How to Build a DIY Plywood Canvas with Stained Picture Frame

We all have at least one wall in our houses that we walk by everyday that we know needs something a little more exciting. Is it just kind of bleh? Old & busted art? No art? Negative space trying to pose as invisible art. Too indie? Nobody understands you. Let’s beautify.

We LOVE the look of custom calligraphy. Our laundry room needed to undergo the beautification process. We recently completely renovated it, including DIY white shiplap. The perfect touch of warmth & personalization? A handmade plywood canvas with stained wood frame and hand drawn script.  

Interior design breakdown.

The wall is white with clean & modern shiplap lines. The outer wood frame of the canvas is stained a mid-tone brown to contrast the wall. (Our custom wood shelves match the stain.) The “canvas” part is white-painted plywood. And the black script ties into our black shelving brackets and black piping to hold clothes hangers and empower ToddlerFit (not a real workout). Simple. Timeless. Beautiful.

Make one for your space. Right now. Or maybe this weekend if you’re a little busy with life and such at this exact moment. Here’s the detailed step-by-step. Get after it.

How to handcraft the DIY canvas & frame.

Materials.

1. 1x2x8 select whitewood board for $4.92. The 1x2x8 furring strip for $0.98 is cheaper but NOT ideal because of the rounded edges of the wood. See Step 2 for clarity.  
2. 2’x4’ sheet of ¾” plywood for $18.24, OR plywood scrap cut to 8”x12” for FREE.
3. Pre-Stain Wood Conditioner. Goes on softwoods (like pine) before staining. Linked 2-pack (1 qt. each) for $25.34. Buy one can for ~$12.67.
4. Wood stain. We used Varathane Early American. Linked 2-pack (1 qt. each) for $15.96. Buy one can for $8.98.
5. White paint. We chose a Benjamin Moore Simply White color match in a can of Behr base paint. 8 oz paint sample for $3.27. Or any leftover white paint.
6. Paint brush. Buy a kit to save money. Single cheap brush for ~$1.
7. 1-1/4″ brad nails at $4.02 for 1,000 – to attach the frame to the plywood.
8. Blue shop towels. Linked 6-pack for $11.98. 3-pack for $5.98.
9. Nitrile gloves. 50 for $4.97.
10. Wood glue. 8 oz for $3.97.
11. Sawtooth hangers. $1.99 for a 3-pack.
12. 1” Wire nails, 132 for $1.67 – to hang the plywood canvas. Or any small nails for picture hanging.

Tools.

1. Miter saw OR hand saw with miter box.
2. Circular saw OR table saw.
3. Compressor & brad nail gun with nails (above). (Save cash buying them together).
4. Measuring tape.
5. Level.
6. Pencil.
7. Ear plugs.
8. Safety glasses.
9. (Optional) Orbital sander.

Budget.

• $4.92 1x2x8 board + $18.24 plywood + $12.67 pre-stain + $8.98 stain + $3.27 white paint + $1 paint brush + $4.02 brad nails + $5.98 blue shop towels + $4.97 nitrile gloves + $3.97 wood glue + $1.99 sawtooth hangers + $1.67 wire nails.

• TOTAL MATERIALS COST = $71.68.

• For DIY regulars: $4.92 1x2x8 board + $18.24 plywood + $1.99 sawtooth hangers.

• TOTAL COST FOR DIY REGULARS = $25.15.

Note: if your garage or shop is already stocked with pre-stain, stain, white paint, a paint brush, brad nails, shop towels, gloves and glue, then you’ll save $46.53 on materials. We ended up having ALL materials, costing us a total of $0. Project goals. Not always the case for us.

Step 1. Inventory your garage or shop.

• Stain. We used Varathane Early American wood stain for a mid-tone brown to match our custom wood shelves. Use any wood stain you love or already have at your home.
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• White paint? The tone is based on your preference. We love Benjamin Moore Simply White color matched in a can of Behr base paint, but any leftover white paint will do.
• Brad nails. 1-¼” are ideal length for our application. The framed 1×2 is actually ¾” by 1-½”. Aka *nominal measurements. That leaves ½” of each brad nail attached to the plywood through the 1×2 frame. The nails simply hold and compress the glue in place until dry. Longer and thicker nails will suffice. However, the longer the nail, the greater the risk of piercing through the surface of the wood at an undesired angle. And the thicker the nail (gauge), the greater chance of splitting the plywood.
• Nitrile gloves. Gloves will ensure that the stain doesn’t dye your hands for a week. Trust us on this one.
• Wood glue. Creates a bond exponentially stronger than the brad nails could ever dream of. The nails simply hold the glue in place like a permanent clamp.
• 1” wire nails. The type of nails don’t actually matter. As long as they can hold up a picture frame, you’re positioned to succeed (and NOT assault your floor with a plywood canvas at 3 AM).

