DIY Beer Can Display

It’s no secret that I have major love for 16 oz beer can artwork. While Derek thinks they’re nice and all, I get a little on the geeky side when it comes to well designed beer label art. Like ‘I don’t throw the cans away’ kind of geeky. Well, I throw away duplicates but if the design is quite spectacular, I might keep a few extras. You know. Just in case I find a project for them. Guess what?! I found the perfect usage to give the artwork proper exposure and make the collection a work of art in and of itself.

I’ve been working on a beer can display concept for about 6 months. Most of the time was consumed with me collecting a wide range of specific colors and artwork styles. Some of the time was figuring out how I could make the cans look like they were free-floating on the wall and not contained in a shadow box or a bulky container. I also wanted the ability to change the beer cans out in the future.

Then I played around with the exact configuration of the display. 3 rows high? 4? 5? It wasn’t until I figured out exactly where the beer can display would go until I could answer that question. I talked Derek into having it placed above the living room TV. I didn’t have to do a lot of arm twisting. We both have an eclectic interior design style. But the height of where I wanted to hang it and how large I wanted to make it, was a bit daunting. Neither of us love heights or working on high ladders. But it was worth it. I love the final result! Especially how the beer cans look like they’re clinging to the wall.

Here’s How To Make Your Own

Supplies Needed

Empty 16 oz Beer Cans – 70 total

White Sticky Back Hook & Loop Fastener (aka Velcro): 30′ roll of 3/4″ width loop tape

White Hardboard Wall Panel

White Frame Moulding – 4 pieces

Picture Hangers

Wood Glue

4 V nails (used to secure the corners of frame moulding)

Hammer

Frame Clamp

Frame points (used to hold the panel the cans are mounted to in the frame)

Miter Saw

Scroll Saw or Circular Saw

Saw Horses

Measuring Tape

3′ Ruler

Pencil

Determine Display Size

I roughly laid out my collection of beer cans on our pool table to get a sense of how big I wanted to go. I used empty cardboard tubes from wrapping paper rolls to hold my cans in place while I figured out my layout. That way the beer cans wouldn’t roll around while trying to measure the width and height. Max was such a good helper that day making sure the beer cans stayed right where Mommy put them.

Initially, I created a 6 row tall layout. But it was entirely too large and would have overpowered the TV. While I wanted the beer can display to be a focal point in the room, I didn’t want it to be gawdy either. I scaled the layout back and instead went with 14 columns of cans wide x 5 rows of cans high for a total of 70 cans. The cans without the frame measure 36 1/2″ wide x 30 3/4″ tall.

You can most certainly make a smaller display of beer cans. Perhaps you want yours taller and not quite as wide. You decide what works best for where you’ll hang your beer can display.

Pro Tip: The weight of the final piece is another thing you have to consider before you start to actually build it. Thank goodness these beauties are lightweight but if I had gone any bigger with the beer can display, I would have had to put a support in the middle of the frame to prevent it from bowing.

Cut Wall Panel

We went to Lowes to get a thin piece of white wall panel that the beer cans would be mounted to. The front of the wall panel is smooth and slightly shiny like a white board. I wanted the frame and back board to be light and bright so the beer can artwork would be the focal point. Another advantage of the smooth, glossy surface is that the velcro sticks well to it. The panel measures approximately 4′ x 8′ so we had Lowes cut it in half to two 4′ x 4′ pieces. That way we could fit in our SUV and it would be easier to work with once we were ready to cut it to size.

The frame moulding we have on hand has a small, 1/8″ lip that would usually hold mat board if you were framing artwork or print. The wall panel piece sits in that lip instead. So the size of the wall panel is 37″ wide x 31 1/4″ tall to account for that extra space.

Derek choose to put the backer board up on saw horses outside since cutting it would be quite dusty. Smart.

With the 3′ ruler, start on the left side edge of the board and measure 37″ which is the width your panel will need to be. Make pencil marks each time while you work across the board to the right side edge. When finished, place the ruler along the pencil marks. Draw a solid line across the pencil marks.

