For the past 22 years, I’ve been dragging this giant Morrissey poster around with me everywhere I’ve lived — and I’ve lived in a lot of places. It’s done a few stints rolled up in a closet (not for any loss of love for Morrissey, mind you), but it always winds up back on the wall again. One of the first things I thought about when we rented the new apartment was, “Where is Morrissey’s head going to go?”
I’ve never had it in a frame, and the damage it’s incurred as a result is really starting to show. When you’re 15 years old and sticking up a Morrissey poster with Fun-Tak and pushpins and taping the back when it inevitably falls a million times, you’re not thinking about someday being 37 years old and still having that same poster on your wall. At some point I made the switch from tape and tacks to Jørgen Møller’s Posterhanger, which did work well for a few years. It’s a good design, but I think this post is just too big and heavy — it’s about 4×5′, which is pretty darned large and unwieldy. Morrissey started falling again, so I rolled him up and vowed to be a REAL GROWN UP and get him framed properly once and for all.
There’s a very well-rated frame store right near the apartment, so one evening Evan and I popped in to get a quote. I had braced myself for it to be around $600, thinking that if I prepared for the worst I’d be pleasantly surprised when the quote came in lower.
Well, the quote did not come in lower. For the most basic framing option in the simplest frame, the quote was — wait for it — $1300. Yes. I guess I’ve been spoiled by years of cramming stuff into cheap RIBBA frames from IKEA, but I was totally caught off guard. I glazed over immediately and tried to politely listen to the rest of the spiel from the framer before I apologized for wasting her time and left. The other thing I learned was because my reckless teenage self fixed the poster’s tears by putting tape all over the back, it’s not a candidate for reinforcement options like dry-mounting or linen backings. Boooooooo.
At that point, I figured I had four options: (1) Learn how to frame stuff, buy the necessary tools and materials, and frame it myself; (2) Become really good friends with someone who owns a framing shop and then put them in a horrible position where they owe me a huge favor; (3) Order a cheap framing kit online that I’ll never really be happy with; or (4) Slap something together with spare parts and call it a day. I chose option #4.
So here you have it! A couple of lattice strips cut to size, two thumbtacks (inserted through the back of the poster and into the lattice — one at the center top, and one at the bottom) and four binder clips. Done! No, it’s not fancy, and yes, someday I’d still like to have the poster framed by a skilled framing professional who knows what they’re doing, but for now this is totally fine. It’s not going to fall, rip or sag, and that’s all I really care about.
Side bonus! Here’s a quick review of me and “Our Frank” over the years. I wish I had more pictures of my bedrooms in the ’90s, but such are the realities of life before digital cameras and iPhones. Despite the passing of years, my love for Morrissey remains as strong as the cut of his 30″ jawline. (He’s even in my bio now!)
79 Comments
That’s such a great idea for framing a big poster. I have two giant maps that I’ve had a really tough time hanging, I should totally try this.
Hi Anna! I am randomly de-lurking at this moment with a tiny tip for your poster – I often hang stuff with those binder clips, and you can remove the silver handles by pinching them and pulling them out. Then the bottom would hang closer to the wall, which might be nice (or maybe not!). I am very excited to see what you do with the new apartment; it’s fun to see someone work with ‘typical’ problems, like all that orangey wood…
I’d remove the handles if the clips were going to be hidden, but if you remove them when they’re exposed then it no longer looks like a binder clip…it just looks like a piece of ugly black metal. 😉 It’s only about 1/2″ from the wall. Doesn’t bother me at all. If anything, it allows for airflow behind the poster, which can’t be bad!
You might try pricing around for the framer, I always thought framing was out of my budget but we have a frame store here in LA Chinatown that does great work and for at least half the rate I’ve been quoted elsewhere. He even did a really odd sized 3d panorama of mars (my husband works at JPL) we had rolled up forever, 12 x 48!
But your DIY solution also looks great!
Yeah, the problem with going outside of a very short walking distance from my apartment is that I’d also have to pay to have it transported by someone with a van. It’s huge — way too big to bring on the subway or even in a cab or our car.
