How to make great big wall art (on a tiny little budget)

Sometimes you just need some great big wall art. Well, I do anyways. Let’s face it, it’s way easier to fill a wall with one great big piece than it is to find lots of little things. So I like big stuff. Big wall art, that is. So I thought about how to get a great big piece on a little budget, and I remembered using a hollow core door to make a headboard. Bingo. I like using doors because they are cheap (even new), lightweight, and easy to find. And, bonus, I wanted the word HOLLA (my ode to Frankie on Big Brother) to remain in wood tone. Just another reason, and it’s so easy that anyone can do it. Here’s how…

For this project, you’ll need:

a hollow core door

painter’s tape

matte adhesive vinyl (I love this kind from my buddies at Happy Crafters) – you’ll need one sheet per letter

transfer tape (for vinyl)

clear spray paint

two colors of paint ( I used gold and aqua)

So, first you’re going to start with your canvas.. err… door. Measure out the size of your letters and center them all up, and use the painters tape to make a line all the way across the door to make them even.

When you have them spaced out where you want, use some transfer tape to put the letters on the raw wood of the door. (For tips on doing this, check out this post.)

Once you have them down, spray the entire door with a couple of coats of clear sealer. Spraying over the letters really well will help paint from seeping under them later. And sealing the whole door will keep the raw wood from soaking up 18 coats of paint. Trust me, it’s faster this way. Let the entire thing dry overnight (so make sure NOT to leave it outside).

Kind of eye-ball the area you want the first color to be and paint up the door so it is covered in the “blue” area (although yours could be green or yellow or whatever – just color #1). It will need 2-3 coats, letting it dry an hour or so between coats (on a warm, dry day – you be the judge on your project when it’s dry enough for another coat.). After it’s completely dry, then you’re ready to tape it up for the 2nd color.

You’re going to have to tape up each end of the V on the sides one at a time to get it right. Start with one end and make sure the edge of the tape is on the outside of the corner, then stretch it to the opposite corner like the photo above. Smooth the tape down REALLLLLLY well, then paint your 2nd color. You’ll need 2-3 coats, depending on the paint (just like the first color.) Once it’s all dry, move on to the opposite side.

Ok, so my graphic isn’t perfect, but you can get the idea – you don’t want to tape over the fresh paint on the other side, so use what you just painted to help line it up and go right up to that so you get a perfect V in the middle. Then paint the last side 2-3 coats.

When everything is dry enough to touch, but not so dry the paint will crack, peel up all of the vinyl letters, put hangers on the back of the door and hang it on the wall.

Although this project is a lot of waiting, it’s a seriously easy way to make huge art without a lot of effort and on a low budget.

*Thanks to my friends at Happy Crafters for partnering with me on this post. All ideas, words, photos and opinions are 100% my own.*