5 projects

Are you tired of looking at the same walls? How about a simple makeover for less than $100 that can transform your entire room?

we are reaching out to more than just the sign installation industry. Every day, more and more small business owners and even home owners are calling us looking for help with their projects. These 5 projects are fairly simple for anyone with limited handyman skills. If you can use a cordless drill, read a tape measure and use a level then for the most part you can pretty much tackle any of these projects. Here are our "5 Projects for under $100."

Mirror Mounting with Edge Grip Standoffs

Glass Photo Mounting with Edge Grip Standoffs

Art Work Hanging Systems

Floating Glass Shelves

3 - Wall Mounted Acrylic Display Kits.

 

1. Mirror Mounting with Edge Grip Standoffs.

- Do you have a mirror in your bath or foyer that can use a facelift? Or how about some wall space that needs some freshening up? A mirror is not only practical in that it provides that last check before you leave the room or walk out the door but it can also increase the perceived size of a room. And one of the easiest ways to mount a glass sheet mirror is with Edge Grip Standoffs.

Our standoffs come in a variety of colors and sizes but for today's project we are going to be using our 1/2" diameter and 1/2" tall Stainless Steel Adjustable Edge Grip in the Satin Brushed finish. They are $2.50 each and we recommend using 4 ($10 total).

You can purchase your mirror from any glass supply house. We found that a 32" x 60" x 1/4" plate glass mirror goes for about $80.

You will need 4 screws and anchors for your installation. They are $0.52 each ($2.08)

To complete this project, you just decide where you want your mirror and strike a level line on the wall at the bottom of the mirror and the top. Then about a foot in from the edge run your anchors into the wall directly on the line. This is important. You have to get your anchor to screw in so the center is as close to the line as possible. If you don't get them in the same place on the line that is how much your mirror will be crooked. Then all you do is screw your standoffs into the anchors, lift the mirror into place and secure it with the other half of the edge grip standoff and tighten it with your allen wrench. Thats it! Wipe off the finger prints and you have a beautiful installation.

Items

32" X 60" X 1/4" Mirror $80

4 - 1/2" Stainless Steel Edge Grips $10

4 - Screw and anchor $2.08

Tools

Cordless drill with #2 phillips tip.

Tape Measure

3 foot Level

Pencil

Allen wrench

2. Glass Photo Mounting

- One of the more eye catching ways to display family photos or captured memories is to have your images printed on glass or acrylic. But once you have it printed, most companies provide you a block of acrylic with a groove in it as a mounting device to set on a desk. They have the right idea but they just don't take it far enough.

If you really want to make your photos have impact, mount them on the wall with edge grip standoffs if you do not want or are not able to drill through the product. If you can drill the product then any of our standoffs will work perfect. And for those of you that want that "floating off the wall" look, we have our z-clips so that you can't see the mounting at all.

Going with the most simple approach we suggest our edge grip standoffs. Simply decide where you want your image, draw your level lines, drill your anchors into the wall and run your screws through the barrel of your standoff into the anchor. Place the support into the barrel and place your art in the slot, tighten the device, tighten the set screw and you are done! Step back and enjoy your art!

And if you really want a lot of impact, use some LED lighting behind your piece or some accent lighting from above to really make it stand out.

There are 2 styles of photos on glass. One is a direct print on the glass itself. This provides some really great results if you are going to do accent lighting to your piece. The drawback is that the colors are sacraficed to a degree because they are printed on a transparent medium. It makes the colors somewhat softer. For this process we found Masterpix. Masterpix uses the now famous Corning® Gorilla® Glass. It is very durable and can take some abuse.

The other style is to print the image on a material such as paper or foil and then sandwich it between 2 pieces of acrylic. This provides the most virant and true colors but inhibits the transparency of the work to a degree. So if your goal is to light the piece then the former might be a better choice. For this process we found Bumblejax in Seattle. For our under $100 project, you can get a 12x9, 12x8 or a 7x7 piece.

 

4 - 1/2" Stainless Steel Edge Grips $10

4 - Screw and anchor $2.08

Tools

Cordless drill with #2 phillips tip.

Tape Measure

3 foot Level

Pencil

Allen wrench

Cost of Additional Material.

