How to Mount a Poster or Print to Plywood Panel

by innovativetom

5.8K206

Intro: How to Mount a Poster or Print to Plywood Panel

In this video I show you how to mount a poster or print to a peace of plywood. With beveled edges and a matte seal the entire thing cost less than $12. (tools not included, plywood purchased in a 4x8 sheet)

STEP 1: Flatten and Measure the Poster

The Poster I ordered came from Pop chart Labs. https://www.popchartlab.com/

It came in a tube that caused the side to curl up. I put some weight on the corners and some cardboard to protect it.

I took some measurements of the poster, I could have grabbed these online but it's always safe to make sure.

STEP 2: Cutting the Plywood to Size

I know that my blade is 4 3/8 of an inch from this side.
The safest way to make this kind of cut is going to be to use a circular saw and a straight edge.
Table saw is very dangerous you never want to cut anything that is wider than it is long it's really important to keep the saw tight up against the fence otherwise it'll start to push out on you
I think I'll do this on the floor

STEP 3: Beveling the Edge & Sanding Smooth

I gave the backside of the plywood a 45degree angle along all the edges
I want to give the illusion that the piece is floating a few inches from the wall
I sanded everything smooth with a 220 grit sand paper.
I spray-painted the edges black to assist in the illusion that it's going to be floating away from the wall it's a flat black krylon spray paint

STEP 4: Mod Podge (Gluing Up)

I chose to use Mod Podge for this project you could use spray adhesive but Mod Podge seemed like it would give it more of a seal especially on the top coat. I chose to use a matte finish.

I cleaned up the board with just some water and a rag. This helped get rid of all the fine particles from the dust and spray paint.
Mod Podge Matt finish, http://amzn.to/2us4UgD
I put it on both the poster and the plywood.
I used too much and I think this caused it to bubble up some.

STEP 5: Bubbles

There were a few bubbles that remained after I finished this project and here is what I learned.

Don't use to much Mod Podge, just enough but not to much.
It sets and dries in about 15 minutes. Spend this time searching and pushing out the bubbles.
Wait for the adhesive layer to dry before adding a top coat. I added the tip coat to soon and this caused more bubbles and It was very hard to press them out when there was glue on top.

STEP 6: Adding Top Coats and Timming

Top coat helps seal the poster and gives it a nice finish.

Mod Podge is great because you can add multiple top coats.
You can sand in between each layer and get as smooth as a finish as you want.
I used a foam roller, this helped to eliminate steaks from a standard brush.

I cut any excess off with a sharp knife, Mod Podge can be tough.

STEP 7: Finishing Up

I used 2 nails and a peace of string to mount the post to the wall.

In the future I would like to cut some eye holes in the back so I can mount it flush. I just don't have the tools right now.

I over all I am really pleased with how this came out. It saved me a good deal of money and looks great. I plan on doing more of them in the future.

6 Comments

Alex in NZ 5 years ago

I love the idea of the reverse chamfer and the matt black paint to give a floating effect. Thank you for sharing your work :-)

Swansong 6 years ago

We have a couple of these posters we ordered for our nephew, that's a good idea for mounting them on the wall! :)

innovativetom 6 years ago

Awesome! I could have had the company do it but it was like $75. Let me know if you have any questions.

Swansong 6 years ago

Yeah, we didn't opt for that either because it's pretty expensive. I like your idea better. ^.^

caitlinsdad 6 years ago

I think there is a special version of Modpodge that you use for paper. It prevents the paper from swelling up unevenly and forming bubbles when it soaks up the waterbased Modpodge. Maybe priming the plywood mounting surface and letting that dry first would help reduce the wet component when adhering.