American Flag Wall Mount

In 2006 I had the honor and privilege to spend a week in Washington DC with the US Senate Youth Program. And on that trip I was given an 8' x 5' American flag keepsake that flew over the Capitol on February 3, 2006.

I've managed to hold on to that flag through my nomadic college and post-grad years with no idea of what to do with it. Recently though, Jeff and I added the special piece to our office, making the room loud and proud.

Not only does it added color and dimension to our brown-toned room, but it's special, meaningful and makes for a great story.

The toughest part about hanging the flag was figuring out how exactly we were going to display it. We first thought we could use some sort of frame, until logic swung into gear, and we then realized an 8' x 5' frame was absolutely not feasible. Through mine a Jeff's collaborative brainstorming, we devised a simple, inexpensive, non-destructive method to display the flag - mounting metal studs and hoisting the flag with magnets.

Materials:

• Flag
• Two metal studs at least the length of your flag (you can find these at your local home improvement store; I believe the kind in our pictures was only $3 - $5 per stud)
• Magnets (also can be found at your local home improvement store)
• Nails

Tools:

• Sawzall (or other metal cutting tool)
• Tape measure
• Level
• Pencil
• Drill and screw
• Hammer

Hanging Instructions:

1. Using the sawzall, cut the metal studs to match the length of the flag
2. Measure and mark the center of the wall, the height of where you'd like the top of your flag to hang, and the side edges
3. Find and mark your wall studs where you will be drilling
4. Pre-drill holes into the metal stud, aligning the holes with your wall stud markings
5. Nail the top metal stud into the wall with guidance of the pre-sinked holes and wall stud markings, making sure it is level while doing so
6. Secure flag onto top stud with magnets
7. Steam flag while it's hanging (I found this much easier than ironing it beforehand)
8. Repeat the same steps for attaching the bottom metal stud and securing the bottom half of the flag

Note: Allow for a solid one inch overhang of the flag on the top and bottom so that you have enough room for the magnets to secure the flag. You'll need to take this into consideration when planning measurements.

While I helped develop the concept and figure out materials needed, Jeff was truly the mastermind behind mounting this flag. So, I apologize ahead of time if my directions are a bit vague. Hopefully the pictures speak for themselves. The rest is a bit subjective. Personally, the toughest part was trying to keep the bottom metal stud level while Jeff hammered it into the wall. Doing that while laying on the ground unable to see was just not quite that easy (but it did make for a great arm workout)!

Nonetheless, now I can officially say that we have a completed office...

 ... adorned with our bookshelf makeover, floating DIY shelves, DIY chicken wire frame, and shabby chic dresser makeover. I'd say this DIY office update is officially complete... for the time being...

Linking to: DIY Show Off - That DIY Party, Be Different, Act Normal - Show and Tell Saturday, Life We Live 4 - Love It and List It , Sneaky Spoons - Frugal Craft Home Blog Home, Lolly Jane - The Scoop, One Artsy Mama - Shine on Fridays, Diana Rambles - Pin Me Linky Party