*Nominal measurements: see our Kreg Jig post for a run down on nominal measuring for softwood dimensional lumber.

Step 2. Hit up the local hardware store.

• 1×2. Use the 1x2x8 select whitewood board instead of the 1x2x8 furring strip. The board is higher quality, often without any knots or imperfections. The strip has a very rounded edge on all sides, creating less of a tight gap between the 1×2 frame and the plywood canvas. A higher percentage of the strips are bowed, warped and wonky.
• Plywood. You’re more than welcome to use a ½” piece of ply you have lying around. But consider this: the nails you fire through the sides of the wood frame into the ply are much more likely to pierce through the surface of the ply when using a thinner piece.
• Pre-stain. This wood conditioner lessens the visual blotchiness and inconsistencies of stain applied to softwoods like pine.
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• Miter saw or hand saw. You need to cut the 1×2 board. A miter saw is much faster than a hand saw. The hand saw benefits from a miter box, enabling the handmade cut to be very close to 90º. The miter will also crosscut the plywood after it’s cut or ripped longways.
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• Circular saw or table saw. Both saws will cut wood longways aka ripping. The circular saw can be used as a free hand tool or with a guide for a straight cut. Table saws use a fence to ensure the rip is perfectly square all the way through.
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• Air compressor vs. hand nailing. The benefit of the air compressor with attached pneumatic brad nailer is movement. When you manually hammer a nail into a board, the board will inevitably move and shift with each blow, unless you have every piece clamped together. The compressor allows the boards to be positioned together with only handheld pressure, yielding a low-movement nail installation to reduce the risk of error.
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Step 3. Cut your wood with saws & things.

Note about saws: cut the 1×2 with your miter or hand saw. Rip the plywood with your circular or table saw. Do the final crosscut of your plywood with the miter saw, table saw or circular saw.

• (2) – 1x2x16”. 45º to 45º, non-parallel cut. Miter the thinner side. “Frame.”
• (2) – 1x2x13”. 45º to 45º, non-parallel cut. Miter the thinner side. “Frame.”
• (1) – 11-½” x 14-½” plywood. “Plywood canvas.”

Note about measurements: if you’re unsure about cutting the exact length of the frame pieces, cut the plywood first. Then cut each frame piece to fit. 45º miter one end of the 1x2x8 and hold it in place up against the side of the plywood. Mark with a pencil where the non-cut side of the 1×2 meets the edge of the plywood. Be sure to cut another 45º angle PERPENDICULAR to the first 45º angle. Repeat for the other three sides.

Step 4. Pre-stain & stain your wooden picture frame.

PRE-STAIN

• After sawing your wood pieces, it’s time to stain the 1x2s.
• Throw some gloves on. Grab your blue shop towels.
• Post up in a well ventilated area.
• Open your can of pre-stain and thoroughly mix with the wooden paint stir stick for 1 minute.
• Liberally apply the pre-stain liquid to the 1×2 frame pieces with your shop towel in the direction of the wood grain. Remember: only TWO sides will be visible when this baby is up on the wall.
• Wipe off all excess pre-stain from the wood.
• Let it set for 30 minutes to allow the pre-stain to penetrate the wood grain.

STAIN

• Consider a new pair of gloves.
• Open your can of Varathane Early American wood stain (our favorite), or whichever stain you chose. Thoroughly stir with a wooden paint stir stick for at least 1 minutes. Residual stain build-up tends to get stuck at the bottom of the can.
• Apply the stain to the 1×2 wooden frame pieces with a shop towel. Rub it it to ensure complete coverage.
• Let the stain penetrate the wood grain for 5-10 minutes before removing any stain.
• Vigorously remove ALL residual stain from the wood. If stain dries on the surface, it will negatively affect the visual consistency AND will hinder the effectiveness of a clear coat (if you choose to add polyurethane, polycrylic, lacquer, boiled linseed oil, etc.).
• The “fast dry” series of Varathane wood stains dry in 1 hour. Recoat in 1 hour if necessary. If the desired tone and depth of color has been achieved with only 1 coat, then move on to Step 5.