I’ve asked around, and the price does seem to be pretty typical for this size. A friend of mine gets a 50% client discount at another framing shop, and he paid $800 for something similar.
Hi, first of all, love your style and your blog! Have never commented before but this jumped out at me the second I saw your poster dilemma. Check out this idea from the blog Little Green Notebook: http://littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com.au/2012/02/chinese-wallpaper-in-acrylic-frames.html the blog isn’t really in your style but some of the ideas are fabulous and I especially love the idea of the acrylic frame over a poster.
Cheers for the great reading,
Kezia
That’s a very cool idea! Not the right thing for this poster, but great for a full wall installation like that.
1300.- for something really basic seems crazy. I mean, its big but still. Usually everything is that much more expensive in Switzerland but I think that in this case it isn’t! I am actually friends with someone who’s gilder, frame restorator ect. and my parents have several things framed by her (some simple, some not), I am curious now how much they costed!
Do I spy a new couch?
Yes, I’ll write about it soon! 🙂
Loving your deep space color in this apartment. Do you find that it has a slightly blueish tone in person or is it just a true charcoal? Looks great from here!
Hi Sophia!
I have the same color in my bedroom and it’s a true charcoal. I find that color looks different depending on what side of the house it gets light from and where you live, so for reference – I’m in LA and it’s in a north-facing bedroom. We use the Aura paint in matte and it’s so luscious!
Thanks, Samira!
Sorry for not answering sooner, Sophia. 😉 I actually wrote a post about Deep Space and how it reads on the wall:
http://www.doorsixteen.com/2013/02/26/new-bedroom-sneak-peek-painting/
It definitely has an undertone that’s more blue than, say, brown or green, but like Samira said, it’s a true charcoal. If it looks blue in my photos, that’s just because I’m bad at taking pictures and I don’t know how to get the color right. 😉
Thanks, Samira!
Sorry for not answering sooner, Sophia. 😉 I actually wrote a post about Deep Space and how it reads on the wall:
http://www.doorsixteen.com/2013/02/26/new-bedroom-sneak-peek-painting/
It definitely has an undertone that’s more blue than, say, brown or green, but like Samira said, it’s a true charcoal. If it looks blue in my photos, that’s just because I’m bad at taking pictures and I don’t know how to get the color right. 😉
I too have a Morrissey poster that I had carted around the country since the early 90s. I know this post is about your solution, but I thought I’d share what I have started to do for my framing. I have begun buying the metal frame stock online (the place I use is framesbymail.com, but I am sure there are others) cut to size and shipped to me, and then have a piece of UV glass and acid-free backing cut at a local craft shop. I recently took an 18×24 into a framing shop and was quoted $230 for a metal frame with UV glass. Online I paid around $28 dollars for the same frame stock and then had glass and foam core cut for under $40. A little DIY labor and you have a professional looking frame for less than 1/3 of what the framing shop would charge.
That was my rejected option #3. 😉 I think the DIY frames can look fine for smaller stuff like your poster, but they start to look pretty cruddy with huge posters like mine. Part of the issue is that you really have to go with plexi with things this big, and in order for it to look alright it needs to be properly cradled/supported. Standard-size foam core doesn’t come in sizes this large, so I’d also need to hinge together two separate pieces — it gets pretty involved, and it’s not all that cheap by the time it’s done. I’d be unhappy with the result and out hundreds of dollars.
I’m sure it’s great for smaller stuff, though, and it’s definitely something I’ll consider if I wind up with something on that scale that can’t work in a RIBBA. 🙂
Love this idea Anna! I have been looking for a way to hang a favorite but slightly tattered poster in my studio space on a cinder block wall and I think this would work. Thank you for the idea.
Can you laminate it to protect it? Or would that just look hideous?
Yes, that would look hideous…but I guess you knew that when you asked. 😉 It would also permanently ruin the poster in the long term. (Can you even laminate stuff that massive? If you can, it probably costs a fortune. I can’t do anything to the poster that involves heat because of the tape, either, which is why dry-mounting and backing it with linen aren’t options.)
