Long Length Picture Frame DIY Art Ledge Tutorial

Now that the One Room Challenge is complete, its time to share some of the DIYs I squeezed in. One of my favorite DIYs from the family room renovation is the DIY Art Ledge I built for over the sofa. This was such an easy and affordable project anyone can do! It had such a big impact on my large, blank wall in the family room by creating a focal point without breaking the bank! To motivate you to try this DIY picture ledge on your own, I am also sharing several of the wall art pieces with you in my FREE printables library! This is an easy way to create an accent wall and fill an empty wall with your favorite artwork or family photos. Not to mention it is a great option for above the couch decor. 

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Sofa Wall Decor Ideas

Any good interior designer will tell you focal points in a room are key! When you are trying to fill a big blank space a large piece of art or a large frame will do the trick but can be quite expensive. The easiest way and most affordable way is to fill empty space with your own gallery wall. The fun part is, you can completely customize your living space with your favorite things in photo frames! An ideal way to have high end looking home decor on a budget!

The Before

Before the family room makeover, there was a large space above the sofa that just fell a little flat. While I do still love this oversized mirror, I think it will be better suited somewhere else in the house. Because this entire room received a makeover, I felt like the space above the sofa needed a new accent piece as well. Luckily, I had some pieces of wood left over from another project which gave me an idea. A DIY art ledge would not only be an easy project but also fill this empty space while adding some art. The perfect solution to this empty 

DIY Art Ledge Building Supplies

• 2 – 1x8x8 Boards
• Nail Gun
• Clamps
• Wood Glue
• Impact Driver
• Stud Finder
• Level
• Screws
• Orbital Sander
• Table Saw or Circular saw
• Black Picture Frames
• Gold Picture Frames
• Large Picture Frame

*Note: if you do not have a table saw or circular saw, you can have your local home improvement store cut your lumber for you. I know Home Depot offers this service. 

• Time: Can be done in a day

Step 1: Pick Your Lumber

The first step is pick your lumber. The type of wood you choose is up to you and a personal preference based on your color scheme. I used the leftover wood I had from building our fireplace mantle extension which is beetle kill pine. While I have seen some beetle kill pine boards at our Home Depot, they didn’t have the sizes I needed so I purchased mine at a local lumber yard. Each piece was 1x8x8 in size and just under $11 each. 

You will want to determine the size of your art ledge before you purchase your lumber. I did this by choosing the frames I wanted to sit on my ledge. This helped me decide how wide it needed to be. Remember, if you want them to lean against each other like I did, you will need more depth on the bottom piece. The best part is, you can completely customize this! Just keep it in mind when picking out the right sized lumber. 

I purchased all of my frames from IKEA, Michaels, and the dollar store. I also had a few frames on hand I was no longer using. 

Step 2: Cutting the Wood to Size

Cut the wood down to size. I wanted my art ledge to be the entire length of the sofa, so I did not cut the length down on my eight foot pieces. I did however rip cut the width of the wood with the table saw into three pieces. Since I had leftover wood from the mantle, I was able to build mine with only one board and a scrap piece of wood I had. If you would like to make the same size art ledge I did, you will need two 1x8x8 or one 1x10x8. I cut mine as follows.

Base piece = 4.5 inches wide 
Back piece = 2.75 inches wide
Front Piece = 1.75 inches wide

Step 3: Sand the Wood Pieces

Sand down the wood pieces. Sanding is definitely my least favorite task but very necessary in DIY. I used my orbital sander with 220 grit sand paper to smooth out the rough edges and eliminate any splintering after all my cuts were made. This could definitely be done by hand with sand paper as well but will be more tedious. Trust me, the sander is worth every penny! 

Step 4: Assemble the Art Ledge

Assembly. Lay out your wood and determine how you want the pieces to face. You won’t see a ton of the wood itself unless you do not plan to fill your art ledge, but the front lip piece will be seen in its entirety. Since I was using beetle kill pine, I wanted to make sure some of the color in the wood was showing. 

