A gallery wall process

Our 42nd anniversary was last Wednesday. Richard and I decided to work on a gallery wall for our living area. Who wants to work as a way of celebrating? Me.  When Rich says "what do you want to do?" if I answer with a project, I get the project--completed. How's that for a romantic date?   

 It took us from Wednesday to Sunday. There are a few reasons for that. We work slowly, for one. We had several (good) interruptions. I wanted to make use of the frames that we already had, but I wanted black frames. Plus, I didn't have mats or a clock, both of which I picked up at Hobby Lobby on Friday. 

Nevertheless, we have completed it, and I L-O-V-E, love it! I thought I'd share with you our steps in case you ever want to make your own gallery.

1. Remove photos and glass from frames. Ours had been sitting in boxes for a couple of years. So I  cleaned the frames and washed the glass using glass cleaner.

 

2. Once everything was dry, Richard hung the frames outside to spray paint them. Despite the 99 degree heat. 

 

3. I had the chore of putting the frames and photos back together: frame, glass, mat, photo, back. I spent a great deal of time choosing pictures. 42 years of photos means there are too many for this one wall.

4. Use the frames to make paper templates to hang on the wall. Mats have two sizes on them, the picture size and the frame size. Frames, on the other hand, have only the picture size. However, the frame itself adds to this size. So an 8 X 10 frame means it can hold and 8 X 10 size picture. If the frame is two inches wide, the paper template will measure 10 X 12 because it is the outside measurement of the frame. (That's why you put the frame on the paper and cut around it to make your template)

 

 

5. If necessary, put hangers on the backs of each frame.

 

6. Paper the wall. Choose the places for each photo using the paper templates and painter's tape, which doesn't leave a residue.

 

 

7.  Measure and put up wall hooks. Again, I went the cheap route and used metal hooks from years ago. Rich didn't want extra holes in the wall and he knows my math level. That translates to he took over the job. And did fantastic work.

 

Suggestions: 

Write something on the paper templates so you can easily match picture to template. It's amazing how confusing it all becomes. 

Use your template notes to add the corresponding picture as you put up each hook. 

To add interest to your gallery, mix in other items. We added a large clock and a couple of souvenirs. To tie everything together, our frames are all black and the mats are white or b/w.

I made a few changes along the way and am still considering whether I want to add yet two more small photos. I think of this gallery wall as a living project. We can change portraits or items at will. So long as we stay within the sizes and colors that are now set. Do you have any suggestions for adding interest to a gallery wall?