It’s totally secure on the wall now, though, so I’m not worried about it getting damaged anymore. It’s fine as-is!
That’s such a great poster, even better with the patina of your history!
Anna, you’re in the book biz, have you thought of archival cloth bookbinding tape on the back to discreetly reinforce the edges and prevent further damage? You still have some border; it would be nice to keep the image itself from getting more eroded.
I know that frame shop, and have walked out of there too! Before moving to Brooklyn Heights I lived in Park Slope and relied on Mario at 7th Ave Framing for years, and that’s where I went back to.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/7th-avenue-framing-brooklyn
Mario’s super nice, honest, reasonably priced, makes perfect frames and has large sheets of foam core at his art shop next door, but it’s in the Slope. (He framed all my art for exhibits and home for years.)
That’s similar to the linen-backing I was hoping I’d be able to do, but unfortunately because the back of the poster has so much tape on it (packing tape, scotch tape, masking tape, you name it — it covers about 50% of the back!!), it’s not an option. I’m not worried about it falling and becoming more damaged, though. It’s really secure now!
Thanks for the framing recommendation. I’ll ask them for a quote. I’d have to pay for a van service to transport it back to me, but if framing cost is really low, it could be worth it.
We bought a 1974 6 foot tall Godzilla poster. Being an original poster, it had been folded up and was not in great shape. After asking around for quotes on framing, it looked like it was going to cost thousands of dollars to get it framed because of the size (we’re in Toronto, not New York but it’s still an expensive city).
Then we asked a local movie memorabilia store about where they get their posters framed. It turns out that they had their own framer who did work on large-scale posters and since he worked out of his garage and specialized in this type of work, he did it for $600. We had to drive to pick it up ourselves (and rent a cube van to accommodate it). We couldn’t be happier!
Maybe shop around a bit to see if you can get a better price?
I’ve asked a number of places and checked with friends who have also had large-scale framing done in NYC, and this price seems pretty typical. Someday I’ll see about going outside of the city to get a better price, but for now I’m fine with this solution. 🙂
OOPS! Sorry about that, I’m writing from France and Internet is wonky, please delete the double.
Done, no worries!
I gasped too when I read that price. Why is framing such a racket?!
I do love this poster, and could you remind me of a quote from your website a while back–you wrote something to the effect of–liking some of the same stuff from when you were in high school makes sense because it was from a time when you were figuring out who you were–or something?!? It was such a great quote and I felt the same, or it allowed me to understand why I still love, display and collect some of the same stuff from that time in my life.
thx
Well, properly-done framing is very skilled work. I don’t begrudge the frame shop for charging what they do, but that doesn’t mean I can afford it. That’s OK.
I’m not sure what quote you’re referring to, but if you click the “nerdstalgia” category link, you’ll find several posts I’ve written about that kind of thing. 🙂
Just want to double down on what Anna said about framing being skilled work, especially for a large scale piece. We had a very large print framed at Michael’s because of the ubiquitous 60% off coupons, and even though we paid a lot less than we would have elsewhere, I feel it was a waste of money. We had to take it back twice because the plexi kept popping out of the frame. They finally fixed that on the third try, but over time the print has gotten quite wavey around the edges, which makes me think that it wasn’t mounted properly or something. This bums me out because we purchased the print to commemorate a very significant event in our lives, and I wish we’d known enough about framing at the time to know that we needed to wait until we could afford to get it done properly.
(I’ve heard that Michael’s framing is ok for smaller things. IMO the size of our print just made the job out of their league)
My one experience with Michael’s and framing (and they ALWAYS have those “coupons,” which smacks of deceptive advertising/promotion to me) was having a very simple, small mat cut for a piece of comic book art. They somehow managed to completely screw it up twice, which, considering they don’t actually do the framing on-site but ship it out, took forever to get redone. After the second mistake, we took our business elsewhere. They refunded our money, but it was a total waste of time.
