Making my computer monitor cuter: Easy DIY framing with scissors and some peel & stick moulding

Remember this post?

• Remote worker’s guide to a zen office and desk: Part 6 – Hiding a Monitor Front Frame and Back + Monitor Arms + Risers + Laptop Holders + Stands

I talked about framing your monitor, or basically hiding how ugly it is (among other things to do with laptops and monitors).

To recap this is how you can disguise your monitor frame

1. Vinyl wrap the frame – I hated this option because you can see the seam lines and it looks like a DIY job
2. Get an actual picture frame to hang on it – might be too heavy to stay on depending on how your monitor is structured (like mine, my frame is too thin)
3. Spray the monitor frame – more work that I am willing to put in
4. Get frame moulding and create your own picture frame for it – Like the wood frame moulding for walls
5. In the same vein as #4 – Get flexible peel & stick frame moulding and cut it to size and stick it on – DING DING DING!!!

I went with option #6 because the portable monitor I am currently using – 4K 18″ Portable monitor like this one – has a thin frame that is actually not even all around (the top is thinner than the other 3 sides).

I managed to find flexible moulding just like this but already pre-coloured gold (I didn’t want to also spray paint anything), in a nice sort of 3D look, and got to work.

BEFORE

AFTER

THE PROCESS

USE PROPER CUTTING TOOLS (UNLIKE ME) TO AVOID WASTE

I bought 5 meters, and thank goodness I did because I sure screwed it up when cutting it.

Ideally, you should absolutely use a table saw, or something heavy duty to cut the moulding.

I had none of that available to me.

I had safety scissors and a prayer I could get it right.

I started by measuring it out ….

…and cutting 4 strips a little larger than what I needed to give myself some wiggle room:

And thinking I could just angle it right and cut it properly at 45-degree angles.

LOL.. NOPE.

With safety scissors borrowed from my son’s desk, you can’t cut a straight, perfect 45-degree angled line because the scissors move (a knife or Exacto-knife would have been better), and I ended up ruining some of the gold on the top which shows the white underneath, or doesn’t look like a neat, flush edge.

I present to you:

Wonky, ugly EDGES THAT drove me crazy each time I looked at it

After wasting about 2 meters of it (you can always cut down more but you can’t put back what you cut off!), I finally got the hang of it.

I was wasting a lot because I would cut one edge, then try to join it up withe the other edge that wasn’t a perfect 45-degree edge, or showed too much of the white underneath, etc, etc.

What it SHOULD look like

(I mean, as best as I could do it with safety scissors)

 

And the frame moulding since it is meant for walls, is easy to peel off the. frame if you ever want to resell it or get rid of the frame.

The back looks like this (you can see how the top part of the monitor is actually a smidge thinner than the moulding itself, which fits perfectly everywhere else), but it doesn’t bother me because the sticky bit is stuck on the frame and not sticking out, and can travel nicely.

It looks SO GOOD now.

It was worth all the hassle, swearing as bits of moulding went flying off behind my dresser making a mess all over my floor.

And done.

I will definitely be doing this to all of my future monitor screens. I was thinking that if I had a thicker frame that could withstand a bit more weight, I would buy a picture frame and then attach it to the monitor with velcro strips so I could easily remove it as needed.

More posts on how to beautify your workspace:

• Series: Cosy + Minimalist Aesthetic Desk Setups

Enjoy!