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You are here: Home / Life / How to Create a DIY Photo Gallery Wall

July 31, 2017 16 Comments

How to Create a DIY Photo Gallery Wall

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Devine Color. All opinions are 100% mine and I’m excited to share this DIY project with you!

I have this dream of learning how to decorate. It’s up there with my goals of learning how to take great photos, reading books every day, and being able to do pull-ups. (I’m making more progress on some of these goals than others. 😉 )

If you’ve been reading for a little while, you may recognize my old room. It was the dream room for my 16-year-old self – black, white, and pink all over – but by the time I entered college, I was ready for a change. Here’s the before picture:IMG_2072And here’s the after shot:My room got a major makeover last summer and it now has more of a light, neutral feel with gray walls and white/silver accents. I’m just now putting the finishing touches on it because most of the walls were still pretty bare.

The final thing I wanted to add was a gallery wall, which I’ve seen all over Pinterest and in tons of home magazines. Photos are absolutely my favorite thing to use to decorate since they hold so many good memories, so I decided to do a DIY photo gallery wall project. I bought all of my supplies (other than frames) from Target, including my Devine Color spray paint.

You can buy “gallery wall sets” that come with frames and a suggested layout, but all of the sets I saw were anywhere from $60-$100+ dollars, which seemed crazy to me. And that’s just the frames- it doesn’t even include the cost of the photos or any additional elements.Gallery wall (7 of 10)If you’re interested in creating your own DIY photo gallery wall, I’ll walk you through the steps I took, and how I saved money from thrift shopping, finding good deals at Target, and using things I already had.

Jump to:

  • 1 Step 1: Gather frames
  • 2 Step 2: Pick out primer and paint
  • 3 Step 3: Choose non-photo objects to include in your gallery wall
  • 4 Step 4: Prime and paint frames
  • 5 Step 5: Order photos
  • 6 Step 6: Hang frames
  • 7 Tips & Tricks:

Step 1: Gather frames

All of the frames I previously had were black. For my gallery wall, I decided to mostly use the frames I already had and paint them to create something that looked totally new.

I also picked up several extra frames, in different sizes, at a nearby thrift store for a dollar each. I went into the thrift store with a rough idea for my gallery wall, and there were way more frames to choose from than I expected. I actually bought 7 frames, knowing I wouldn’t use all of them, but I wanted to have options, plus backups in case I messed up (and I can give the rest of the painted frames as gifts!). Also, it’s important find frames that have some type of “hanging” element on the back, whether it’s a wire or a little piece that pops out to hang on a nail.Gallery wall (2 of 10)I originally used this picture below on Pinterest for inspiration but once I got started, I realized that the style was all wrong for my room. My room is modern, with a lot of white and neutrals and these are old fashioned/vintage with lots of color. For a different type of room, though, I love this idea.Gallery wall (1 of 10) Frames cost: $7

Step 2: Pick out primer and paint

To keep painting as easy and quick as possible and to avoid dirtying up paint brushes, I picked up a can of primer ($4.99) and white spray paint ($5.99). Devine Color + Target made this project really easy- the spray paint I used is actually exclusive to Target, and it worked great.Gallery wall (4 of 10)You can find Devine Color in the home improvement section near the lightbulbs, and this spray paint happened to be on sale for buy one, get one 30% off. It comes in tons of different colors and also different types of paint like chalkboard paint, metallic paint, etc. It’s so fun to use! You can find Devine Color on Instagram to see more of its awesome products.

Spray paint and primer cost: $9.50

Side note: Target is absolutely the best one-stop shop for DIY projects and especially for this gallery wall project. It has a photo center, lots of different spray paint options, and tons of other decorations you can pick up while you’re there. Gallery wall (8 of 10) Like this cute, fluffy gray pillow from Target!

Step 3: Choose non-photo objects to include in your gallery wall

Gallery walls with only photos look a little too busy to me, so I decided to include a framed quote (“Choose joy”), as well as this white porcelain flower from Target. The porcelain flower was the priciest part of the whole wall, but I thought it really helped tie the whole gallery together and it coordinates with the rest of my room, which has a lot of small white flower details.Gallery wall (10 of 10)I downloaded a free calligraphy font, and created my own “Choose joy” frame. The frame I found at the thrift store was a funky 9×9 inch size (which I liked because it was unique), so I printed the quote at a local printing store on an 11×17 sheet of paper and cropped it down since a typical sheet of paper would’ve been too small. It was just $.50 to print there. Tip I learned from my dad– many shipping/printing stores will print just about anything, and the employees are willing to help you figure out how to do it!

Cost: Flower ($18) + “Choose Joy” printable ($.50) = $18.50

Step 4: Prime and paint frames

Lay newspapers on the floor of the garage or another space that’s safe to potentially get a little bit of spray paint on it. Use pieces of scrap wood or boxes to elevate the frames off the ground to make it easier to spray them.Gallery wall (3 of 10)I sprayed each frame with a coat of primer, let them dry for 15 minutes since spray paint dries quickly, and then came back a few minutes later to do a second coat of primer. Then, I did the same thing with the spray paint. Afterwards, I left them overnight just to be safe, although they were dry much sooner. I learned two big things while painting. First, use a sweeping motion while spraying and avoid getting too close to the frame.Gallery wall (5 of 10)And the other biggest tip? Wear old clothes and old shoes. This may seem like a duh statement but I learned this one the hard way. I didn’t put on shoes since I was just in my garage, and when I walked across the newspapers, I ended up with spray-painted feet!