(And yes, you’re absolutely right about larger-scale pieces requiring a greater skillset than smaller ones!)
I like your solution Anna! Michael’s is a racket. I use to own a custom frame shop, then went to work for a national moulding distributor out of CA. There is no discount, they mark the price way up so your “discount” is what the suggested retail is. Mom and pop shops hate them and their “discounts”. So many really talented framers have had to close their doors because Michael’s and JoAnn’s have been scamming everyone into thinking they are getting some great deal. Also, I can’t even begin to count how many times I’ve had to fix things for people that went there. I’m so glad they at least gave you your money back Anna. $1300 sounds pretty high, but you do live in NY and I’m sure that plays into it. That is the unfortunate thing with framing something so large, you need plexi, oversized foam, plus a frame large enough to handle the weight. I’ve noticed some people suggesting metel. I personally would not do that, the way metel frames (even large ones) are put together make it less stable than wood. That’s the thing about gravity…it works!
I love Morrissey, I love this poster, I love what you decided to do with it, and I love how you’ve kept it with you over the years! I think that it looks so great as a memory-filled, careworn treasure, maybe even better than it did when it was brand new.
Isn’t it shocking how much it costs to frame stuff? My friend gave me a really cool, small, antique map as a gift a couple years back and it was in okay shape but was still pretty worn so I decided to be a responsible adult (haha) and took it to get it framed. I went to a chain store AND used a 50% off coupon and even though it was quite small, it still set me back over $150. I totally understand that framing is a delicate, precise, intense process, but whoa.
I think the wear on the poster isn’t so bad, kinda gives it a whole other vibe going on. I worked in the music business and have quite a few posters lurking around still – many need to be framed.I framed the ones that meant the most to me years ago, mostly the ones I had signed by the arist. I think that this work around works great! I love that poster!
Anna, It’s so awesome that you’ve had this poster for a long time. Precious! I also love Morrisey in my early twenties & still love his music now. Wish I had one of his poster like you. I love love your space & often check your blog for inspirationals. Thank you for having such an awesome blog. Khanh
wow, I had no idea framing was so pricey. maybe you could try bartering website design for framing services?
I love your solution though, and your new sofa…
michaels craft store does custom faming, and they usually have a 50% off coupon on their website. I have never used their services, so I can’t comment on the quality, but from what I have seen in the store, it seems to be pretty good.
Though I’m sure you’ll want to frame it before it starts to fall apart, I think the fact you haven’t done so far has lent it a lovely worn and wrinkled look that it’s wearing very well! And it’s impressive having the same Morrissey love after so many years. When I was a teenager all my posters were Christian Slater and UK indie bands I no longer listen to.
Man, there used to be this company called Re:Frame that made poster frames that were JUST like this, but without the clips. It clipped the poster and hung invisibly. But after a google search it seems like they’re out of business, boo. It made my brain turn on ways you could do it sans binder clip but then I got tired. Also silver binder clips would look rad, too.
I actually prefer the way you’ve done it to a proper frame. It suits the poster being a bit loved and the shot itself being so lo fi. It looks fantastic against that inky colour.
I have to admit – this might be my new favorite technique for hanging those well-loved large-scale posters. I have a bunch of laaaarge posters (The Cure and Ed Wood movie posters) from my youth rolled up and stored with good intentions. This is such an easy and casual way to display them, as I did as a teen, but with a bit of preservation in mind. Thanks, lady!
A simple framing solution I have used is to get black metal Nielsen frame stock cut to size and then a piece of plexi cut as well. Take it home and use an acid free board backing and assemble it yourself, simple with a clean look .
Oh man… I might have tried for option #2 (made me laugh so hard) but that would take soooo loooong, and maybe even illegal things would have to happen in order to get that favour – good choice in the end, you! And it looks great!! I have a Han Solo poster I haven’t framed yet, for the same dismaying “how much money?” reasons you described, so unless I take up hooking during the daytime, I might have to get me some binder clips, too… 🙂
This is brilliant! I have a huge poster and I think I may need to try to out!
