How To Make Your Own Glass Frame

By Staff Writer

Buying a glass frame for your pictures can be rather tiresome, especially if you don't find what you are looking for. Here's how to make your own glass frame. This way, you will get exactly what you have in mind and not settle for something less.

Design your glass frame. Sketch the appearance of your frame: The more details it has, the better. Planning the product of your creative endeavor will make sure that you will get the proper materials and equipment, as well as give you an idea of what to do during the process of making it.
Prepare your materials. You will need the following: a piece of thin yet sturdy glass (two pieces if you prefer a see through frame), a solid material that will serve as the backing of the picture frame, plastic, cardboard, wood or other material that will serve as the border, and decorative accessories.
Your glass frame. There are a lot of glass sizes available. Choose the size that is appropriate for your picture. If you prefer, select a differently shaped glass aside from the usual rectangle, such as an oval glass for an oval frame, or a heart shaped glass for a heart-shaped frame. You can also cut glass into the shape you prefer.
Prepare your equipment. Get measuring equipment, cutting equipment (scissors, a saw for wooden borders, a utility knife, a glass cutter for cutting glass), safety equipment (goggles, gloves, aprons), glue, nails, screws or tape.
Get measurements. Measure the size of your picture, the size of your glass, the size of your board and the size of the borders. All the measurements depend on the size of the picture. The board (or glass for a see through glass frame) should support the picture well and must be slightly bigger than the picture, the borders must be longer than the board to encompass it, and the glass frame should fit snugly inside the borders.
Cut the materials into their appropriate sizes. When you have measured the ideal sizes of the components, cut them carefully and cleanly using your equipment.
Make your border. The borders will accentuate the picture, as well as hold the frame together. The borders must have a slot in the center where the board, the picture and the glass will be sandwiched in between. Decorate the border of the frame. If you have an acrylic frame or a clear plastic frame (one which is overlaid with artistic clear plastic), you can make the frame borderless. Leave this step out when you're making a borderless frame.
Place your picture. Paste your picture neatly on the center of the board.
Place the glass. Put the glass on top of the picture and the board, making sure that the board and the glass are aligned. If you don't have a border, attach the second piece of glass to the first piece by gluing the edges.
Attach the border. Carefully glue the borders to the edges of the board. When you have attached everything together, leave it for a while to let the glue dry.