Framed Chinoiserie Panels

I love the look of framed chinoiserie panels! They’re a traditional Grandmillenial vibe that is very high end looking. Usually you’ll see them with gold bamboo frames that are extremely expensive. So, I decided to DIY some framed chinoiserie panels to save some money and I thought I could share a tutorial. Ready to get started?!

Note, I’ve read a bunch of tutorials on how to make Chinoiserie panels and all of them are simply instructions to buy a frame and putting the wallpaper inside. That is not a DIY project- that’s a simple assembly- lol. So this project will be actually making a bamboo frame and how to mount and hang the chinoiserie panels.

Here’s my inspiration image. A set of two beautiful chinoiserie prints that have been framed in gold bamboo frames.

I also made a my sketch of how I’d like my framed chinoiserie panels to turn out.

how to make framed chinoiserie panels

Let’s start with the video tutorial so you get an overview on what I did. Then, I’ll dive in with more details below:

If the video doesn’t work here, you can watch it on YouTube here. It’d mean so much if you’d watch the video! I’m trying to get better at my video skills so I can grow my YouTube channel. If you have a few minutes to watch this and/or subscribe, I’d so appreciate it.

SUPPLIES

Tools

step 1- cut boards

Start by cutting the mounting board for backing the Chinoiserie prints and the moulding that will make up the frame.

First, we cut two OSB Boards to 18-1/2″x38-1/2″. The prints are 18×38 so we went a 1/2″ bigger so that we don’t cover too much of the art up once it’s framed. To cut the board we used a Circular Saw with a Rip Cut Circular Saw Guide. A table saw would also work. Or having the boards cut at the hardware store is another alternative.

Next, use a Miter Saw to cut the Corner Moulding to fit around the board with a mitered edge. This moulding will cover the ugly sides of the board to give a more polished look.

Cut 4 pieces to 18-3/4″ and then cut 4 pieces to 38-3/4″. Make sure to cut the pieces a little long before dry fitting them on the board to make sure they’ll fit nicely around the sides.

For the last set of cuts, use the Miter Saw again to cut the Half Round Moulding. This moulding will be how we make the bamboo look for the top of the frame. Cut 4 pieces to 18-3/4″ and then cut 4 pieces to 38-3/4″. Make sure to cut the pieces a little long before dry fitting them on the board to make sure they’ll fit perfectly on top of the corner moulding.

step 2- mount hanging hardware and chinoiserie prints

Next, on the back of the board, mount the hanging hardware. Since I’m using a heavy board, I’m using two of these D-Ring Hanger on each frame. They are rated to hold 30 lbs.- which is more than enough. If using a lighter board, a saw-tooth hanger mounted at the top in the center would work too.

To attach the hardware, place the D-ring hanger approximately 1/3 of the way down the back of the frame. We mounted ours 12″ down and 2″ over.

After screwing the d-rings in, the screws came through the wood a little. So we used our Dremel to cut them off.

And just like that, we have a way to hang the frames!

And now that the boards are prepped, it’s time to attach the chinoiserie prints. My prints are a very thick canvas so they nicely cover the texture of the OSB plywood. If using a thin paper, it’d be better to use a smooth plywood for the backer boards.

To attach the chinoiserie paper to the board, use Wallpaper Paste. Apply it to the board liberally with a paint brush. Once the paste is on, place the print on the board. Use a wet rag to remove any paste that may have gotten on the print.

step 3- make the bamboo trim

The thing that makes this project so special is the the DIY bamboo trim! I first tested the method of using half round moulding and creating a bamboo look with wood filler on this console and was so excited that it actually worked! Now, let’s make bamboo trim to use for the chinoiserie panel frame!

To make the bamboo trim, first find an old card (a plastic credit card or library card works great). Use a drill with 5/32″ drill bit on it. I turned on the drill and my husband held the card up to it to create two small half circle indents next to each other. You could use scissors too, but this was more precise and round. This makes a little tool to create bamboo trim!

Mark the cut half round pieces of wood where the bamboo details will go. I found that it works best to mark the back (the flat area) so it’s visible on the next step. For the short pieces, I marked 3 spots for the bamboo detail. On the long pieces, I did 5 bamboo grooves.

Next, take the half round moulding that is cut to size and use a spatula to smear Wood Filler on the wood trim where it’s marked.

