What to Do with a Finished Diamond Painting

You’ve finally done it. You finished your first diamond project — yay! Now, you’re probably wondering what to do with your fantastic finished diamond painting. Well, you spent a lot of time and effort creating something beautiful, so you’ll want to preserve it somehow. But how exactly? In order to fully finish the artwork, we like to add a top seal to keep all of the diamond beads (also known as drills) secure and then put it in a chic frame to hang on the walls of our home or office.

Before you can start framing diamond paintings, however, there are a few other finishing touches you can add to your painting just to make sure it’s as perfect as possible. You may also need to store your finished painting when moving or protect it until you find a perfect place to display it. Read further to learn how to spot minuscule mistakes that could lead to bigger issues down the line and more about framing your diamond artwork.

Get Rid of Dust or Dirt

Most of us spend quite a bit of time working on a single diamond painting project because getting every drill in the right place can sometimes take a while. Plus, if you want to create a truly stunning piece, you need to be diligent about the placement of every diamond; otherwise, you’ll end up with a painting that looks uneven or misshapen.

Because these projects can take days or even weeks — depending on how often you work on yours — it’s easy for debris like dirt, dust, or even pet hair to accumulate on the adhesive canvas. You may not notice any of these tiny particles while working on the project, but once imperfections have been sealed in and hung in a frame, you may see the difference. To clean your diamond painting before framing, you can use a soft brush or even a toothbrush to gently sweep any remains off of your creation. Once you’ve finished, cover and store your completed diamond painting carefully (explained below) to ensure that it does not become a dust magnet.

Check for Missing Areas

Have you ever thought you completed a puzzle only to realize you had one piece missing? It is quite easy for something similar to happen with a finished diamond painting. At a glance, it may seem like you filled every spot. But because every drill is so small and the grid sections are so close together, once you hold your project up to a light board or a bright light (lamp or direct sunlight), any spots that have been skipped over will be illuminated. Before you do anything else with your finished product, you should use this test to check for discrepancies and place any missing drills.

Be Sure Diamond Drills Are Secure

The canvas’ sticky surface is what holds the diamond beads of your painting to the canvas.  Sometimes,  if not pushed down into place firmly enough, one (or more) drills can fall off when the painting is lifted up vertically. To avoid this, take a diamond art brayer (or carefully use a regular rolling pin) and gently roll over the entire piece. This will provide each drill with a little extra pressure, ensuring its full adhesion to the canvas.

You may also want to apply a sealer to help ensure that your drills stay in place. While Diamond Art Club® kits, known for their high quality, typically do not need sealing, lower-quality kits, might require it. Whether it’s a full drill or partial drill design, using an appropriate sealant that won’t discolor or lessen the shine of your artwork is one of the best ways to keep everything where it belongs. Read our full guide on how to seal a diamond painting here.

Learn How to Frame Your Diamond Painting Properly

Framing your diamond painting is a fairly easy process that gives it a classy and fully finished appearance. You can buy a standard frame from any craft store, or look for a custom size to fit your specific painting. If you’re going to buy a standard frame from the store, look for one that is slightly smaller than your painting. An inexpensive and quick way to frame your finished diamond painting is with a poster hanger frame. You can easily order one off Amazon or find one in-store. It uses magnets to attach to the top and bottom of the canvas and a string for simple hanging. Diamond art paintings have extra trim around the image, so you can cut some of this material down to fit the frame and focus more on the image itself. Be sure to check out some of our other suggestions on how to frame your diamond painting.

@diamondartclub Watch this shimmering Spring design come to life! 💐🐇 #diamondpainting #diamondpaintingtiktok #diamondpaintingfinished #springcrafts ♬ Aesthetic - Tollan Kim

Store Your Finished Painting Until You’re Ready to Display It

Not ready to frame and display your completed diamond painting yet? No problem — as long as you store it properly. If you are looking for a simple DIY solution, sandwich the finished art between two pieces of foam board and secure them together with binder clips or masking tape. This may be one of the easiest diamond painting solutions, but it’s also very effective. It not only protects the completed painting from dust and debris, it keeps the diamond painting drills securely in place as well. 

Organize Leftover Tools and Supplies

Your completed artwork isn’t the only thing you’ll need to store after finishing a painting. You’ll also need to store everything else that comes in diamond art kits, including extra diamond drills and diamond painting tools. While every Diamond Art Club® kit comes with everything needed to complete a project, we recommend hanging on to additional supplies just in case you need them later. They may come in handy if you misplace a tool or happen to spill your drills. You could even use your leftover drills to create a custom diamond painting from scratch. The options are endless. 

Store leftover drills in containers labeled with their DMC codes. Keep tools in a storage box, or assign them to a designated area in your craft room. For more diamond art storage hacks, check out our blog: 7 Diamond Painting Storage Tips.

Find a Home for Your Fully Finished Diamond Painting

Not sure what to do with your painting now that you’ve fully finished it? You have a few options. You could keep it and display it in your home, of course. Or you could gift your work of art to a loved one. Selling it is yet another option. 

You could also donate your completed diamond painting. A local nursing home or senior center just might love brightening their walls with your artwork. If you’d like to use your art to support an organization that’s near and dear to you, consider donating it for the organization to auction off or use as a raffle prize. With a bit of thought and creativity, you should have no problem finding a wonderful home for your painting. 

Enjoy Your New Masterpiece

Congrats — you did it! Your beautiful diamond art painting is complete. Now, it’s time to show it off to the world. Follow our tips to ensure that your painting is ready to be framed and then use our recommended methods for framing to add a nice finished touch to your creation. Keep your painting for yourself or give it as a gift to someone special. Either way, it’s a win-win situation!