Carriage Bolt Picture Frames

These unique homemade picture frames are so named because you use carriage bolts to anchor the glass in place, as shown in our two sample carriage bolt pictures.

Copyright © 1999-2010 Susan Spatone All rights reserved. Published with permission from CraftAtHome.com

Craft Supplies:

• 1-2" thick x 10" wide sheet of pine wood (choose your own length)
  
• 4 Carriage Bolts
  
• Acrylic Paint
  
• Gold Metal Paint
  
• Sandpaper - extra fine
  
• Drill and bit sized for carriage bolt
  
• Glass
  
• Photo or Postcard
  
• Picture Hanger of choice
  
• Varnish or Polyurethane
  

Craft Instructions:

Begin by sanding your sheet of wood to a smooth finish.

Place your glass at the center of the wood piece and use a pencil to mark the bolt placement. As you can see from our pictures, the carriage bolts are set just outside each side of the glass. Drill pilot holes through the wood for the bolts. Sand any rough edges around the bolt holes.

Using metal paint, paint the bolt heads and set aside to dry.

Mix together one part paint and one part water to your colour choice paint for the frame. Apply a thin coat evenly over entire wood piece, wipe with a damp cloth to remove any access paint and set aside to dry. Though the photo doesn't show it well, the wood grain is clearly visible and adds a great deal of interest to the finished frame. You could paint these solid if you like, but I prefer the washed finish.

Once all your paint is dry, sand lightly to smooth surface and apply one or two coats of varnish to protect the paint. Allow to dry.

Attach a picture hanger to the back, place your photo in the center, place glass over photo and screw the four bolts in place to hold the glass and photo in place.

These are wonderful picture frame holders for all sorts of images and can be matched to your decor by using a little left over wall paint or any colour paint.

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