February 5, 2014by Kristin Jackson45 CommentsBuild, DIY

DIY(ish) Large Acrylic Wall Frame

Have you ever had one of those projects that you really want to do, but have no place to put them?!  Well, this custom acrylic wall frame has been one of those projects.  

Aman & Carson
I adore the simplicity of these sandwiched lucite frames held off the wall with standoffs.  But they can get pricey if you need a custom size.  Luckily, I found Highland Hardware.  They sell an Acrylic Frame Kit, which is basically the standoffs you will need to mount your acrylic or glass to the wall.  And unlike most, they are finished in a brass finish vs. stainless.  Sold.
Highland Hardware
They send you all of the instructions you need to mount your hardware & you are in charge of getting your glass or acrylic.  So… easier said then done.  You can order custom cut plexi online, but shipping can be prohibitive.  Of course the size I needed wasn’t a standard size (never the case!) but I picked up two pieces of plexiglass at Home Depot for around $45 total.  Here’s the catch… they won’t cut it down for you.  Apparently Lowes will, so I would recommend calling your local store first.  Fortunately our local Hardware Store (that my cousin works at) cut the plexi for me at no cost.
btw… our plexi glass ended up being cut to 26″ x 30″
Now comes the four holes you will need for the standoffs to fit through.  Thank god Dina from Honey & Fitz did a similar project using magnets a few weeks back & she recommended melting the acrylic with a hot nail to achieve the hole.  This called for a really big nail.
We used a pair of vice grips to hold the nail, with a small piece of extra leather wrapped around the top of the nail to stop the heat from getting to the metal grips.  Then let it sit on the flame for about five minutes.  That sucker was hot! So be careful.
While the nail was heating up, I clamped the two sheets of plexi glass (with the protective film still on) using another pair of vice grips & some more leather scrap to protect the plastic from scratches.  I then marked my holes & brought out the smoking hot nail.
It melted through the acrylic like butter! Dina is a genius I tell you.  The residual melted plastic rim that you see popped right off after it was cooled down. 
I then removed the plastic film, added my art print & installed the mounts as provided by Highland Hardware.
I could not be more in love with our new Clare Elsaesser extra large print of “Gone Wild”.  It was the perfect addition to my new guest room / office.  And the frame was exactly what I envisioned.  I did not want to cover up all of our Cole & Sons Woods wallpaper, but needed something substantial to standoff from it.  Now I get the best of both worlds.
x o – Kristin