I have also been schlepping a Morrissey poster from home to home since 1993 (the year I graduated HS). Mine is crazy big too. Thanks for saving me from a complete reenactment at a framing gallery. A precisely cut mat and archival frame job are always worth the $$$ if it happens to be at the top of the importance list….. and framing mine never seems to get there.
Your idea looks great!
For my super fast cheap frame attempt, I used tiny brass nails to tack up individual pieces of (craft store) bass wood that I rubbed with Briwax around the poster. They took different tones, which I don’t mind. I have plaster walls, so I went lightweight. Here is link to a badly taken photo.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10151855864953858&set=a.10151855864753858.1073741825.501818857&type=1&theater
(the Morrissey album is public, so you should be able to see it if you sign in. So sorry if not. )
I am shocked! I just had two posters/pictures framed here in Germany. We had them done in two different ways, and they were different sizes. Both slammer than yours. One cost 230 Euro, one 176 Euro. And I thought THAT was pricey! Usually Germany is much more expensive than NYC. I cant believe that quote he gave you. Maybe you should get another quote somewhere!
Great solution, Anna! How about some washi tape over the clips? Though, that may bring more attention to it than hide it =/
Bruno looks like a big ball of fluff, so cute!
I have some large posters that remain in a tube because I can’t bring myself to pay what it would cost to have them nicely framed, nor do I want to put them in cheap poster frames. I’m thinking of getting them out to do something similar, but I worry about them getting damaged. May as well or I’ll never get to see them…
A long time ago, I used a frame similar to this one to hang a huge painted canvas tapestry. It might work for you?
~Nancy
Duh. I just clicked that PosterHanger link and realized that we are talking about the same thing. But my canvas was surely heavier than your poster (and looks to be about the same size), and the poster hanger I used worked fine with it.
excellent idea for the enormous poster I bought in Spain so many years ago…it’s too large to afford to frame but I have been wanting to hang it up somehow better than just taping it to the wall. THANKS!
Holy hell, where did you find a poster so HUGE? That is amazing. And what an amazing idea! Looks great.
chloex
I got it at Rhino Records in New Paltz, NY, but I’m guessing that doesn’t do you much good 22 years later. 😉 These huge music posters used to be really common, but I think they’ve gone the way of the record store. Stores used to get them in for promoting new albums and singles, and then they’d either give them away or sell them once the promotional period had ended. I have a bunch of them…Morrissey, Smiths, Cure, Joy Division…
I remember Rhino Records! (My mom used to take us on spontaenous trips (from Albany) to Bacchus when we were kids. We always ordered shirley temples and mozzarella sticks, then we would walk around if we had time, and I always wanted to go into the record store.)
I work in a visual merchandising department and i’ve had the guys print out copies of some cool artwork/window backdrops and have been trying to figure out what to do with them. They’re huge and odd sizes but would look so good on my wall! I’ve been lazy and haven’t taken any of them to a frame shop to get a quote. I knew it would be expensive, but HOLY COW! Wow…
$1,300?!??! WOW!!! Okay that’s crazy. I think it looks amazing and that’s awesome that you’ve kept that poster so many years! =)
Hi Anna, I have 2 giant posters like this from college that I’ve dragged around forever too. One New Order & one movie poster (‘a room with a view’-the French poster!) I have a 100+ year older poster (4’x6′) and had your same sticker shock when I had it framed. We’ve moved a few times and the movers have had to crate it to keep it from bending/scratching, so I understand the hesitancy to burden yourself with something terribly unwieldy! the improved look & protective frame were worth the hassle it in my case.
Still, in the interest of longevity, I would hope a good paper/poster conservator could get the tape off the back of your poster to linen mount it. There are quite a few good poster guys in NYC, so it might be worth getting one final opinion from one separate from the framer? I expect the conservation wouldn’t be cheap ether, but, in the long run, even getting it on a linen backing without the frame would give the poster a much extended lifetime..
