This is it: my favorite piece of art in the house. I know that sounds like a bold claim, but I’ve framed and hung my bike prints and I’m completely in love. Not only do they look fantastic, they were also inexpensive and surprisingly simple to make. I’m a fan of bikes and quick, satisfying projects, so forgive my enthusiasm.
Here’s how the wall looked before—just the store display posters taped up, which was fine for a while but nothing to write home about. Once the prints were framed, the whole space felt finished and intentional. The frames cost only about $14 total (roughly $7 each) and the hardest part was simply waiting for the stain and protective coat to dry.
I bought four 6-foot lengths of 1×2-inch pine from a big-box hardware store to build two frames. For two frames you need four long pieces (for the two vertical sides of each frame) and four shorter pieces (for the tops and bottoms). To ensure consistency, I clamped four boards together and cut them at the same time. If you don’t have a saw, many stores will cut the wood to size for you.
After making two clamped cuts I had four long pieces for the vertical sides and four shorter pieces for the tops and bottoms. I cut the short boards to be one inch longer than the poster width so the poster would sit slightly recessed and the frame would overlap the edges. My posters were 27 inches wide, so the horizontal pieces were 28 inches. The side pieces were calculated to be one inch longer than the poster height minus the thickness of the top and bottom boards; this allowed everything to fit together neatly.
I kept the design simple and skipped mitered corners in favor of a more rustic, straightforward look. Joining the boards to make a rectangle was easy and didn’t require a miter saw. I clamped the pieces tightly and screwed the top and bottom boards into the side boards. Making pilot holes first with a small drill bit helped prevent the wood from splitting when the screws went in.
The assembled frames look a little raw, which I preferred. I left the screw heads visible because they aren’t obvious once the frames are hung at eye level, and the imperfect detail suits the industrial feel of the bike artwork. If you prefer a cleaner look you could fill and sand the screw holes, but it wasn’t necessary for my aesthetic.
Originally I considered leaving the pine raw, but my partner and I agreed a dark stain would tie the frames into other wood accents in the room. We used a dark walnut stain we already had on hand and then sealed it with a coat of clear satin polyurethane. After letting the finish cure overnight, the frames were ready for assembly.
To attach the posters, I laid each print face down on the frame back. The inch of extra board on each horizontal piece allowed the poster to sit flush without revealing the paper edges. My prints were printed on thick, poster-board-style paper, so I was able to secure them with staples around the back edge—about four per side worked well. If your print is on thinner paper, consider mounting it to a sturdier backing with a glue that won’t wrinkle the paper, such as spray adhesive or rubber cement.
Once the posters were stapled to the frames, I added basic picture-hanging hardware through the poster and into the wood so nothing would show from the front. Then they were ready to hang. The finished display has a strong, dimensional presence because the boards raise the prints slightly off the wall, giving the pieces depth instead of a flat, poster-like appearance.
The bike artwork itself is the real star, but the thick, simple frames act as a complementary supporting element. Because the prints are sturdy, I chose not to use glass or plexiglass; the unobstructed surface keeps the texture and color vivid. If you ever want to protect the prints further, glass or plexi can always be added later.
Now the sunroom feels more complete. The framed bike prints have become a focal point I can see from the kitchen window, and they make me smile every time I pass by. We’ll be adding a low storage piece under the artwork soon to anchor the composition, and I’m excited to share that update once it’s in place.