I decided a while back that I wanted to do a travel theme in our guest bedroom/basement after I had seen lots of cute ideas on Pinterest. Since we have big empty walls in the basement, I had my heart set on covering the wall above our couch/bed with a large vintage hanging map. I figured it would be fun if visitors could also sign their name on it as proof of their visit. Many years from now, it will be nice to see just how many friends and family members we’ve had come and stay with us.
I looked up several tutorials on creating a DIY hanging map before combining a few of them to make my own. It turned out to be pretty easy and really affordable.
Here’s how I did it:
Materials:
- Map (I purchased this large Rand Mcnally US Wall Map in 50″ x 32″ for only $10.17 on Amazon)
- 4 pieces of 3/4″ wood trim with rounded edges, cut 4″ longer than your map (54″ in my case)
- Wood Glue
- Upholstery Tacks
- Screw-in eye hooks
- Hammer
- Clamps
- Baker’s Twine or string for hanging map
Instructions:
1. Lay your map facedown on the backside of one of your pieces of trim. Center it so that there is a 2″ overhang of trim on either end. Mark on the trim with pencil where your map will sit, then remove the map and cover your trim with wood glue.
2. Lay your map down according to your markings and then lay another piece of trim on top (you may want to add a little more glue on top of the map before placing your second trim down). Your map will now be sandwiched between your two pieces of trim.
3. Hammer tacks into the backside of your trim to secure all 3 pieces together. I put mine in every 5 or 6 inches.
4. Clamp your trim on either end and let dry about 30 minutes. Wipe up any excess glue that has seeped out.
5. Remove clamps and repeat process on other end of map.
6. Screw eye hooks into top end of map trim, measuring and placing them where you think looks best. I placed each of mine about 1/3 of the into my trim.
7. Tie baker’s twine or other string to eye hooks and hang map.
To hang my map, I screwed a hook into the wall. I also added a “Where are you visiting from?” sign printed on kraft paper so guests know to add their name & date in the appropriate place on the map. I am using a dry erase marker because the map is laminated and it can easily be erased if I ever feel like using the map in another room of the house or for another purpose.
I love how much of the wall it takes up and it’s a great statement piece in our guest room!
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