Displates and artwork

[Stg-Flame]

I haven't managed to find many artwork pieces that I want to actually hang in my home. I have a few framed pieces I'm waiting to hang until I get a collection going but it's been a slow process (mainly due to changes in employment and working out of town for months at a time). I recently found out about displates which are essentially just posters and artwork printed on sheet metal that can be positioned pretty much anywhere, but I'm concerned about the quality. Has anyone here ever bought any or had any experience with them?

Also, does anyone here have any good sites they use to purchase artwork? Given where I live, the best place to find artwork is sadly from garage sales in neighboring towns but that leaves me at the mercy of pure luck. We have an artwork store in my area, but it's just generic copy/paste meadow/beach landscape paintings done by local artists with overly elaborate frames with an outrageous price-tag. I know artwork generally isn't cheap as I've found many pieces I like online, but when I inquire about prices, it's usually nearing the thousands and I'm just looking for some things to put on my walls. People even try to charge hundreds for a print of an original which is ridiculous.

 

[herm0016]

do you have a map or antique book store around your city? i love old maps and we have a few framed, we also have really well done national park posters, i have a set of 4 fortune magazine covers from the 1920's that are very cool. we have also picked up art while traveling internationally, 2 oil paintings from Vietnam really stand out. a metal tray with a red chicken painted on it and an "open / closed" sign from France. our last trip, we called the Ferme tour, because almost everything we tried to go to/see was closed.

"i just want some art" what is your motivator? Every piece we have has a story behind it and has reasons to be on our walls. Find a style you love, travel to collect your art. display the things that make you think about them every time you glance at it walking down the hall.

i think having one piece with a story or that you truly fell in love with is better than a bunch of generic hotel art.

 

[Stg-Flame]

No map or antique book store. I live in a very small town in the desert and the neighboring towns aren't much bigger. The closest big city is three hours away which is likely where I'll end up going if I can't find anything online. As for my motivator, my walls are bare and I don't have the option to travel abroad for various pieces. Living where I do means I can't just pop in to my local art store and see which pieces I like or wait until I go on vacation and grab something then. I can be picky, but it means I'll also have to be very patient. That's why I was asking about the displates because I found a few I really like, but for $100, I'd like to know they are worth buying.

 

[herm0016]

we have one with some of our wedding pictures printed on metal, it looks good. "worth buying" is totally up to your opinion of the art. i like the metal printed stuff for certain things, i think it can really show off some color or a piece with a lot of light in it.

 

[Stg-Flame]

My biggest concerns with the displates would probably be the adhesive for the magnet damaging my walls and the magnet being one of those weak refrigerator sticker magnets that will eventually drop the artwork.

 

[herm0016]

not sure about magnets, our has a plastic hanger glued to the back.

huh, looked at their website. seems like it would be fine. if you don't find complaints about them falling, i would go for it.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Thanks. I think I'll buy one and see how the quality is and go from there. I know a lot of the niche things that spur from etsy are on-par with things you'd find in a thrift store, so I'm usually hesitant.

 

[Micrornd]

I don't know if it appeals to you but, I was able to find a laminated 1950's map (repop) of my hometown, when it was less than 8,000 folks, on Ebay.
Looks very nice framed and hung with 3M Command strips.

 

[herm0016]

Thanks. I think I'll buy one and see how the quality is and go from there. I know a lot of the niche things that spur from etsy are on-par with things you'd find in a thrift store, so I'm usually hesitant.

yea, etsy is funny. $50 bucks for a towel bar made of some pipe from home depot, a rotten board from our deck and drywall screws put in at weird angles! one of a kind! reclaimed!

or $100 for a wood box that looks like a middle school shop class's first project with a hand saw. Rustic! log cabin! distressed wood!

 

[Stg-Flame]

I hate to necro threads but seeing as how it's my thread and Displates are now appearing as ads on this site, I'm curious to know if anyone has purchased any. I placed an order a week ago for two of them but they still haven't shipped, so I'm unsure what the timetable looks like for these but I'm still interested in hearing reviews from anyone who has purchased any.

 

[Dranoche]

I purchased some in two separate orders about 5 years ago. Took about 1 week for them to ship the order, don't recall actual shipping time. Back then everything was 1 size. I think they've added more options now. I didn't have any issues with quality. You might consider putting some small adhesive bumpers on the back at the corners to keep them from marking your walls as you put them up and adjust them. The magnets are pretty thin and the corners end up resting against the wall. The adhesive on the magnet is also difficult to remove once placed, so you might want to look at removable 2-sided tape to mount the magnet if protecting the wall is important.

 

[Stg-Flame]

Thanks for the input. My main concern was the adhesion used on the magnet. I do plan on selling my house eventually and I'd rather not have a bunch of marks all over the walls. I finally got shipping information and it's being shipped from Poland, so it looks like I'll receive my order sometime next week. I've heard people talking about the quality being immaculate on these but again, everyone's idea of quality is different.

 

[Dranoche]

I took mine down to put up elsewhere, hung some pictures where they had been before. I was able to use a heat gun to peel the magnets off with minimal damage but it's still likely to at least tear some paint if not a bit more. The magnets were too warped after that to re-use. Haven't put them back up yet. Was thinking of a way to hang a magnet but it might be easier to glue two strips of wood to the back and hang it like a picture.

 

[Stg-Flame]

There is an option to add a frame to the artwork when you purchase it, but it's a little costly. I'm sure it wouldn't be too difficult to get a decent frame and toss the displate inside and hang it like you would normal artwork. I have quite a few extra frames lying around from when my ex moved out so I might just do that instead.

 

[Stg-Flame]

So far, I am really impressed with the quality of these. I think I'll be placing a few more orders here in a little bit and might even look into an extra large one to center the large ones around. If anyone happens across this and is on the fence about them, I highly recommend them but also bare in mind what @Dranoche said about the adhesive and your walls because that is some pretty nasty adhesive. I can imagine if you're sticking it on a plain white wall it shouldn't be an issue since you can just paint over any marks it leaves when you remove it, but it would probably be best to just get some frames and hang them normally.