How to Frame a Puzzle Without Glue?

Have you ever completed a puzzle so good that you wanted to frame it? If so, then you would be delighted to know that you can do so at home. In fact, you don’t even need any tools for this purpose. Plus, if you don’t want to make a mess while doing so, you can avoid using glue altogether. This post will guide you how you can do so.

Puzzles are a fun and interesting way for all kinds of people, and they also help children in developing their mental capabilities and problem-solving skills. There are several types of puzzles out there, but jigsaw puzzles are the most popular among them. The practice of framing puzzles has also been around since quite a few decades.

Puzzles were first introduced in the 18th century by a London mapmaker named John Spilsbury, and this started a new trend among adults and children. Soon after, jigsaw puzzles were highly popular all over the world, and this also led to the creation of bigger and more intricate puzzles. Over time, people also started preserving their favorite puzzles by getting them framed, and thanks to the DIY trend, they could also do it at home.

Steps to Frame a Puzzle Without Glue

Jigsaw puzzles are incredibly fun to solve, and you can also preserve them by framing them. They would also reflect your personal achievement and be a nice addition to your home décor. You don’t even have to use glue to keep the puzzle in place. Let’s have a look at the steps you should follow.

Assembling the Puzzle Pieces

The first step is to put the puzzle pieces together. Make sure to assemble them on a cardboard sheet that is slightly larger than the dimensions of them puzzle. Make sure that the cardboard is durable and stiff, because you will have to flip the entire puzzle without breaking it apart. It is ideal to have an extra set of hands to help you in assembling and flipping the puzzle.

Sticking the Pieces Together

The next step is to stick the pieces together, so that they don’t start to fall apart when you try to frame the puzzle. Luckily, you don’t have to use glue and make a mess. All you need is some tape to put the pieces together, and you can use duct tape or painters’ tape for this purpose. Aside from glue, tape is the best way to hold the puzzle pieces in place.

With your puzzle lying face-down on the cardboard, start by placing the tape along the lines where the puzzle pieces meet. Once the backside of the puzzle is fully coated with tape, you can trim any tape that may be protruding from the edges of the puzzle. Now, you can flip over the puzzle to its front side without worrying about splitting it.

Buying a Frame

Now that you have successfully managed to stick the puzzle together, all you need to do is to buy a frame that is large enough to fit the puzzle easily. Since puzzles usually have a thick cardboard backing, you will need a frame that can easily accommodate the puzzle in terms of thickness too. Moreover, the puzzle should tightly fit inside the frame, so that it doesn’t have any wiggle room.

To ensure that the thickness of the frame matches that of the puzzle, you can remove one piece of the puzzle and place it inside the frame, securing it in place. This would tell you if the entire frame can fit easily in place. If the piece keeps moving around in the frame, then you can secure the entire puzzle by placing a piece a cardboard or poster board.

Framing the Puzzle

Once you have found a frame with the right size, you can take it apart by removing the frame backing and the glass. The frame backing will have a stand that is used to place the frame on a surface. Use it to place the backing upwards on the table. Then, hold the puzzle from both ends and slide it towards the frame backing. Even if the puzzle pieces come apart during this step, you can quickly put them back in place.

Next, place the frame face-down on the table, and place its glass on top of the frame backing that contains the puzzle. Hold the puzzle with the frame pieces from both sides, and place them inside the frame carefully. Then, turn the locks on the frame backing to secure the puzzle in place.

Before you hang your puzzle on a wall, make sure to protect it from sunlight and moisture. Since the puzzle pieces are made from cardboard, they can get spoiled in an environment with a lot of moisture. For this purpose, you should look for frames that have a high-quality glass to protect the puzzle from UV rays.