I have a Hatch Show Print hung the exact same way, only with big metal office clips instead of binder clips. Its been hanging that way for so long that at this point it would just look weird being framed behind glass.
I love that you still have this poster – it looks SO GOOD against that dark wall.
We do a lot of custom framing for artists so I hear about pricing all the time. There’s a whole weird world to framing, essentially the middle man (the framer) gets a little screwed by the enormous minimum amounts required by the frame producers, you might only need 3 feet for a frame but they make you order 12 feet so you sit on it until someone else orders it, that’s why Micheal’s is always a bit cheaper since they can order stock by the ton and disperse the extra around to different stores. We make our own mouldings so that helps.
There are so many cheaper-ish ways to present things that maybe aren’t museum quality but most places don’t want to suggest it for liability reasons (understandable, and they want your sale!). We also hang a lot of exhibitions and huge photos and drawings are pretty popular, many artists are using these super great magnet systems that are cheap and really slick looking, and you can’t beat $12! You can spray paint the magnets any color … and minimal wall damage if you tack in the plates.
http://www.dickblick.com/products/magnart-display-system/
I work at an Art Publishing Company, i run the printer, and we print up to that size of image and we charge no where near that to frame it. My company would probably charge around 500-600$ ( although it IS in Idaho and that would probably make a HUGE difference) Maybe even less, I’ve seen them custom frame a 30×40 print for only 250$. But the difference might be that my company does not advertise that we custom frame, but if requested we will do it, maybe that’s why we do it so cheap. Because we actually just sell artwork but if asked we will custom frame. Have you tried asked a company that only sells art around there (but still frames their own images)?
Always a fan of your slap-it-togethers and good-enoughs. At first glance I thought you sandwiched the poster between two slats on either short end. Perhaps that would’ve required bigger binder clips not on hand… and more lattice cutting. Anyway: Perfect. Simple. Good.
I like! The very cheap and simple solution goes so nicely with the condition of the poster. Just think of all that money you saved. You can go and get yourself a manicure!
And mmh, that jaw…
Check out http://www.hollywoodposterframes.com or http://www.wholesaleposterframes.com
I bought two 24×36 economy frames from the former’s Ebay page for $119.95 with free delivery. Its a thin profile aluminum frame with UV plexiglass and a PH neutral foamcore backing. They have other options for archival foamcore or different frame shapes and they will customize sizes. I’m satisfied with the quality and minimal look. My only issue is that I didn’t opt for the non-glare option and the window light pretty much obscures my posters during the day. I’ll probably sell them on Craigslist and then buy again for the non-glare. Wholesaleposterframes.com’s frames are very similar to HPF but with slightly lower prices and a thinner UV plexi.
Thanks, James. Looks like the Hollywood place doesn’t sell frames this size. I’ve actually seen the Wholesale frames in person and they just don’t look substantial enough for things this large — the plexi looks wavy and cheap, and the frames are metal (I prefer wood). If I go with a frame someday, it’s gonna have to be something I’m really happy with. In the mean time, I’m fine with my solution. 🙂
Great art idea! Thanks for sharing. I think we have the same color living room (although mine’s from the German equivalent of Home Depot). Such a great color! Now I just have to get me one of those rockers…
This is quite an elegant solution, I think. No, it’s not fancy, but it’s so minimal and simple and frames the poster really well. I have an old beat up Morrissey poster too, that I was given as a hand-me-down gift a few years ago… I’ve never been able to find a frame for it, and I feel like this will be the answer. Thanks for always posting these clever hacks!
Hi Anna, I especially loved seeing your poster over the year, and I really love all the wear and tear on it. It shows such history! Earlier this year, we ran into a similar framing problem, and we DIYed one that was super, super simple – I know you could do it! http://www.yellowbrickhome.com/2013/01/03/diy-a-big-honking-frame/
The only thing that might be more of a challenge is getting glass in that size, but I bet any glass specialty store can cut you one that size for under $100. (I once needed a pane of glass cut to 3’x5′ for a college art project, and it cost me $50… this was ten years ago, but still.)
