD) and drew a line on all the sides. I placed the picture in on the mounting board to make sure that the lines are accurate. If it is off a little, split the difference and make a little mark. These marks will be used to position the mounting corners. If you don't have a scribe, make the marks using a straight edge.

Next glue the mounting corners to the mounting board in at the outside corners using the acid free glue. Place them slightly outside the lines to account for the thickness of the paper. Position the picture in the corners to make sure they are positioned correctly. If not, adjust them. Let the glue dry on the backing paper and the mounting corners before continuing. You may want to put weight on the paper and corners while the glue dries as most acid free paper does not stick real well right away (the glass is a perfect weight).