How to Make the Perfect Banner Frame

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A banner needs to be pulled tight to be displayed. Having a lightweight portable frame will allow it to be set up quickly and moved from location to location easily. This frame is designed to hold a banner in place, even in mild winds. Follow these simple instructions to make an inexpensive, easy to assemble, collapsible frame made from PVC pipe. In this example, we will assemble a frame for a banner measuring approximately 4 feet high and 12 feet in length, with a minimum of 12 grommets.

Gather the following tools and materials:

• Banner with grommets.

• Marker.

• Hacksaw or PVC cutter.

• Tape measure.

• Knife.

• 50 ft of 1” diameter PVC pipe.

• Two 1” PVC 90° elbows.

• Six 1” PVC “T” connectors.

• PVC “X” connector.

• Twelve 6” bungee straps.

1. Measure pipes for cutting: four 70 ½ ” lengths, three 48” lengths and nine 12” lengths.

2. Cut the pipes to the proper lengths.

3. Clean the shavings off with a knife.

4. Lay the banner face down on a clean piece of ground.

5. Assemble the pieces over the banner.

6. Thread the bungee straps through the grommets.

7. Wrap the bungee straps around the outside edge of the pipe frame.

8. Now stand the frame up and twist the feet so they hold the frame in place.

The completed frame should extend 2” from the edge of the banner to the inside edge of the frame. The banner should be pulled tight. One-inch PVC pipe works best. Anything smaller may be too flimsy. PVC fittings allow the various pieces of pipe to be fitted together easily and disassembled when finished. The frame is reinforced in the middle to keep the frame from bending. To transport your banner frame, bundle the pipes together and wrap it with the bungee straps.

Congratulations on making the perfect banner frame! It is light weight, portable, inexpensive to make, and easily assembled.

Excerpt from the book Bigger Labor; A Crash Course for Construction Union Organizers by Bob Oedy Copyright 2008