Huge Engineer Print Frame

Hi guys. Hope you are having a great summer! Just wanted to show one of our latest projects...this huge framed engineer print of an old Paris map.

I had been wanting to try an engineer print for a while for something to hang on a big wall in my living room. We were walking through Restoration Hardware a few months ago and I found an awesome wood framed mirror that was $1025 (it's now on sale for $765). I loved the frame so my husband designed a woodworking plan for a frame with a similar look that would fit a huge 36 x 48" engineer print. We used pallet wood for the frame and we used stain we already had, so the frame was basically free.

We have posted the woodworking plan for the engineer print frame in our shop. You can make it out of standard lumber if you don't have access to pallet wood or want a different look.

In Restoration Hardware I also saw maps that were white with a black background like this one that were about $1200 (also on sale now for $835).

I wanted to put the two together, so I found an old map of Paris from 1890 (for some reason the one I used is no longer there but there are similar maps) and then I resized it in Photoshop Elements so that it would print 36 x 48". I also made it black and white (Enhance > Convert to Black and White) and then reversed the black and white (Filter > Adjustments > Invert).

I had it printed at Staples for $7. We used spray adhesive to mount it to a 36 x 48" foam core board and then placed it in the finished frame.

Here's a close up...I love the nail holes and texture of the pallet wood. I've read things recently about the dangers of using pallet wood due to chemicals and things that might be on it, but luckily my husband got this pallet from work so we know where it came from and what it was used for.

The best part is that the whole thing was under $10 (not $2200+) and I have a huge piece of "art" in my living room. I'm not sure how long the engineer print will last, but I like it so much that if it wears out or fades, it will be easy and cheap to just print it again. :) If you use purchased lumber for this project, the cost will be around $50 (plus the print and finishing materials).

Here's another link to the downloads in our shop: engineer print frame woodworking plans and Paris map instant download.

Thanks!