Today if the first day of school for our kiddos here in the Northeast (whoop, whoop!) so this Chapter of the Easy Wall Art Ideas Series is very appropriate – a Vintage-style Map. Maps are a fun solution for adding art to your walls because they’re graphic, colorful and can have a lot of sentimental value. Plus they’re educational!!
I have a whole wall of maps hanging in our family playroom. Click here to see that entire post. But you can hang maps really in any room of your home: a kid’s bedroom, an office, family room or entryway. They can be for fun, a way to document travel experiences, a little inspiration, or as a learning tool. This one will hang in a teenagers’ play area that I’m in the process of redesigning for friends. I think they’ll love it!
To create your own vintage-style hanging map you’ll need the following materials:
• An oversized map – I bought my map at a Staples store for $8.99. Or you could order it online here from All Posters. I love the large size – 50″ x 32″ and it’s colorful without being too childish.
• White poster board, enough pieces to use as backing. I used 3 pieces of 20″ x 30″ poster board.
• Two wood pieces, 1″ x 2″, and the length of each should be 3″ longer than the length of your map – I had our home improvement store cut the pieces down for me.
• Two eye bolts
• Twine
• Wood stain
• Super 77 spray adhesive, hot glue, drill, pencil, ruler or tape measure, and duct tape
First, since I bought this map rolled, I needed to unroll it and flatten it out a bit. I just placed it on my dining room table and put heavy magazines and books on top. It flattened out pretty quickly and easily.
Next, I added a backing to the map to make it more sturdy and durable. I found the best option was to buy 3 sheets of white poster board, tape them together with white duct tape so they were large enough to fit the map. I liked the poster board because it wasn’t too thick and the map still looks like it’s on paper. Once the poster board was taped together, I used a spray adhesive to attach the map to the poster boards. Then I trimmed off any excess poster board, leaving a little extra at the top and bottom for attaching the wood pieces.
Next, stain the pieces of wood your desired color. I used a pecan stain I had left over from a previous project. Let them dry completely.
Using your hot glue, attach the wood pieces to the map – one on the top and one on the bottom. I loved the border on my map and wanted it to show so I kept the wood just off the border design. I also left a little over 1″ of the wood longer on each edge of the map. This adds to the vintage hanging style.
Now you’ll need to attach the eye bolts into the top of the map for hanging – one on each end. I used my drill to start a hole and then screwed the eye bolts each in by hand. I used pliers towards the end to secure tightly.
Tie your twine into each eyelet and hang!
I love the fact that this piece has such a strong presence in the room. And it cost under $15 – bonus!
I hope you’re having fun following this series. Send along your comments – I’d love to hear them! enjoy!
Love this! I have a couple of pieces I’ve been meaning to frame for AGES, and never could decide how to do it. This looks right up my alley!
Thank you – I’m glad you can finally frame those pieces!!
I would love to have a few maps that mean something to me hanging in a few places in my home. They could be great conversation starters when inviting a new friend or friends into your home. I saw a unique way to hang pictures and Maps would work great also. Use a wooden hanger and place a metal shape with center open and put the year pic or map has a memory for you. You can use o rings and hooks to hang frame from hanger or attach the map framed the way you did but on smaller scale. Great for a family that moves often or Service Family moving around the World. You can attach memories around the frame or map holder. Your idea has really given me lots of Ideas.. Thank you ! !
Thanka Joyce! Great ideas – have fun with it!!