How To Paint A Large Scale Frame

A few weeks ago I randomly decided to change things up with the art in our living room—yes, again. Since the day we moved in, I’ve always had a collection of framed prints and paintings hanging to the right. I have no idea why that was my instinct, but despite switching out the art itself countless times in the past three years, I always kept the gallery collection hung off to the side.

Well, not anymore! I asked you guys on Instagram to weigh in between a few different properly centered art options for above the couch, and the oversized horse print (that we already had sitting in storage) won the poll. The only problem was that I wasn’t overly fond of the black frame.

That image above shows the print framed in black—the photo was snapped right after the piece of art arrived when it was hung in our lower level family room. I actually ordered the print in white, but the brand accidentally shipped it in black, so a white spray paint job had been on my to-do list practically since the moment I unwrapped it.

Two years later, my spontaneous living room art refresh was the perfect excuse to do just that, so I thought I’d share a lightening fast tutorial for how to repaint a large-scale frame in case you happen to be in the same boat.

Here’s What You’ll Need:

• Roll of kraft paper
• Painter’s tape
• Scissors or razor blade
• Scrap cardboard
• White spray paint

How To Paint A Large Scale Frame

This tutorial is built specifically for those of you who, like me, are dealing with a professionally framed piece of art that you can’t easily take out of the frame. Instead of dismantling the frame to spray paint the surround, you need to mask off the front of the piece so you can safely repaint the outside edges.

To start, cut a piece (or a few pieces) of kraft paper to cover almost the entire surface of the frame’s glass or plexiglass face. Make sure you leave about a half inch of space between the kraft paper and the frame edge. Then, tear 2-to-3-feet sections of masking tape, and lay them around the edges of the frame to hold the kraft paper in place on the glass. Use scissors or a razor blade to cut a clean 90-degree edge into the tape at all four corners.

Lay the masked print on a piece of scrap cardboard somewhere outside out of the sun, and spray white paint in multiple thin and even coats along all sides of the frame. Make sure you keep your arm and wrist moving to avoid over-spraying any one section of the frame, which could result in drips. Step away from the frame for 30 minutes to allow the paint to cure, and then return for a second coat. Repeat until you can no longer spot the original frame color under the paint.

Wait several hours, and then carefully lift the print up from underneath and bring it inside (this is easier to do when you have two people!). Allow the painted frame to dry for 24-48 hours in a cool, dry location, and then re-hang it on the wall.

I love this piece of art probably 400 percent more now that the frame is finally bright white. Before, the black frame just felt really heavy to me, but the white makes it feel lighter, brighter, and much more soothing.

I know it’s all personal preference and that many of you would have felt the need to paint the frame black had it arrived to your own home in white, but that’s the beauty of this tutorial—you can use it to customize any over-sized art print using your favorite color of choice without having to rip into a professionally-mounted frame. What color would you have chosen? Do tell in the comments below!