Simple Ways To Make IKEA Photo Frames Look Like Vintage Treasures

Beautiful vintage and antique frames can be a great way to elevate anything you put in them, from simple memorabilia and snapshots to original artwork you want to highlight on your walls. Professional framing can be very expensive, as can purchasing frames from home retailers that have the vintage characteristics and quality that you want for something front and center in your space. Many vintage frames are made from solid wood and metal, which makes them different from the inexpensive ones you may find at discount stores like Ikea, Dollar Tree, or thrift bins. 

There is, however, an easy way to turn these cheaper frames, whatever their material, into luxe-looking vintage frames with a few modifications. By applying paint, texture, and metal or wood accents, you can create gorgeous budget-friendly vintage frames out of any discount frame. YouTube DIYer REISSUED shows off a few great tricks to add color, texture, and dimension that can transform these frames from drab to dramatic.

These modifications can be especially great if you need many frames for a perfect gallery wall or need a frame in a specific size to decorate a large wall that you may not be able to find in a vintage finish. You can save money and avoid custom framing and the high expense of larger all-wood frames. A creative way to repurpose old picture frames, this approach can also keep them out of landfills.

Changing the finish and color of your frames can be an easy way to make them match your décor. You can give them more of a custom look or an entirely different finish that can mimic the look of expensive and luxe materials found with more expensive frames. Even something as simple as adding spray paint can be transformational. 

The YouTube DIYer uses spray paint in gold and matte black, which allows for an even coat without splotches or brush strokes. However, you can also use a brush application technique to create a more weathered or distressed look. Sanding the original material of the frames, whatever they are made of beforehand, will help your paint stick better and more evenly. Rub n Buff, available in many colors, which you apply with a rag, can also create an even finish with a couple of coats and doesn't require brushwork. 

To make a plastic or other material frame look like wood, apply stick-on wood trim or veneer banding typically used for pieces of furniture. Cut the segments with a slant to create mitered corners, then apply the trim, ironing the back to warm up the glue. Leave in the original wood finish, or use this as an opportunity to add your favorite stain. 

Applying fabric to a frame is another easy way to change the texture. Give the frame itself a liberal coating of spray adhesive like Gorilla Glue, then wrap your fabric over the perimeter of the frame, making sure to use your fingers or a burnishing tool to really push the fabric into the creases and corners. Secure the back with a glue gun and then trim away any extra fabric.

You can even add additional three-dimensional elements to the outside of frames to make them look like ornate carved antique frames. Metal frame corners can instantly give any frame an antique look. They just snail into the corners of any wood frame with tiny nails and come in a variety of finishes from shiny brass to matte black. For larger wood frames, you can also add wood millwork details, like these from Amazon, with hot glue to the corner and perimeter of the frame. Adding small or large wooden beads as trim can also be a great way to elevate a cheap frame and add more texture.

If you are looking to add some texture quickly and don't have any other supplies, use your hot glue gun to create swirls and texture on the frame that you can then paint over. The raised bits of glue under the paint will look like they were part of the frame all along.