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Simple Frame Chess Board

A basic 1x2 picture frame around a plywood panel, taped off and painted into a chess board — doubles as wall art when you're not playing.

Cut list

Part	Qty	T × W × L	Material	✓
Frame sides	2	3/4" × 1 1/2" × 12 1/2"	Pine 1x2	☐
Frame top/bottom	2	3/4" × 1 1/2" × 14"	Pine 1x2	☐
Panel	1	1/4" × 14" × 14"	1/4" plywood	☐

Item	Qty	✓
Pine, 1x2, 5 ft	1 each	☐
Wood glue	2 oz	☐
1/4" plywood, 14" x 14"	1 each	☐
Clipboard clip Craft-store hardware, used as a hanger.	1 each	☐
Painter's tape, 1-3/4" wide	1 roll	☐
Black spray paint	1 can	☐
White paint	1 each	☐
Polyurethane	1 each	☐
Chess set Purchased separately — any set sized to a roughly 1.5" square grid works.	1 set	☐

Overall cost: $$. Lumber varies by region, species, and season, so we give a band rather than a figure.

1. Build the frame
Tools: Brad Nailer. Materials: Pine, 1x2, 5 ft, Wood glue
Nail the four 1x2 pieces together into a square frame with 1-1/4" brad nails and wood glue, mitered or butt-jointed corners both work fine here.
2. Attach the panel
Tools: Brad Nailer, Random Orbit Sander. Materials: 1/4" plywood, 14" x 14"
Glue and nail the 1/4" plywood panel onto the frame. Sand any rough edges flush and fill the nail holes with wood filler before painting.
3. Lay out and paint the chess grid
Tools: Pencil, Tape Measure. Materials: Clipboard clip, Painter's tape, 1-3/4" wide, Black spray paint, White paint, Polyurethane
Mark an 8x8 grid on the panel in pencil first, checking your spacing before any tape or paint goes down. Tape off every other square with painter's tape, burnishing the edges down firmly so paint can't creep underneath, then spray the exposed squares black. Pull the tape while the paint is still slightly tacky for the cleanest line, let it cure, then seal the whole board with polyurethane. Attach the clipboard clip to the back for hanging.