How to Make This Gallery Wall Idea in Under an Hour

Looking for ways to decorate a wall on a budget? Create this simple, inexpensive gallery wall with vintage botanical prints in under an hour.

In this post, learn how to quickly and easily refinish frames to make a gallery wall in your home.

And if you have frames laying around that you aren’t using, even better!

I had a gallery wall in my former home that doesn’t coordinate well with my aesthetic here at the new house.

So I refinished them (again) using a different method and I love how they turned out!

Wait until you see!

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Gallery Wall Ideas Fill Empty Spaces

If you’ve got empty wall space that you haven’t figured out what to do yet, consider making a gallery wall.

Whether you make one of family photos or some other prints that you love, it’s a great way to update a space and make it your own.

Are Gallery Walls Going Out of Style?

Here’s what I say to that – no.

While they may feel like they are going out of style, when done well with things that you love, it is a great way to warm up a space and add your personality.

What are the Rules for a Gallery Wall?

To me, there are no rules but here are some thoughts to keep in mind.

• Keep gallery walls straight and level
• Make a mock of your wall first before hanging
• Mix up the sizes and types of frames for an informal look but consider staying in the same finish to keep it cohesive.
• Use the same frames for a formal look.
• Fill the wall by going high and wide

The Evolution of My Vintage Botanical Print Gallery Wall Idea

After remodeling my former dining room, I had a blank wall that needed something.

Inspired by a fellow blogger, I made this vintage botanical print gallery wall using frames that I already had.

Years ago, we use to have a HUGE gallery wall of family photos in our finished basement.

I purchased the frames at Michaels when my kids were very young.

Fast forward a few years to when I repainted the walls down there and never put the family photos back up.

So I have several 8×10 frames of them laying around that I used for this project.

If you don’t, you can easily purchase new frames from Walmart, Target, Amazon, Michaels…so pretty much anywhere.

After painting some of the rooms here at the new house, my vintage botanical prints were a little dark for the look I’m going for here in our new home.

We recently painted the front entry hall (what a difference that was) and I had some empty walls.

So I decided to quickly makeover these frames so they would go better with the aesthetic of my vintage farmhouse.

Here’s how I did it.

Supplies Needed

If you don’t have craft or paint supplies on hand, you’ll need to get some.

For this project I used:

• Wood Picture Frames
• Vintage Botanical Prints
• Gold Rub ‘n Buff
• Old Paint Brush
• Level
• Hammer
• Picture Frame Hooks

Directions for Refinishing Picture Frames With Rub ‘n Buff

I swear Rub ‘n Buff is so easy to work with.

Since I had some laying around I was planning to use on a mirror, I had just enough to refinish six wood frames.

Now I had to cover black frames, so if yours are not dark, you might not need to use it as much because a little goes a long way where Rub ‘n Buff is concerned.

Since moving into our new home, my daughter unloaded all of our picture frames onto the library shelves.

So I quickly grabbed my vintage print botanical frames and got to work.

Here’s how I refinished the frames in under 20 minutes.

First, I popped each picture and glass out of the frames.

Then I squeezed some Rub ‘n Buff into a plastic cup.

I dipped an old paintbrush into the cup and applied it to the frame until it was fully covered.

If you’ve never worked with Rub ‘n Buff before, it goes on quick and smooth, so a little goes a long way.

After covering each frame, I allowed them to fully dry and cure for 24 hours before inserting the vintage botanical prints and hanging them on the wall.

How to Hang a Gallery Wall

Before hanging, I layed each frame out on the floor until I had the desired spacing.

And measured the distance between each frame plus the distance to where it would hang.

I determined where I wanted the first row to hang, then leveled the line so the frames would hang evenly.

I marked the wall where each frame should hang.

And then installed picture frame hooks with a hammer.

Once the first row was hung, I repeated the process for the second row.

I have more frames that I can refinish, so I may print out 3 more botanical prints and create a third row.

What do you think?

Should I add another row?

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