How To Make A Puzzle Part Of Your Home Decor
Puzzles are more than just fun pastime activities. They can also be very beautiful or interesting. Nowadays, you can find a puzzle that creates an image of just about anything. Nature scenes, sports teams, animals, movies, classic paintings -– anything you can imagine has probably been made into a puzzle. Or, if it hasn't, you could always create a custom design. This would give you the opportunity to create one that looks like your favorite photograph, per Create Jigsaw Puzzles.
However, once puzzles have been put together, they are typically taken apart again and placed right back in the box. And while some people find comfort in repetition, putting together the same design over and over again can get tiresome. Not only that, perhaps you really enjoy the look of your puzzle and want to preserve it. If this is the case, you could transform it into a beautiful piece of home décor. This could be added to a gallery wall for an eclectic look. The best way to preserve a puzzle is by gluing it together to be hung on the wall. Or, you could transform it into a number of other unique art pieces.
Preserving a puzzle
The best way to preserve a puzzle is by gluing it together to turn it into wall art. Before beginning to put together the puzzle, lay down a piece of wax or parchment paper, per Ceaco. This will keep the glue from seeping onto your table or other surfaces. Alternatively, you could use newspaper, but be aware that this will most likely stain the back of your puzzle.
Inner Piece says that you'll need puzzle glue or mod podge and a putty knife or brush. Springbok points out that a piece of cardboard or a business card could also be used to spread the glue. Once you've put together the puzzle, make sure that the surface is clean and free from any dust. You could also roll it with a rolling pin to ensure it's perfectly flat. Then, you can apply and spread the glue. Don't use too much, though, because it could damage the surface of the pieces. After smoothing out any globs, wipe away excess glue with a paper towel or a cloth and allow to dry for at least 20 minutes. You can add another layer of glue if needed. Once the surface has dried, you could pry off the wax or parchment paper with a ruler or a spatula, but you don't have to.
Different décor options
The most popular way to display a preserved puzzle is to hang it on the wall. To do this, you could either frame the piece or mount it to a backer board. Framing it is as simple as finding the right-sized frame and placing it inside. To mount it, you'll first place the glued puzzle on a backer board and then trace around it, per Springbok. Cut along the tracing, spray the adhesive or apply the glue, and lay the puzzle on the backer board. You could use a rolling pin to ensure it sticks before letting it dry. If you don't want to glue your completed puzzle together but still want to show it off, you could put together the puzzle on a coffee table and lay glass over it. This would give you a flexible way to display the design. If you want to put it back in the box later on, you can just remove the glass and take it apart.
Home, Garden and Homestead says that you could also create art out of loose pieces. This is a great way to transform a puzzle that's missing pieces. You could glue loose pieces together to frame a photo or a mirror. A fun way to get the kids involved could be to have them make art out of loose pieces glued onto a painting of a tree to provide the appearance of unique leaves.