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Mural help!
So I just got moved into my new office. Woo! It's got a window, but the window looks out on the stacks and encourages people to stop and watch me, so the blinds on it are staying shut. (The door has a window also, but I have a 24 x 36" "Keep Calm and Carry On" poster on order, which I will use to cover it.)
When looking for (relatively) inexpensive ways to put very large things on the wall that fake being windows, I ran across a wall mural site that sold some mid-size murals and this one struck me. There was a much larger one that struck me as well, but alas I have come to the conclusion that I cannot get it onto the walls without cutting some major holes in it for things like the emergency light/siren thingy hanging in my office. Alas.
At any rate, the mural above is not only just 4'2" tall (and comes in 4 panels), which will fit on my walls and look like a large window, but it is 12 foot wide *and* is composed in such a way that I can use two panels of it for one window and two panels of it for another window on the other side of the office, and it won't be obviously chopped in half. Like so:
So ... the crux of the matter is: I need to turn these wallpaper-type panels into something that can be hung on the wall. So they need to be stuck to a backing. Foam board, the obvious thing, doesn't come cheaply in sizes of the panels (3' x 4'2"). I can duct-tape foam board together, but need to come up with a way to strengthen it so it doesn't fold in half while transporting AND come up with a way for it to be hung on a wall. (I can hang anything I want on the wall as long as I get the physical plant to come do it, because that way they have to pay for wall damages instead of the library if they screw up. Plus, they're good at it.)
Putting some sort of molding on it so that it looks like a window would be good - any suggestions for that? And how to fix said molding on?
When looking for (relatively) inexpensive ways to put very large things on the wall that fake being windows, I ran across a wall mural site that sold some mid-size murals and this one struck me. There was a much larger one that struck me as well, but alas I have come to the conclusion that I cannot get it onto the walls without cutting some major holes in it for things like the emergency light/siren thingy hanging in my office. Alas.
At any rate, the mural above is not only just 4'2" tall (and comes in 4 panels), which will fit on my walls and look like a large window, but it is 12 foot wide *and* is composed in such a way that I can use two panels of it for one window and two panels of it for another window on the other side of the office, and it won't be obviously chopped in half. Like so:
So ... the crux of the matter is: I need to turn these wallpaper-type panels into something that can be hung on the wall. So they need to be stuck to a backing. Foam board, the obvious thing, doesn't come cheaply in sizes of the panels (3' x 4'2"). I can duct-tape foam board together, but need to come up with a way to strengthen it so it doesn't fold in half while transporting AND come up with a way for it to be hung on a wall. (I can hang anything I want on the wall as long as I get the physical plant to come do it, because that way they have to pay for wall damages instead of the library if they screw up. Plus, they're good at it.)
Putting some sort of molding on it so that it looks like a window would be good - any suggestions for that? And how to fix said molding on?
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Ok so. I'm thinking wood. I haven't priced this stuff out, mind you, so I have no idea if it would be cheaper than foamcore or not... A sheet of plywood is 4'x8', and I'm sure the thin stuff is of a similar size. You can find boards 1/4" thick (or thinner even) at home improvement stores. While you're there, you can check out their molding selection. I would recommend finding something that looks like it would fit with the current decor. Mount your posters, measure the perimeter and cut your molding to fit.
Basically what I'm recommending here is a giant custom picture frame. Paint or stain to your specifications and it will match whatever you've got.
Besides. I like wood. XDDDD
And I have to WTF at this captcha: (H>H*)| travelers
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I hadn't thought of plywood - if I can find stuff that's light enough to carry, that just might work. :) And I could just staple the panels on (excuse to buy a staple gun), especially if I'm then putting molding around it (how to mount that on, as well?). If the panel join in the middle looks weird, another strip of molding, to fake being a two-panel window, should be fine.
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Hrm. For securing the molding, again I would suggest wood screws. You'd probably need only a couple for each frame, as they will not be very heavy. In fact, that would probably work best. Mount the artwork first, then attach the molding to the wall around it. If the bits and pieces are cut to the right size, it will look like one solid piece.
So, yeah. Staples should work just fine for the panels, and wood screws for the frame. When you're ready to take them down, a couple swipes with putty and a touch-up and they were never there.
WIN.
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If I were to do it, I'd just buy the biggest canvas I could find and do something Jackson Pollock-y on it.
But to mount those mural segments with absolute cheapness, and assuming that the edges were nice enough not to need actual framing, I'd do the following:
Materials:
1 piece 1/8" utility panel, cut to size (or any 1/8'-1/4" panel material)
1 1"x2"x6' furring strip (for sides)
1 1"x2"x8' furring strip (for top & bottom)
2 or 3 pieces of 36" foamcore
1" flathead wood screws
Glue
From the front side of the panel, crew the furring strips along the sides of the utility panel. If you think that you might be adding framing, put them right on the edge of the panel; if you are willing to live with a floating edge, set them back a couple of inches so you don't have to paint. Don't forget to countersink the screw heads.
Cut the foamcore to size, and glue to the front side of the panel, which should be nice and rigid. Paste on your mural. If you want to add a "frame", buy some cheap moulding (without a rabbet), stain or paint, and either use glue or mounting tape, or tack the moulding into the furring strips.
Total cost should be around $50 before screwups.
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