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6 Ways to Make a Backdrop for Your Room, Stage, or Videos

Posted by | Jul 1, 2020 | Uncategorized | 0

Whether your ministry meets in a single classroom, a large theater with a stage, or that DIY video studio you made to help you make it through this pandemic, we all want our spaces to look cool, right? One easy way to keep your ministry space looking fresh and interesting is to create a backdrop that’s easy to update when you start a new teaching series or just need a new look. There are countless ways to create versatile backdrops for your rooms or stages, but here are six methods we love because they’re so easy to update!

To figure out which backdrop is right for you, here are some things to think about:

  • How much budget do you have to work with?
  • How often do you want to update your backdrop?
  • How much time do you want to spend updating it?
  • How often does it need to be torn down and set up again?
  • Where will you store your backdrop when it’s not in use?

Once you’ve got answers in mind, it’s time to choose a backdrop!

1. FOAM BOARDS

Did you know your favorite hardware store sells foam insulation boards? They usually come in 4′ x 8′ panels (with varying thicknesses), and are lightweight, cheap, and super versatile. They can be painted, spray painted, covered in fabric, stuck with push pins, or covered in adhesive textured wall panels. They even come pre-scored so they’re easy to snap apart into smaller sizes (although we recommend using a craft knife to score them first to make sure your snapping is accurate). We suggest the panels that are 1″ or 2″ thick so they stand up on their own without bending or snapping.

There are plenty of ways to make these boards stand upright, but here are two methods we like:

  1. A WOODEN STAND: 3 pieces of wood, some nail or glue, and a bit of paint will get you a simple stand that will keep your foam boards standing upright. Check out the illustration above for a visual — but keep that slot for the boards snug so they don’t tip over! The boards are foam, so they’ll squish into place.
  2. AN ACCORDION FOLD: Place 3 or more boards next to each other, with a small amount of space between each one so they have room to fold. Use duct tape to bind the boards together and then stand them upright, adjusting the angle of each board until it stands upright on its own.

2. PLYWOOD PANELS

If you’re up for some basic carpentry, you might try making a few freestanding wall panels with plywood and lumber. These panels will be much more durable than the foam boards, but they’ll also be heavier and more difficult to make, move, and store. Like the foam boards, they can be painted, spray painted, covered in fabric, or covered in adhesive textured wall panels. Plus, you can nail things to them and hang objects from them without fear of them tipping over.

Because these plywood wall panels will be heavy, it’s important that they’re built carefully and securely, and that they’re properly weighted so they don’t tip over on you or a kid. So if you’re new to carpentry, might we suggest asking someone in your congregation who’s more experienced to build these for you?

We’re not exactly carpentry experts either, so we’ll let someone else give you a tutorial on how to build these so you can see what you’re in for. Here are a bunch of YouTube tutorial videos on how to make these. They’re often called theater flats or stage flats, since they’re often used in productions.

3. CARDBOARD BOXES

Yes, cardboard boxes! They’re free, light, and versatile. They can be painted, spray painted, covered in fabric, wrapped in wrapping paper, and stacked to build anything from a wall, to a cityscape, to classic 8-bit video game characters, to a stack of oversized Christmas presents. Refrigerator boxes are your best bet for a tall backdrop, but don’t be afraid to experiment with boxes in different sizes and shapes. Keep repainting or re-wrapping them until they fall apart — then go get some new ones!

4. VINYL BANNERS

Because of the cost, you probably don’t want to print vinyl banners for every teaching series you do, but banners can be a great solution when you need a backdrop that you plan to reuse or leave standing for a long period of time. Simply print your backdrop design on the banners, stretch them out on banner stands, and you’re done! These banners are lightweight, durable, and easy to set up and tear down, so they’re great for portable churches and multipurpose spaces.

5. WIRE FENCING

If you’d prefer a semi-transparent backdrop, rather than something large and solid, wire fencing is a great solution. From it, you can hang lights, banners, and decorative objects, and easily change your look without spending a fortune or tons of time creating something new.

You can purchase pre-made grid units on Amazon, but if you’d like a more custom size you can make your own instead. Your local hardware store should sell a variety of wire or metal fencing in different shapes and thicknesses. While you might be able to find a large framed section of fencing in the size you’d like, it’s more likely you’ll need to build your own frame with two-by-fours and stretch the wire fencing across the frame.

6. WOOD PALLETS

Okay, okay, okay — we know. You might be sick of wooden pallets. At some point, it seemed like every pastor on planet earth was preaching in front of a stack of rustic pallets. But that doesn’t change the fact that they’re awesome! Pallets are durable, stackable, and free! You can paint them, wrap lights or garland around them, and nail things to them, all without spending any money on materials. Just drop by your favorite grocery store and snag a stack from the area next to the dumpster.

Oh, but if you do plan on stacking these, make sure they’re stacked and mounted securely. Like the plywood wall panels, you don’t want these falling over on anyone.

If you’re using Grow Curriculum and Annual Strategy, you’ll see that every teaching series comes with a new set of DIY room design ideas! Many of those design ideas can use one of these six backdrop ideas as their foundation — plus other series-specific ideas to help you create a look that’s unique to each series theme. For a free sample, just sign up for a free curriculum trial and get a free month of curriculum to explore!

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