Now follow the same method to mark 31 1/4″ going the other direction to achieve the panel height needed. Then use a scroll saw or circular saw to cut along both pencil lines. Take your time and stay on the line as much as possible. It doesn’t need to be perfect but very close to perfect. Remember. There’s only a 1/8″ area of on each side of the frame moulding that will hide your ‘Ooops!’es.

Make the Frame

We have the tools, materials and ability to make our own frames at home. That definitely saves some money. You don’t need the glass or mat board that usually goes into framing something. The only glitch for us was that we only had black frame moulding. Luckily we just finished painting our shed and had some bright white trim paint left over. Problem solved!

You can certainly have a frame made for you at Michaels or other local framer shop to make life easier and save some time. Just make sure you provide the correct measurements!

When you measure the length for the frame moulding, we find it easiest to measure from the inside edge of the 45 degree angle as shown in the picture below. This helps account for the lip which holds the backing board in place. Be sure to follow the rule – measure twice, cut once.

Cut frame moulding at a 45 degree angle with a miter saw. Be careful and watch your fingers!

After you’ve cut the frame moulding, double check that everything is the correct size before gluing the pieces together. Do so by putting the moulding in a frame clamp to hold it together while you put the wall panel you cut into it. Not quite right? Adjust your moulding or wall panel board to make a snug fit.

Now you’re ready to glue your frame moulding pieces together. Just use a dab of wood glue on each end of the 4 pieces of frame moulding, put it together and place back in the frame clamp until the glue is dry.

Once the glue is dry, it is best if you place one V nail in each corner of the frame to help hold the pieces together. We also installed 2 picture frame hangers on the back of the frame. We placed one on each side of the frame due to the width and weight of the piece.

Attach Your Beer Cans

Now it’s time to install the white velcro strips. We chose white so if, per chance, there was a small gap between the cans or when looking at the display from the side, it’s a cleaner look if the velcro blends into the panel.

Measure and cut 5 velcro strips to 36 1/2″ each. Pull the 2 pieces of the velcro apart on each strip. Place the coarse (aka “hook”) velcro strip on the panel after you peel away the adhesive protector film. We placed our strips right where the center of the can would be – heightwise.

Once finished with your velcro strip rows, put the panel into the finished frame (securing it with the frame points). Now it’s time to create your work of art with beer cans!

Cut 1″ pieces from the leftover softer (aka “loop”) velcro strips. There should be 1 loop piece per beer can. Peel the adhesive protective film and stick to the back of each beer can.

Gently place the can on the Velcro hook strip. Make sure the front of the beer can isn’t leaning too far to the left or the right. Adjust as needed. Then push a little more firmly on the can to make sure the loop piece is firmly attached to the hook strip. Don’t press too hard or you might break your back panel or dent the can.

We went slowly at first and did 1 beer can at a time until we got 1 row of cans attached on the panel. It may take a few tries until you get the first row exactly centered between the left and right frame pieces. Take your time and fine tune placement as you go. That’s the beauty of using velcro. If you get it wrong, pull the cans off and try again!

Pro Tip: After the first row is perfect, work on 1 column upward on the left side of the frame to make sure your first row of cans is high enough on the back panel. It’s best to check placement of both your 1st row and 1st column before attaching all 70 cans.

Continue this process until all of your cans are attached.

Hang Your Beer Can Display

All you have to do now is hang your sweet beer can display on the wall. It’s a little tricky to get the frame level if you have a wall hanger on each side of the frame. But doing so will prevent the frame from leaning to the right or left. Just be sure to use a level and measure, measure, measure.

Bella approves of our beer can display

And, there you go! Now everyone can see your love for craft beer and many times it will be a conversation piece with your guests. You can tell the story of each beer tasting experience whether you drank the brew on a special beercation, at a beer share with friends, during a brewery visit or can release, at a family gathering, etc. Because the cans aren’t just beautiful. They’re full of memories. Cherish your memories and update your beer can display with new ones. It’s an ever-evolving work of art. Cheers!