BROWSE HOW TOs

How to Brighten Up Old Picture Frames

By eHow Home & Garden Editor

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Pictures and picture frames are a great way to express one's personal style and accent room decor while memorializing special family moments and remembering loved ones. When time and dust take their toll, however, you can find ways to brighten and spruce up old picture frames that have lost their luster. Here are some suggestions to help you brighten up old picture frames.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Step1

Wash them first. Remove pictures from frames and dust the pictures off thoroughly. Soak the frames and glass in warm, soapy dishwater and wash them gently to remove dust and dirt. After drying with a paper towel, use window cleaner to clean the glass fronts of the frames. Replace glass pieces in the frames carefully to avoid leaving smudges or fingerprints.

Step2

Change the pictures. Sometimes picture frames look dull and aged simply because they have been in the same spot with the same picture in them for a long period of time. Take several picture frames that are the same size and switch the pictures inside the frames. Giving the frames a new picture will change the entire appearance of the frame.

Step3

Move frames. After cleaning them, rearrange your picture frames and try putting them in new locations. Attach hangers to the backs of frames that are currently standing on a bookcase or mantel and give them a spot on the wall instead. Take several frames of varying sizes, colors and shapes and cluster them together to form a picture collage.

Step4

Paint them. Visit the craft store and find some craft paint that matches the decor of the room where your pictures are displayed. After removing pictures and glass display panels, paint frames a new color. Giving them a new color or even brightening up their current color with a new coat of paint will make them look like new, and it will also make the picture inside the frame come alive.

Step5

Use decoupage. Using decoupage glue and appliqués, add accents to plain frames to give them an updated look. Find appliqués and accents that remind you of the occasion depicted in the picture frame and use them to complement the picture. If the occasion was a birthday or Christmas party, add red and green glitter or miniature party hats and the age of the person celebrating the birthday. Decoupage will incorporate the frame into the picture and make the frame look brand new.