How to Make a Floating Picture Frame | A Shop-It-Yourself Build

A floating picture frame is built by sandwiching art between two acrylic sheets on a plywood backer, creating the illusion it hovers within the frame.

For the full breakdown, see our best 16X20 Floating Frame guide.

Whether you’ve seen it in a gallery or on a friend’s wall, that effect isn’t bought at a big-box store — it’s made in an afternoon with roughly $40 in hardware. The trick is that the image is never actually touching the outer frame; it’s held in place by a clear front and a solid back, which creates a shadow gap that makes the artwork float.

What You’ll Need Before You Start

For a basic build around a standard 8×10 print, gather these supplies from your local hardware store:

• One square of plywood slightly larger than your art
• Two clear acrylic squares cut to the same size
• A whitewood board for the center support
• Four hex-head bolts with matching steel spacers
• Four lock nuts
• A large D-ring hanger and screws
• Wood glue and 100-grit sandpaper

Buy acrylic pre-cut at the store or ask the lumber desk to cut sheets for you.

How to Build the Frame in Seven Steps

The photo goes between the acrylic sheets, which are bolted to a plywood base with spacers that create the depth.

1. Stack and clamp the two acrylic squares onto the plywood so all edges line up perfectly.
2. Drill your corner holes. Measure 1-1/4 inches in from each corner and drill a 5/16-inch hole straight through the acrylic and plywood. Drill slowly — going fast can crack acrylic.
3. Sand the plywood faces and edges with 100-grit to remove splinters, then wipe it clean with a dry cloth.
4. Cut and attach the support. Cut a 10-inch piece of whitewood, apply wood glue along one face, and press it to the center of the plywood’s front side. Weigh it down while it dries so the bond holds tight.
5. Center the artwork on one acrylic square, tape it in place, and lay the second acrylic square on top so the image is pinned between them.
6. Fasten everything by sliding the bolts through the corner holes, adding steel spacers between the acrylic and plywood to create the float gap, and tightening lock nuts on the back.
7. Mount the hanger by screwing a large D-ring to the back of the plywood, centered for balance.

When the art is sandwiched tight and the bolts are snug, you’ll have a rigid frame in which the image genuinely appears to hover inside the edges. This is a flat-art project, so it works for photos, prints, and poster board — not for stretched canvas.

Why Dust and Spacing Are the Real Battle

The floating illusion depends on the gap you create with those spacers — too thin and the art looks crammed; too thick and the hardware shows.

Everything looks clean under glass until it doesn’t. Wipe the acrylic down with a lint-free cloth before assembly, and inspect the artwork for dust with a direct light. Trapped debris is sealed in the moment you tighten the lock nuts, so a two-minute check saves you a full disassembly.

What to Check Before You Hang It

Before you put a nail in the wall, hold the finished frame up and sight along its edges. The two acrylic sheets should sit flush with each other — any wobble means a corner bolt is loose. Then confirm the D-ring is centered so the frame hangs straight rather than tilting toward one corner.

For a gallery-quality finish on your own build, verify the image sits square before the final bolt tightens. That’s the difference between a frame that looks professional and one that looks homemade.