Kim, that looks AMAZING. Apparently at the size I need it’s recommended to use plexi, but if I go with something good quality that’s fine. I’m OK with the solution I have now, but I can definitely see doing something like this in the future. Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
I love it, I love how it shows all the wear & tear & all it’s history!
22 years — you are devoted! My head would have popped off my body when I heard that quote.
Your dude doesn’t have to go through this.
My dude? What? Evan? I don’t understand.
I’ve been mulling over this (I work at a contemporary art museum & artists continue to make huge art that somehow needs to be displayed). I wonder if the cost might balance out to have a paper conservator remove the tape and other stuff on the verso & then you could mount it and do a “do it yourself” frame (nielsen metal stock or other). You could also consider using coroplast rather than fomecore as a backing material–it comes in 4×8 foot sheets & is light.
Conservators are less than you may think. Let me know if you need a recommendation in your area–I can put out some feelers for you.
Thanks Pat, I appreciate the offer, but I really AM happy with the solution I came up with. For real. 🙂
I spotted this cheap easy way to frame large art not too long ago. What you did is awesome (and I currently have art hanging from binder clips) but if you ever want to change it up here is a link!
http://www.younghouselove.com/2013/01/my-most-favoritest-art-ever/
Hi there Anna,
Long time lurker, first time commenter 🙂 So I was thinking about your solution for your poster and I thought I might let you know (if you didn’t know already) that when (improperly treated) wood and paper are in contact, acids leach out of the wood and into the paper leaving a yellowed, discolored (and sometime brittle) mess. It would suck to have deteriorated/yellowed bands at the top and bottom of your poster so I was thinking about what you could do to mitigate acid transfer. In museum display wood is used as rarely as possible since it (as innocuous as it seems) can be quite damaging. It is never used without sealing it with WATER BASED polyurethane (other sealants can be used but w-b poly is one of the easiest to obtain). If you treated your wood lath with several coats of w-b poly it would be a significant improvement-but not great. A better, and still reasonably cheap solution would be to use a buffer material such as white acid free matt/rag board cut to the size of your lath. Treat the lath with w-b poly and attach the matt board to the back of the lath using PVA (polyvinyl acetate) adhesive then reassemble your contraption. That way if any acids were to leach out of your wood they would transfer to the matt board rather than to Mr. Morrissey. This system is also fairly easy to monitor as you could check for any changes in color of the matt board (likely yellowing) which might indicate acid transfer (and consequently time to replace the matt/lath). Sorry for the long comment, its difficult to get out of conservator mode sometimes 🙂 Good luck! P.S. My husband and I have had a lot of luck with cheep frames from Frame USA (http://www.frameusa.com). We’ve done a few custom orders and they have always been correctly made.
Cheers!
Awesome job, super simple and looks really great. I love that you have shown us the 1993 version of the poster. AMAZING!
Hi,
Love this big poster! I am just wondering (and excuse me if it is somewhere in here and I am just missing it), how you fixed it to the wall?
Thanks
Um…that’s what the whole post is about!
Hi. I thought Michelle had a good question, as i also don’t see mention of how you hung the whole shebang. (Top binder clips hang on nails?..)
OMG. I have this poster rolled up in my old closet at my parents house. I used it in high school and in my college dorm room… such memories. You’ve inspired me! I must pull it out of hiding and find a place for it.
OMG! We had the same bedroom! I have all of my posters from that era and proudly display them wherever my wife will allow 🙂 I’ve thought about having them framed but haven’t because I can’t justify dropping that kind of money on something as silly as a 24 year old Bauhaus poster … So, your idea might be the perfect solution for me. I’ll probably take some of the tips that Aimee posted above as well – I think the mat buffer could look cool sandwiched in there… Thanks!
I know this is an old thread but I have to say what a good idea. I was looking for the Jorgen Moller hangers in the UK and unable to find. Then i found this which is even better!!
Many thanks, will use to hang old French school poster. You clever person You!