Then, use the card to push against the wood filler to create the two grooves. It takes a few tries to get it right. You need to pull the card straight across the wood so it’s not crooked. Try to keep the card perpendicular to the trim. If it looks bad the first try, wipe it off and give it another shot. The wood filler has lots of workable time to get it looking good.

It’s important that the wood filler is smooth. At first, mine was more dry and chunky. For hard to work with wood filler, add a little water and stir until it is wet and smooth. This will make it much easier to work with and the result will be cleaner. Make sure to not get the wood filler too wet or it’ll be runny and not hold it’s shape.

Let the bamboo trim dry overnight (or at least 2-3 hours) so it has time to set. Once dry, use a Finger Sander to sand any rough parts so they’re smooth.

step 4- paint and attach the trim

Wipe the bamboo trim so it’s clean and then paint it. For painting, I decided I wanted a gold look so I took all the trim outside to spray paint it. Make sure to paint the corner moulding and the bamboo moulding. Apply thin, multiple coats to get good coverage.

Once dry, I brought them inside and got so excited! The bamboo trim all painted looks so good and high end!

Next, take Construction Adhesive and glue the corner moulding on top of the wallpaper and to the side of the board.

Have a wet paper towel handy in case any of the construction adhesive seeps out the sides.

Use clamps to hold the corner moulding to the board. Some of my boards were not totally straight so I needed the clamps to keep them in the right place. Let the trim dry overnight.

Once the trim is dry, use construction adhesive to attach the bamboo trim on top of the corner moulding. This finishes up the frame and looks so good! I didn’t need clamps to hold this trim in place. It was dry in a few hours.

If any of the gold frame needs touched up, spray paint a paper plate and use that paint to do touch-ups with a small artist’s brush.

Finally, hang the art on the wall. We used anchors and screws to securely hang it.

step 5- fix mistakes

So, above is the right way to do it. But on one of the frames, I did it wrong. So I thought I’d share that so you can avoid it!

Right after I was done gluing the corner moulding on, I waited 10 minutes, took the clamps off, and glued on the bamboo trim. Well, because the bottom trim wasn’t set, It came off the frame and I had to clamp everything. It didn’t hold correctly (which was frustrating), so we used nails to attach the trim.

The clamps left marks on the trim and then there was holes from the nails. So I filled the holes with wood filler, let that dry and then sanded. Then I touched up the paint.

So that all took much more hands on time than just waiting for the glue to dry. Plus it was scary that I’d mess up the whole thing after such a good start! I thought I’d share so you can have a smoother time. Plan 3 days to make this project. It’s not a tricky one, but waiting for everything to dry is worth it.

after

I LOVE, love how the framed Chinoiserie panels turned out! I think they look expensive and high end.

Plus they add so much interest to my bedroom!

I wish that I’d had space to do two really long and big panels (my light switch made it so that isn’t possible). But you could easily make them bigger or smaller based on how much space you have!

I’m so glad I went with a gold frame. Between the metallic and the bamboo detail it feels very much like my inspiration picture.

One other thing I wish is that my panels could hang right next to each other. Most of the walls in my house are full, so this was the only spot I have to hang these. I still love it, but it’ll look even better to have them hanging right next to each other.

price breakdown

I thought I’d give a cost breakdown for how much it cost to make these framed Chinoiserie panels. The Prints were gifted to me by Diane Hill. They are absolutely gorgeous and I definitely recommend them! They come in a few colors and lots of sizes. so you can customize them for your space. I’d recommend getting the canvas prints for this project.

I had Wallpaper Paste, Gold Spray Paint and Wood Filler on hand. The D-Ring Hangers cost $3.50. For the OSB Board, that cost $10. Construction Adhesive also cost $10.

The moulding came to $30 for the Corner Moulding and $21 for the Half Round Moulding.

In total, I spent $75 on the frames/board/hardware for both of the framed Chinoiserie panels. Which I think is a great deal because custom framing would be much more! Probably $300 for a frame this big.

In conclusion, if you like the look of framed chinoiserie panels, you can make them yourself! I’d consider this a medium level project with cutting the trim the trickiest part. I am obsessed with how they turned out! This is such a pretty look and spending a few days making the frames was definitely worth it!

Let me know if you have any questions in the comments. How do you think they turned out?

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Comments

Tammie McIntire says

July 14, 2023 at 11:58 am

I love a good DIY project and these are just too cute!! I love how they turned out. Thank you for your honesty, I fail even beginner DIY projects and usually have to call the carpet cleaners after haha. I’m sure I’ll have to try these out! Thanks!!