Plate Display Frames for Collectors with Fussy Wives

As a plate collector who is married—and whose wife has a flare for interior decorating—my ideas about displaying license plates in the house are not always compatible with the latest trends to which my wife subscribes. She doesn’t want plates on the walls, but I don’t want wicker-framed prints of oak leaves in every room, either. We met in the middle by agreeing on the use of frames for displaying the more interesting plates in my collection. The frames are aesthetically pleasing, easy to build, inexpensive, and allow for easy changing of plates.

I started with a wall about 12 feet long, and decided to build three square-shaped frames to fill it, each one being a little more than three feet squared. I went to Rona and picked up some 2x3 planks in high-grade pine (see Figure 1), a sheet of cork (available off-the-roll by the foot), and some half-inch fibre board (found in the pegboard and laminate section). I also picked up some plastic decorative caps to hide any screws after screwing the frame together.

I used a router to cut a groove in of the back side of each 2x3 (see Figure 1). A router table makes this easy, but you can make a quick a router jig to hold the wood in place on your workbench as you slide the router across the pine. I routed the groove to a depth of 5/8 of an inch, which is the combined thickness of the fibre board and cork—it would eventually nest inside the frame using the routed groove (see Figure 2). Routing a groove to that depth required several passes with the router, going a little deeper each time. I then used a mitre saw to cut the wood to the appropriate length at a 45-degree angle (see Figure 3).

Figure 1: Uncut pine for the frame (2 x 3 recommended),

Figure 2: Rout a groove in the backs of the pine pieces to permit eventual nesting of back board.

Figure 3: Cut mitres to 45 degrees. Frame edges can then be fitted together.

After the routing and cutting are done, you can paint, stain, or varnish the 2 x 3s to suit your taste. I stained the 2x3s first, then assembled them into frames, and finally hung them from the rafters while I finished them in clear-coat Varathane, to better hide any cracks amongst my mitres. For the assembly of the frames, I used 3-inch wood screws to ensure a tight and sturdy fit. It is important to drill pilot holes for the screws for two reasons: To prevent any cracking of the wood, and also to guide two perpendicular screws per corner without obstruction (blocking one screw’s path with the other screw). I then used the plastic screw caps for a more finished look. The frame is held together primarily from the torque of the screws. I put them aside to work on the backboard that would hold the plates.

The backboard consists of the cork sheet fastened onto the fibre board using adhesive. White glue, applied with a brush, works really well or this purpose. (I initially used spray adhesive, but it started to let go after a year, causing the cork to sag and a couple of plates to fall down. So I peeled the cork and fibre board apart and used white glue, which I should have done originally.) When sticking these two layers together, try to use a large object to weigh the cork down onto the backboard, to prevent any “bubbles” between the two layers-- I used a piece of plywood weighed down by bricks.

Then it was time to mate the backboard into the frame. I dabbed some beads of hot glue in the routed portion of the frame where backboard would nest. This must be done fairly quickly before the hot glue cools. I actually did two adjacent sides at a time. The backboard offered just enough flexibility that I could inject the glue between the backboard and frame on the remaining two sides. I could have used full lines of carpenter's glue. It would have been easier, but I used dabs of hot glue so that I could one day separate the backboard from the frame (without ripping the cork) if I ever needed to do repairs.

Figure 4: Cross-sectional view of frame assembly. Install fibre / cork board from rear of the frame. Board nests in routed groove, secured by dabs of hot glue. Cork side of board faces front of frame.

At this point, the frame was almost ready. I just rigged a hanging wire along the back and screwed both ends into the back of the frame. When making multiple frames, it is delicate work to measure the wires to ensure that they all hang at the same height, although some trial and error may be needed. To add support and prevent them from pivoting on the wall, I drove a couple more screws through each frame into the wall studs.

The end result: An attractive, sturdy set of frames that offer a slightly more polished look than merely nailing plates to walls, using wire racks, or pegboard. I can switch my plates around using thumbtacks, although I use furniture nails because they’re slightly longer and bite into the backboard more securely, and they hide better than shiny thumbtacks.

In my home, these frames are the centerpiece of our rec-room. They bridge the gap between license plates and, shall I say, more “conventional” in-home décor. I’m happy with them, my wife is happy, and they look fantastic. I built them 20 years ago, and they're still working perfectly. Click the image to enlarge. None of these plates are available for sale or trade; these are all keepers.