Step 5: Order photos

I ordered photos online in a variety of different sizes and I’ll say that between different photo websites, you can almost always find a good photo discount, typically up to 40 or 50% off. And if you’re heading to Target to get spray paint anyway, Target’s a great place to get them printed!

Cost of photos (40% off): $8

Step 6: Hang frames

Now, this was definitely the hardest part because I wanted to make sure that the frames were level and spaced apart well, and my dad was a huge help. First, we set the frames on the ground in the layout I planned to hang them. Gallery wall (6 of 10) My dad taught me to 1) hang the center frame on the wall first (it makes life soo much easier) and 2) to make tiny pencil marks on the wall once I measured where I wanted each frame to go so I could hammer the nails in the right spots. A few of my frames had “kickstands” for sitting on a desk, so I just gently pulled those off so the frames would lie flat against the wall. And that was it!

Tips & Tricks:

• Include 2-3 visual elements other than photos in your gallery wall. To me, gallery walls with only photos can look a little too busy, so I included the porcelain flower and framed quote to help break up the photos and tie the gallery to the rest of my room.

• Include photos of similar styles. I love light and airy photos with lots of white, so those are the types of photos I tried to include. As long as you keep the photos styles consistent (or all black and white!), it’ll look great.

• Keep it simple. The gallery wall is a big focal point of my room now, but it’s still just six frames. If it had been any more, I think it would’ve been too much. I chose to use frames including 5x7s, 9x9s, and 8x10s, so no 4x6s or anything smaller. Smaller = more frames needed and more of a “cluttered” look.

Total cost for photo gallery wall: $43

When I added the cost of the frames, photos, and the non-photo decorations, my total project was still only $43, which is super inexpensive for this type of thing. And I definitely got a sense of accomplishment out of doing the project myself– it was absolutely worth the time I spent doing it. I hope that was a thorough explanation and I’d love to answer any questions you have!

So tell me…
Have you done any DIY projects? What are your favorite things to buy at Target?

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Comments

  1. Maureen Feeney says

    July 31, 2017 at 7:49 am

    This looks awesome! I had not idea that Target sold spray paint. That will make future DIY projects so much easier!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 31, 2017 at 12:40 pm

      Yep, one more reason to love Target!

      Reply
  2. Alex Kronk says

    July 31, 2017 at 7:58 am

    Cool! Your dad taught you well. I spent probably 2 hours trying to hang pictures up and get them even! We also went and bought 6 frames of the same color from Michael’s and spent more than we should..

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 31, 2017 at 12:46 pm

      Hanging a bunch of frames evenly is HARD! It was definitely the toughest part of this project but my dad was soo helpful!

      Reply
  3. Kendal says

    July 31, 2017 at 10:00 am

    Oh my gosh your room is gorgeous!! These are great tips.

    Kendal // Life With Kendal

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 31, 2017 at 12:46 pm

      Thanks, Kendal!

      Reply
  4. Emily says

    July 31, 2017 at 10:14 am

    I love how your room is cozy looking but clean and pretty! 🙂 My sister would love this, because she is a total DIYer and she has decorated most of our room. Speaking of redecorating I’m hoping to paint our bathroom in a week or so, and I was just inspired by you!

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 31, 2017 at 12:48 pm

      Thanks, Emily! Good luck with your own painting project!!

      Reply
  5. Misty Bane says

    July 31, 2017 at 10:49 am

    Your room looks so warm and cozy! Love it! Love that you figured out how to do this project yourself and it looks great 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      July 31, 2017 at 12:48 pm

      Thanks so much, Mom! I love my new room and your help was invaluable!

      Reply
  6. Claire B. says

    August 1, 2017 at 7:02 pm

    I love this–your gallery wall is so cute! Especially the idea of looking at thrift stores for framed and then just spray-painting them; that’s awesome. One thing that always puts me off of DIY projects is the cost, but this one is so inexpensive!

    We put together a little balcony garden a few weeks ago, which was fun! We’re growing tomatoes, strawberries, green beans, and a few herbs. 🙂

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:43 pm

      Wow, your balcony garden sounds amazing! It’ll be so fun to harvest all of your crops and do lots of yummy, super fresh cooking!

      Reply
  7. Carol Eiseman says

    August 2, 2017 at 2:20 pm

    This was a very good explanation of how to dress up a room. I hope your sister reads what you have done.

    Reply
  8. Sarah @ Bucket List Tummy says

    August 3, 2017 at 9:12 am

    Your room looks great! I love how easy it sounds like it was.

    Reply
    • Liv says

      August 4, 2017 at 5:44 pm

      Thanks, Sarah! There were definitely quite a few steps, but each step was pretty straightforward!

      Reply
  9. Kristy from Southern In Law says

    August 5, 2017 at 5:53 pm

    How pretty is your room?!?!

    I am a bit of a spray paint addict because it makes it SO easy to give objects a whole new look!

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Liv! I originally started blogging to share easy meals I made in my college dorm kitchen. Years later, as an attorney now, my goal is still to share delicious, approachable recipes with simple ingredients. You can most often find me running, eating ice cream, and making a mess in my kitchen. More...

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