12x9 $85

12x8 $79

7x7 $49

3. Artwork Hanging Systems

- Do you want a different way to display your existing art? How about our Art Hanging Systems? Traditionally, you had to find a stud in the wall to pound a nail into to hang the picture wire on. Then you had to slide the picture back and forth to find the point of balance so the picture sat level. How many times have you seen pictures not level or off center? Does that drive you crazy? What if that stud doesn't put the art right where you want it? What if you put the nail too low? It is a nightmare!

Haven't we come a long way since then? With art hanging systems, you can mount your art anywhere on the wall and have it perfectly level and never get out of level again. Eliminate all that grief with our art hanging system. These systems consist of a rail that is mounted at the ceiling. There are even models that fit behind mouldings so it is almost completely invisible. From the rails hang wires that have specific ends that fit snugly into a track in the bottom of the rail. Suspended on these cables are adjustable hooks that support your art. You can move these cables anywhere along the rail and the hooks anywhere along the cable. Allowing you complete freedom of where you mount your piece.

The parts we've assembled for this project go beyond the minimum and still keep us under the $100 goal. For $100 we can actually get 2 6 ft rails, 2 sets of cables and 2 sets of hooks so you can hang 2 pieces of art. More can be added but this really gets you into these quality systems at an affordable price. Buy a few more sets of hooks and you can really make a photo or art wall.

Rail

Cables

Hooks

Screws

Anchors

Tools

Cordless drill with #2 phillips tip.

Tape Measure

3 foot Level

Pencil

Allen wrench

Step Ladder

4. Floating Glass Shelves

- Suspended glass shelving has been used for decades by the most luxurious of merchants to display their products. They choose these systems as much for what they don't offer as what they do. These glass shelf systems are very discreet in appearance and make the items you're displaying the center of attention. We are offering our Aluminum 3 Shelf kit that ordinarily sells for $118.23 for the LOW PRICE OF ONLY $99 when you call in and mention this blog.

Our 3 Shelf system includes everything you need for your system except the mounting hardware. It includes the 4 cables that mount from ceiling to floor, the 3 tempered glass shelves and the 12 horizontal supports for to hold the shelves.

The installation of this kit is the most ambitious but it can also be one of the most rewarding. One of the key considerations when choosing your place to mount this system is what the screws will anchor into. The easy solution would be to just run anchors into the ceiling but this is not recommended. The reason is that the cables that hold the shelves are under tension and they support the weight of the system and the items on the shelves. Although the cables are able to support 50 lbs each, when mounted into drywall that will be your weakest link. With any significant weight, the anchors can rip right out of the drywall.

To avoid this you need to anchor the cables into the solid wood structure of your ceiling. This means finding the joists and, of course, they most likely will not be exactly where you need them. If this is the case, then you need to put a spanner across the joists so that you have something to run the screws into. This means you need to get up into the attic. But first, get the exact location of where you want your shelf system to be and drill holes in the ceiling so you know exactly where you need to add any supports.

Once you have the top anchored into the ceiling you then stretch the cables to the floor, cut any excess cable and mount them like you did in the ceiling but into the floor. Place your shelf supports on the cables and then place your shelves on the supports and you are ready to display your items.

MBS Products

Floating Glass Shelves Kits (The Aluminum Shelf Kit is priced at $99 when you mention this post. Must call for this pricing and mention blog. (813) 938-6025 )

Tools

Cordless drill with #2 phillips tip.

Tape Measure

3 foot Level

Pencil

Allen wrench

Step Ladder

5. For our final "Under $100" projects we use 3 of our Wall Mounted Edge Grip Kits that come with 4 standoffs and the acrylic too! These kits go for $25 so you can get 3 kits for a nice display on your wall for less than $100 and still have enough left over to get your photos printed to put in the display! Plus enough for a cup of coffee too!

These kits are great for displays of news articles, photos, awards, anything you wish to display with pride.

These are simple to mount and even easier to change your items you display.

Simply choose where you want to mount your display. Mark with a pencil the center of where your standoff will be. This is where you must drill in your anchor. Remember, if you do not get this exact that is how much your piece will be crooked.

Screw in your anchor, screw in your barrel, mount your acrylic and your art, close your display and repeat 2 more times. Then step back and enjoy your handwork!. And don't worry if you get bored easily. You can change our your items in just a minute.

MBS Products

Wall Mount Edge Grip Kit

Tools

Cordless drill with #2 phillips tip.

Tape Measure

3 foot Level

Pencil

Allen wrench