Making a Secret Painting Door

Since the day we moved in about a year ago, there's been a gaping hole in the wall of my office. Having an access door to our crawlspace storage has sure been convenient, however, it's very unsightly. Not to mention a little creepy...

This set us on a quest to find a concealment solution.

One day while walking through IKEA, my wife came up with a brain-storm: we can cover the hole with a picture! We settled on the Mona Lisa because of it's compatible size, plus it has a very "National Treasure" / "Davinci Code" vibe to it :) This project only took a few hours to complete and was less than $60.

Materials:

• (x4) - 1 in. x 2 in. x 8 ft Wood - $2.22 ea. Home Depot
• (x2) - 1 in. x 4 in. x 8 ft.Wood - $4.54 ea. Home Depot
• (x1) - 1-1/16 in. x 30 in. Oil-Rubbed Bronze Continuous Hinge - $7.98 Home Depot
• (x1) - 3/4 in. x 1-1/8 in. Oil-Rubbed Bronze Hook and Staple - $3.88 Home Depot
• (x1) - BJÖRKSTA Picture, Mona Lisa30 ¾ x 46 ½ " - $30 - IKEA

Tools:

• Drill
• Tape Measure
• Level
• Wood Glue
• Mitre Saw
• Brad/Finish Nailer
• Staple Gun
• KREG Pocket Hole Jig (Optional)

To make this project, I decided to use two basic frames. One frame to mount to the wall, and the other to mount the painting. I used a compound sliding mitre saw, but you could just as easily use any other mitre saw (power or otherwise).

If you want to use the same painting I did, here are the outer dimensions I used - 32 3/4" x 47 3/4"

Wall Mount Frame

Using the 1 x 2 boards, I cut:

• 2 @ 32 3/4"
• 2 @ 47 3/4"
• Mitre angle is 45 deg.

Once the boards are cut, I applied a small amount of wood glue to the joints and secured them with my brad nailer. I used one staple on the joint also, just to be extra secure.

Picture Frame

Using the 1 x 2 boards, I cut and glued the exact same way as the wall mount frame. You basically make two identical frames.

For the picture frame, however, I added crossbar support using the 1 x 4 boards. I simply measured them to fit the inside of the frame and secured them using pocket hole screws. You don't technically need to use pocket hole screws for this part, but it makes it much easier if you do.

At this point, you should have two identical frames, one hollow and the other with cross board support.

The next step is to "build" the painting.

Take your cross bar frame lay it on the back side of the painting canvas.

Double check to make sure the frame is centered.

Take your staple gun and begin folding the extra canvas around the frame, stapling in place as you go. Start stapling on the flat edges, then fold the corners in, just like wrapping a present.

Be sure the keep stretching the canvas tight! You don't want any saggy or wrinkly areas once it's mounted.

This canvas from IKEA has numbers on the back, indicating the order of where to staple. This will ensure it is evenly stretched.

You should now have 1 frame, and 1 painting. Ready for mounting!

Now for the final assembly.

Attach the mounting frame to the wall

Attach the wooden frame to the wall, around the doorway.

I used 1 1/2" screws to attach the frame to studs. I would imagine any doorway such as this will have studs framing it, but if there are none for some reason you may need to get creative with your mounting method.

Make sure to use your level here, no one wants a permanently crooked painting on their wall ;)

I then painted the frame to match the wall color, this helped it blend in better.

Mount the Painting / Secret Passage Door

This part will require an assistant (wife/kid/neighbor/dog).

Have your assistant hold the painting in place, flush with the mounting frame.

Put the hinge on whichever side you want, and screw affix it with the included screws. The center of the hinge should be aligned with the gap between the two frames.

Test your secret door to make sure it opens and closes smoothly.

Once it's working well, attach the latch to the other side of the painting door.

You now have a secret door that will be the envy of Robert Langdon :)