DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial
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Easy DIY TV Frame Tutorial for Vintage-Inspired Look

DIY vintage TV frame tutorial for Samsung Frame TV. Follow this step-by-step tutorial to create a lightweight, easy-to-remove frame that fits over your Samsung Frame TV.

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Adding a vintage-inspired frame to your Samsung Frame TV is easier and cheaper than you think! 

When The Frame TV came out a few years ago, I was amazed at how far technology had come!

For those who loath the big black box hanging off the wall, we can now have the best of both worlds. The convenience of movie night curled up on the couch and an aesthetic piece of art throughout the day!

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How Does The Frame TV Work?

The Frame TV has something called Art Mode. With the tap of the power button, instead of the TV shutting off, a beautiful photo of a piece of art appears. 

I never imagined we would own a Frame TV simply because they are pretty expensive. However, with the fantastic Black Friday sales last year, Jordan and I decided to gift it to each other for Christmas. 

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

Is The Frame TV Worth the Money?

Now hear me out, the frame TV is a big splurge, however I view it as an investment piece for our home.

The first thing you see walking in our front door is the living room fireplace, and the only logical spot for our TV is also above the fireplace. Our old TV protruding off the wall put a damper on the aesthetics of the room.

The Frame TV has solved a big problem for those who don’t want to sacrifice beautiful things for the convenience of having the TV in your living room.

To me, it was well worth the money!

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

Building Our Frame TV Frame

The Frame TV comes in black, white, or natural wood, and they also have many frames you can purchase to customize the look.

These are at least $300 tacked onto the already hefty price of the Frame TV.

I’ve seen people all over social media building frames, so I knew we could create our own DIY vintage TV frame tutorial.

Building a wood frame saves so much money and is one of the best ways to personalize the look you want.

My goal was to create a vintage-inspired aesthetic, so I found this decorative molding at Lowes, which looks very similar to one of my vintage mirrors.

Lowes seemed to have a better selection than Home Depot. A local hardware store may have some unique options too.

To achieve a vintage gold frame look, I used Rub’N’Buff, which worked perfectly.

This was a fairly easy DIY although I recommend taking it slow and paying attention to your measurements!

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

How Can I Make My Regular TV Look Like a Frame TV?

If you can’t/don’t want to splurge for a real frame TV, adding a custom frame to any smart TV should work too, although I have not personally tried it.

A custom TV frame plus a clever Youtube Art Hack (keep reading!) is a great way to improve the look of your space without buying a Fame TV. 

 DIY vintage TV frame tutorial.

Youtube TV Art Hack

Before we had a Frame TV I used the Youtube Art Hack to fake a Frame TV look.

Here’s how to do it.

Using the Youtube app on your smart TV, search Vintage Art For Your TV. Select a video and Viola! A video of about ten vintage photos run for hours at a time, this way your screen won’t time out. Now you have your own frame TV look without the splurge!

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

Materials

Tools

  • Measuring tape and pencil
  • Miter saw or Miter box (hand saw required for this option.)
  • Brad Nailer / Nail gun 
  • Corner clamp/clamps (optional)
  • Paint Brush (optional)

Step 1: Measure and Cut Base Frame Pieces

The base frame fits directly around the front of the frame and holds the decorative molding in place. 

We decided to miter the corners of the base frame; however, since the base frame is not very visible, I wish we had skipped the mitering and opted for a butt-frame design instead. It would have been way easier to assemble it and make adjustments.

Measure the outside perimeter of the Frame TV and cut 1×2 trim pieces to the required size, either straight cuts or miter cuts. Sand down the rough edges with 220 grit sandpaper. 

TIPS:

  • I measured precisely to a 1/16th of an inch, so our frame fits quite snugly around the TV. If I did it again, I would give myself some wiggle, so it would be easier to get on and off. 
  • Note: The sensor for the frame TV is on the bottom of the frame to the right. Initially, I forgot to include this in my measurement, so we cut a little chunk out of the 1×2 to accommodate this. We have had no issues with the sensor when covered by the frame.

Step 2: Assemble Base Frame

Use a square tool to ensure each corner is at a 90-degree angle. A 90 degree angle clamp would have been amazing for assembling this project. I only have regular clamps, so we made those work. I clamped the pieces to a table and added a few brad nails to each corner.

After checking that the frame fits around the TV, I added corner brackets to stabilize the whole base frame. 

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

Step 3: Measure and Cut the Decorative Molding

The decorative molding will cover the face of the TV frame.

Start by carefully measuring the inside dimensions of the TV frame. Make one measurement and one cut at a time to avoid mistakes.

Set your miter saw to a 45-degree angle. Most miter saws have a scale or a knob to adjust the angle. Alternatively, a miter box works as well.

Make 45-degree cuts to the decorative frame with a miter box, or miter saw.

45-degree cuts can be confusing, so measure and cut one piece at a time and double-check each cut for accuracy. 

Keep in mind that the cut will always be angling away from the mark you made, so you will end up with a longer piece of molding than you measured for.

Repeat this process until you have four pieces (two long and two short) with 45-degree angles at the ends.

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

Step 4: Attach Decorative Molding to Base Frame

Lay out the trim pieces over the base frame. Moving clockwise, use a square tool to ensure each corner is at a 90-degree angle. Add only one brad nail to each molding piece to hold it in place while still allowing movement to adjust the other corners.

After the molding is attached, before adding more brad nails, test it on the frame TV again to make sure it is all level and fully covering the the TV frame.

Once you are happy with the fit, add more brad nails to secure the decorative molding to the base frame.

Step 5: Fill Nail Holes & Sand

Fill nail holes and any gaps with wood filler. Allow it to completely dry, then sand with 220 grit sandpaper.

DIY Vintage TV Frame Tutorial

Step 6: Paint or Stain the Frame

Now comes the fun part – giving your frame a vintage look! 

I drew inspiration from some of the vintage gold frames and mirrors I have purchased over the years. 

I decided to try Rub’N’Buff for the first time, and wow, this stuff is amazing! It goes on so easily, covers well, and dries quickly.

I used a combination of Antique Gold, Grecian Gold, and Gold Leaf. It is not necessary to use all these colors, but I think it might have given some dimension. If you want an antique look, the Antique Gold is great!

Allow the paint or stain to dry completely.

Step 7: Attach Command Strips

Our frame sits very snugly to the actual frame of the TV and isn’t going anywhere. Use command strips to secure it in place if you have some wiggle room.

Ensure that they are evenly spaced to align with the edges of your Samsung Frame TV.

Step 8: Add art!

Now to add art that makes your Frame TV look like a real painting!

The Samsung art subscription has tons of classic and famous digital art that gives a beautiful vintage look. If you want to find more unique ditital art, Etsy has some great options. Here are a few of my favorite shops that I have purchased from.

Building your own custom frame for the Frame TV is an affordable way add a vintage-inspired aesthetic to your space. Overall, this was a relatively easy project to complete and makes such a big impact! Drop a comment below if you tried this DIY vintage tv frame tutorial!

Some More DIY’s for You to Try

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4 Comments

    1. Hi there! Mine is a vintage find from Facebook Marketplace, but I just added a link to something similar on the “Shop the Post” widget towards the top of the post!

  1. Hi there! Love this frame and the art! Would you mind sharing link to which Etsy store you purchased this dog art from?

    1. Hi Christina! Under the Art section there is a widget to shop some art picks including the dog art! In case that doesn’t work for you I added an extra shop widget towards the top of the post titled “Shop the Post”, hope this helps!