How to Frame a Finished Jigsaw Puzzle (Without Ruining It)

You spent twenty hours on it. It deserves better than the box. Framing a finished puzzle is easy to get right and easier to get wrong, so here's the whole process, including the two mistakes that ruin most attempts.

What you'll need

• Puzzle glue or clear-drying craft glue (puzzle-specific glue levels better).
• A foam brush or an old gift card to spread it.
• Wax paper or a cutting mat for underneath.
• Foam board or thin plywood for backing.
• A frame sized to your puzzle (measure the finished puzzle, not the box claim).

The process

• 1. Slide wax paper underneath before you glue. Skipping this glues your puzzle to the table, mistake number one.
• 2. Glue the front. Pour a small pool in the center and spread thin and even to the edges. It looks milky; it dries clear. Thin is the word: heavy glue warps pieces.
• 3. Let it dry flat for a few hours, then flip carefully and glue the back for strength.
• 4. Mount it to foam board with a thin glue layer and something flat and heavy on top overnight, mistake number two is skipping the backing and watching it sag in the frame.
• 5. Frame it. A frame with glass keeps dust off; a floating mount looks gallery-grade.

Worth framing in the first place

The puzzles that look best on a wall are the ones that look like art, which is exactly the idea behind our original-art jigsaw collection: pine landscapes, mandalas, and a golden retriever or two, drawn by us, printed in 250 to 1000 pieces. Solve it, glue it, hang it, and nobody else will ever have the same piece on their wall.