Once your orientation is correct, run a bead of wood glue along the top of the bottom board which is the largest piece.  

Then apply the back board where you added the glue. I used wood clamps to hold mine in place while the glue set. You will also want to make sure no excess glue has leaked out. If it has, wipe it up immediately with a wet rag.

Once the glue has set a bit, use a brad nail gun to further secure the pieces together. 

Repeat this step for the front lip of the art ledge, only this time, attach the the wood to the outside edge of your bottom piece. I did this so there would be no visible seams from the front ledge and to maximize the surface area for art. 

I highly recommend 24 hours of drying time before hanging it. 

Step 5: Hanging the Art Ledge on the Wall

Attach the art ledge to the wall. The best way to do this is to locate and mark the studs on the wall a few inches above where you want the art ledge to hang. I recommend marking above so you can see the marks when you are holding the art ledge up to the wall. I used my stud finder to find the studs. Here is a time-lapse of the hanging process. 

Once the studs are marked, hold the art ledge up to the wall (this is a two person job if you make yours eight feet long like I did) and drive construction screws into the back of the ledge into the studs. Mine is attached to at least four wall studs. 

This works best with an impact driver. You will know if you hit a stud because it will grip and pull in. If not, your screws will just spin even though they are drilled all the way in. The impact driver will also make a cranking sound when it hits the stud. 

I also recommend using a long level for this or a laser level to make sure you hang the art ledge straight. While I have a laser level, I just set my four foot long level on the ledge as I hung it. If you start on the ends you can pivot the other end to get it level once you get the first screw in.

Step 6: Decorative Pieces

Decorate your art ledge with decorative items and your favorite artworks. I wanted a staggered look and used a few different frames alternating between portrait and landscape. My favorite frames are from IKEA, but if you do not have an IKEA these black frames are similar. For the large art piece in the middle I used this 24×36 black frame I had on hand from a BOGO sale a while back.

Pro Tip: When leaning artwork against a wall there is always a chance it gets bumped and falls. This has happened on my kitchen shelves a number of times! So I finally got smart and started using this Gorilla mounting putty to keep frames in place. It lasts a long time and a little square goes a long way! I have not had any damage to my walls either. 

If you like the art I used, you are in luck! I have added four of these art prints to my FREE printables library including the oversized art! Just subscribe to get access today.

 

 

I printed all of the 8×10 prints with my home printer and 24lb printer paper. I had the large art piece printed at Staples. I try to keep most of my prints 8×10 or smaller so I don’t have to have them printed. You can also buy larger frames and cheat the size of the mat for a larger pieces of art. 

Step 7: Enjoy the DIY Art Ledge

Sit back and enjoy because you are done! 

DIY photo ledges are a such an easy DIY that can be done in a day! They are a great way to add visual interest to a family room, dining room, bedroom, or living room with only a little bit of wall space for art. I also love how it ties together the common theme of the wood with the mantle and floating shelf on the wet bar! 

It can also be used to add some extra decor at the holidays! For Christmas, I swapped out a few pieces for my holiday art prints, for fall I added some Thanksgiving prints, and in the summer I swapped out some art for the 4th of July! All are also available in my FREE printable library!

Beautiful home art doesn’t have to be expensive 😉 Did you know almost every art piece in my home was created, DIYed, or painted by me? True story! 

Looking for more wood projects? Check out my DIY scrap wood houses, wood stair tread remodel, DIY hair pin leg bench, or my DIY wood slat headboard. 

Need more DIY art inspiration? Check out my post on easy art DIYs and oversized mats. 

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Love new ideas and projects? Subscribe to receive DIY and design inspiration delivered straight to your inbox! Plus you will receive access to all my free printables, including four featured in today’s post! These are only available to my awesome subscribers as my way of thanking you for your continued support!

 

 

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