How to build display walls for Art booth

When I started participating in markets and art events for my business, I looked for various display options and booth setup ideas. However, the type of display you need greatly depends on the type of product you sell/display. I make and sell wood art and decor, so I specifically needed something sturdy enough to hang heavy wood wall art and easy to dismantle for transportation and storage.

There are a few options like Flourish Displays and Milimetry if you have the budget. Buying instead of building can save you some time and effort, allowing you to focus on creating your products rather than the setup. However, they tend to be expensive, and none of them could really support my heavy wood art.

So, I decided to build them myself. I built modules of walls to suit different booth layouts and sizes. In this blog, I show you two types of walls that I built for my setup, hoping that it helps someone in similar need.

TYPE – 1: FREESTANDING WALL

This wall is freestanding, as the name suggests, and can withstand heavy display items.

Pros:

• 4ft wide standalone wall
• Sturdy and can hang heavy items
• Easy to dismantle, transport, and store

Cons:

• Takes up extra floor space. Due to the leg frame design, it takes 1 foot on the rear side of the wall, which can reduce the floor space of your booth.

Below list and steps are for a single wall with dimensions : 4ft wide and 6ft10inches tall

MATERIALS:

• 2×3 wood lumber, 8ft long – 3 pieces
• 1×2 wood lumber, 8ft long – 3 pieces
• 1/4″ thick plywood, 4’x8′ – 1 piece
• 5/16″ bolts and wing nuts, 3-1/2″ long – 12 pieces
• 1″ & 3″ screws
• Wood glue

CUT LIST :

• 2×3 – 80.5″ long – 2 pieces
• 2×3 – 24″ long – 2 pieces
• 2×3 – 13.5″ long with 45-degree cuts on both ends – 2 pieces
• 1×2 – 43″ long – 6 pieces

Most outdoor booth canopies have a maximum 7ft tall inside clearance. Therefore, these walls are 6’10” tall with a couple of inches clearance above. If you don’t have height restrictions, you can adjust these measurements to have an 8ft tall wall.

BUILD STEPS:

1. Cut all the parts.
2. Mark the center on the 24″ long 2×3 pieces and attach the 80.5″ piece to it at the center using 3″ screws.
3. Cut the 1/4″ plywood into 48 inches and 34 inches long.
4. On two ends of the 48″ wide sheet, cut off a 1.5 x 2.5″ notch using a jigsaw. This will be the bottom of the wall.
5. On the top, bottom, and middle of the plywood sheet, glue and attach the 1×2 frames using 1″ screws. This will be the rear side of the wall.
6. Place the plywood sheet with frames on the 2×3 frames on either side and clamp them together. Similarly, place the other half of the plywood sheet on top and clamp it. Now, mark spots as shown in the last image below to drill holes for the bolts.

TYPE – 2: FRAMED WALLS

This wall cannot standalone. I has to be either arranged in series in L shape or U shape and stabilize with cross bar

Pros:

• 4ft wide wall module. Can be placed next to each other and you can extend according to the size of your booth.
• Sturdy and can hang heavy items
• Manageable, quick to dismantle, transport, and store
• Does not take much floor space.

Cons:

• Does not stand alone.

Below list and steps are for a single wall with dimensions : 4ft wide and 6ft10inches tall

MATERIALS:

• 2×2 wood lumber, 8ft long – 4 pieces
• 1/4″ thick plywood, 4’x8′ – 1 sheet
• 1″ & 3″ screws
• Wood glue

CUT LIST :

• 2×2 – 48″ long – 2 pieces
• 2×2 – 79″ long – 2 pieces
• 1/4″ thick plywood sheet cut to 82″ long

BUILD STEPS:

1. cut all the parts.
2. Lay the 2×2 frames of flat floor and connect them as shown in below image using wood glue and 3″ long construction screws.
3. Next, Place the plywood sheet on top, align and nail it. Use 1″ long screws for best hold.

If the booths size is 10’x10′, two 48″ wide framed walls and one 24″ wide framed wall will make 10ft long wall. If you need some clearance on the sides of your booth, reduce the width of the 24″ small wall to 17″. I found this size to work for my outdoor setup with the 10’x10′ canopy. Space around the walls is very helpful in setting up and anchoring the canopy. But, its up to you depending upon your display need.

Like I mentioned before, framed walls have to be either arranged in L shape or U shape and more importantly stabilize with cross bar on top. Otherwise, your setup will not be stable.

This was the set up for my first indoor market. I made three freestanding walls and a 4 tier shelf that can be dismantled easily in a five minutes. I will write another blog for that shelf build plans.

My first Art festival event was outdoor. I made three 4ft wide framed walls, one 17″ wide wall and two 13″ wide framed walls. They were connected to the three freestanding walls that I already made for my last indoor market event. I placed them in a strategical order to have the best stability for my three wall booth setup. Additionally, they were also tied to the canopy leg frames.

If I had time and budget, I would have made all the three sides with framed walls and add a cross brace with 2×4 wood on top to hold them together. May be I will do that for my future events.

How are the wall modules collected?

I use clamps and bolts with wing nuts to connect them together. Remember to name the walls and leg frames to help with easy identification and connection.

There are many ways to set up a booth for a trade show or an art festival or a market event. How to display your booth mainly depends upon your product’s size, weight, stock and type. Most of the time you can get away with table set up, simple freestanding walls, beautiful curtains and hangers. Mine are all wall hanging decor and most of them are heavy. That is why we needed wood framed walls.

I hope these build plans are helpful to other vendors and Artists who are new to business. Feel free to add your comments or questions below.

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