Step 5. Paint your plywood.

• While your stain is drying, gear up to paint your plywood canvas piece.
• Snag your paint brush and paint can or sample.
• Open your can or container of paint and mix with a wooden paint stir stick for at least 1 minute. This ensure the various paint components combine for a consistent appearance.
• Apply the white paint with your paint brush until even coverage is achieved.
• Let dry for at least 1 hour. Check the manufacturer’s instruction on the can or container to confirm that 1 hour is sufficient. Cold temperatures and humidity will extend the dry time.

“It’s literally like watching paint dry…”

• After your first coat of paint is dry, apply a second coat with your paint brush.
• If it’s been much longer than 1 hour, consider stirring your paint again.
• Allow the second coat to dry at least 1 hour.

Note: now is the time to add a clear coat for protection. We opted out because our plywood canvases are on the wall in our laundry room. At the most they’ll be accidentally bumped on occasion. If your piece(s) will be regularly handled, bumped or tossed across the room by a toddler, consider adding a protective coat of water-based polyurethane to the piece. (Avoid oil-based poly as it tends to add a heavy amber/yellow hue when applied to light or white colors.) 2-3 coats of poly should be sufficient.

Step 6. Attach the wood frame pieces to the plywood.

• Fire up your air compressor and attach your brad nail gun. Grab your wood glue.
• Find a flat surface. The garage floor is the best option in our house.
• Place the plywood canvas facedown on the surface.
• Position the stained 1×2 frame pieces with stain-side down and away from the plywood.
• Dry fit your frame around the plywood canvas.
• Add a bead of glue to each of the four wood frame pieces before install.  
• Apply brad nails to the sides of the frame to penetrate the canvas on all four sides.

Step 7. Attach the sawtooth hanger.

• With the framed plywood canvas facedown, install the sawtooth hanger on the back.
• Measure the center of the top 1×2 framed piece and mark with a pencil. If the piece was cut to 16”, the center will be at 8”.
• Install the sawtooth hanger at the center of the top 1×2 wood frame piece using the itty bitty nails and a hammer.

Step 8. Find an amazing calligrapher.

• Our framed plywood canvases needed a little accent of elegance.
• How about hand-scripted calligraphy?
• We hired our favorite professional calligrapher at SunkissedScripts to beautifully & whimsically pen the words “wash”, “dry”, “fold”, “repeat” to our four framed plywood canvases in our laundry room.
• *Sigh of relief*. Just the warmth & personality our laundry room needed.

Step 9. Hang your plywood canvas on the wall.

• Grab your hammer, wire nail(s) and level.
• Hammer your nail into the drywall at a 30º-45º angle to ensure the head of the nail will hold the sawtooth hanger.
• Level the framed plywood canvas.

Note about the nail: if the nail stops sinking into the drywall prematurely, you’ve either hit a wooden 2×4 stud, a piece of metal protecting plumbing or electrical on top of stud OR a piece of metal between two studs protecting plumbing / electrical / HVAC. If the nail continues to sink into the wood, then you’ll have the strongest picture hanging nail that ever existed. If the nail won’t budge, then relocate to the next best location. Try a few inches to the right or left.

Art on art, friend.

You nailed it. Into the wall, but also, you completed a gorgeous piece of art. And if you installed a wall treatment like shiplap, wallpaper, etc. on said wall, then we can affectionately refer to your project as “art on art”.

What did you write, script, paint or stencil onto your framed plywood canvas? We’d LOVE to see it. The creative potential is endless.

Interested in the other projects we completed in our laundry room? Perhaps it’ll inspire your next DIY adventure. Have at it.

• How to Make Crates out of Wood Pallets.
• How to Make DIY Shiplap.
• How to DIY Install Floor Tile.
• How to Saw Your Door Bottom to Fit Over the Threshold.
• How to Make & Install DIY Stained Wood Shelves.
• How to Change a Wall or Ceiling Light Fixture
• How to Dry Brush Reclaimed Pallet Wood with Paint.