A simple tutorial for DIY photography backdrops — perfect for beginners in woodworking!
Shout out to all the small shop owners, the Instagram hustlers, the market makers, and the Etsy creators out there — I have a fun project for you today 🙂 Most makers spend a LOT of time marketing. This can include creating business cards, buying advertisements, attending markets and networking events, being active on social media, and of course making sure that all photography for social media and our online shops looks clean and professional. This is all after we’ve already created the product we’re promoting! So today I’m sharing an easy wooden photography backdrop tutorial that will help to boost your pictures when selling items or just making your Instagram look a little more cohesive. These DIY photography backdrops can be made with just a few basic tools and is a perfect woodworking project for carpentry beginners!
SUPPLIES NEEDED
- Wooden Boards – 3 ft long each — I purchased five, 6-foot Common Board (Pine) from Home Depot in a combination of widths:
- two – 4 inch boards (1 in x 4 in x 6 ft)
- two – 6 inch boards (1 in x 6 in x 6 ft)
- one – 8 inch board (1 in x 8 in x 6 ft)
- NOTE: You will end up cutting these in half to create two separate backdrops. Total width will end up at 25 1/4″ — you can use any combination boards, just be sure to adjust the length of your rear anchor boards to accommodate your total width.
- NOTE: Be sure to find boards that are not warped. You’ll want them to be as straight as possible.
- Rear anchor boards – 2 ft long each — I used 2×2 studs, but you could also use 2×4 studs.
- Pencil or marking utensil
- Measuring Tape
- Hand saw (or electric saw if you have one)
- Sandpaper or sanding block
- Wood Glue
- Clamps
- Electric Drill
- 9/64″ Drill Bit (or countersink drill bit)
- 2 inch Wood Screws
- Wood Stain — I use Minwax Wood Finish in Dark Walnut and Weathered Oak
- Staining Pads, Wiping cloths, and latex gloves (or grab this staining kit!)
- Optional: Polyurethane Sealant — I use Minwax Polycrylic in Clear Semi-Gloss — This will give a nice finish to the boards, keep them smooth so your products don’t snag on the wood, and will protect them from general wear and tear.
- Optional: paint brush for applying the poly.
CUTTING YOUR BOARDS
Lay out your pine boards on a flat surface (like your garage floor, driveway, or pair of sawhorses) and mark the middle of each board with a pencil or other marking utensil. If you purchased the 6 foot boards, this spot should be exactly 3 feet in.
Also go ahead and mark your anchor boards at 2 feet — you’ll need four, two-foot long boards (this is what you’ll attach your prettier pine boards to).
Next, using either a hand saw or electric saw (be sure to use safety glasses or goggles!!), cut all of your boards where marked. This should result in two sets of common boards (5 boards in each set) and two sets of anchor boards (2 boards in each set)
Cut using hand saw 
OR cut using electric miter saw
ASSEMBLING THE BACKDROPS
Once all your boards are cut, lay one of the sets out, FACE DOWN onto your flat surface or sawhorses, so that the prettier side of each board is on the floor and ensuring your boards are in the order you want them to be in (for mine, I made sure there was a good mix up — no two similar boards together — to give the final product a more unique and authentic look.
Then lay your two anchor boards on the edges of the two shorter sides, as shown here:
Once you have your backdrops looking the way you want, turn each anchor board over and apply a thin, wiggly strip of wood glue to the back.
Then, place the anchor board glue-side down onto the edge of your pine boards and clamp it down (preferably in at least two spots) and let the glue set and dry for around 20 minutes.
While your glue is setting, and with the clamps still in place, you can begin to pre-drill pilot holes for the wood screws. Depending on your equipment and the type of wood you chose, you may not need to pre-drill for the screws, but I find that it prevents splitting and weakening of the wood over time, not to mention makes it easier to drive the screw in and prevent stripping. While drilling your pilot holes, you can carefully drill a countersink divot so that the top of your screw sits flush with or just below the surface of the wood (you can see these divots in the photo below):
Repeat this process with the other anchor board and then repeat all assembly steps for your second backdrop (if you’re making two). Once you’ve finished the assembly part, it’s time to make the boards look pretty!
APPLYING WOOD STAIN
There are about a million different brands and colors of wood stain on the market, so this is where you can get creative and pick what you like or what goes best with your overall look. I like Minwax Wood Finish and I picked a darker color for one backdrop and a lighter color for the other.
When applying stain, be sure to use gloves and follow the application instructions on the packaging. Most types of stain can be applied using a staining pad, cloth, or paint brush (I prefer to use a pad). Here are the instructions from the Minwax website:
- Apply stain in the direction of the grain with a brush or clean cloth.
- Allow the stain to penetrate 5-15 minutes to achieve desired color.
- Remove stain that has not absorbed into the wood with a clean cloth.
- To darken the color, apply a second coat after 4-6 hours, repeating directions above.
I applied the stain on both boards and left them to dry overnight (humid weather will cause drying times to increase — yay summer 🙂).
I also recently found these beautiful wood stain colors from Varathane that you can find on Amazon (including Grey, Navy, Red, and Pink!):
Optional step (but highly recommended!!). Once your stain has fully dried, apply polyurethane on top of stain. I like Minwax Polycrylic Protective Finish in Clear Semi-Gloss. You’ll want to follow the package instructions when applying, but I typically use a paint brush and will do a minimum of 3 coats, sanding lightly between coats. Each coat will need to dry for 1-2 hours (tip: Keep your wet paintbrush in the fridge, wrapped in plastic wrap, between coats!). Apply poly will protect your wood and stain against general wear and tear and allow your finished backdrop to last for years and years!
FINAL TOUCHES
At this point, you can call your project done and get on to your picture-taking! I decided to add one extra step, covering the bottoms of my anchor boards with felt (attached with a very thin layer of wood glue), so that I could rest the backdrops on the hardwood floors in my house without worrying about scratches. This is highly recommended, especially if you didn’t countersink your wood screws!
Congratulations! You just rocked a pair of photography backdrops that will take your photography to the next level. Hope you love these and if you’re a first-time woodworker, maybe this little project will inspire you to pick up a hammer and make something else!
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GOT QUESTIONS?
