What Goes Into Your Custom Frame Package?
1. Frame
All of our frames are crafted from local and imported mouldings. Each frame is cut and assembled to your required dimensions. Many of our frames are sourced from local manufacturers or from countries such as Italy! With over 400 frame choices available in a varitey of formats, the framing choice can be influenced to suit your artwork, or your decor.
2. Glazing (Glass) Options
Glass keeps dust, debris and fingers from coming in contact with limited edition prints. When we touch a print we transfer oils and acid from our body to the print, which begins an etching process. Over time this process burns the finger print right into the image. Art collectors are very aware of the possibility of finger prints damaging the print, and will carefully go over the art with a magnifier prior to making a purchase.
Standard picture glass provides protection from dust and fingers, but it does not diffuse the light that strikes the surface. This type of glass is very reflective, and acts somewhat like a mirror, showing images of close by items in the glare.
Non-glare Glass
The surface of non-glare glass is made to diffuse the light that hits its surface. It breaks up the reflected light so that you do not see mirrored images. There are several types of non-glare glass, each having their own unique qualities. Generally speaking, higher quality glass has much greater clarity and the very best is almost invisible to the viewer.
Ultra Violet (U.V.) Rated Glass
U.V. inhibiting glass is highly recommended to protect limited edition and original works on paper. Ultra violet light from the sun, as well as many types of incandescent and fluorescent bulbs, fade and damage fine art. U.V. rated glass blocks these harmful rays keeping the colours of your print intact.
3. - 5. Acid Free Mat Boards
Mats act as an extension of the art, providing a transition between the art and its frame. The tone and texture of the mat are carefully chosen to accomplish this task. The mat should enhance the art, tie the frame into the piece, yet at the same time not overpower the art itself.
Mats also act as a spacer between your glass and the artwork. If the artwork touches the glass, harmful condensation can occur, damaging the artwork.
The type and quality of the mat material are also very important. Mats are produced from either paper or cotton. Paper mats cost less but are usually extremely acidic, which can do irreversible damage (yellowing or brown-spotting) to a piece of art. Mats made from cotton fibres are PH neutral and hold their colour much better than lower priced paper mats.
We only offer conservation grade mats at our location, with pure, lignin free, alpha cellulose core, to prevent harmful acid from developing.
6. Artwork
Depending on the type of artwork product being framed, different methods are used to mount and support your artwork in the frame. We recommend and offer reversible mounting methods, such as hinging and mounting pockets, for valuable artwork, and also highly desirable flat permanent mounting options as well.
7. Barrier Paper
When using a paper grade Mat, barrier paper will be required to help prevent the migration of acid from behind the artwork. As we do not carry paper grade mat boards, we also do not carry barrier paper. It is highly recommended that you use an acid free mat board for your artwork.
8. Filler Board (Foam Board)
Materials like cardboard and regular foamcore are acid producing and will cause damage to art prints. The only way to preserve the quality and beauty of a print is to use only acid free materials, including acid free foamcore. Rigid, lightweight substrates are used to help support the frame package together inside the frame, and protect the frame and artwork from behind. Brown masonite is never used or offered in our custom framing, as it is highly acidic, highly toxic to handle & work with, and also heavy - which adds a lot of weight to the frame hanging on your wall.
9. Backing Paper & Mounting Materials
We seal the back of each of our custom frames with a brown paper cover which helps prevent dust and insects from getting inside your frame, and also helps create a microclimate for protecting your framed artwork from changes in relative humidity.
Mounting materials can include tape, adhesives, mounting pockets and hinges among other techniques. If preservation practices are to be considered, the range of products is narrowed. To conserve the print whatever form of mounting is used must be completely reversible without causing any change to the print. Most tapes and adhesives would be very difficult, if not impossible, to remove without leaving a mark or residue on the print. In many cases mounting pockets, made from acid free materials, work well because the print can be lifted out of the pockets without any marks being left on the print
Many other services are offered including; plak mounting, poster laminating, canvas transfers, shadow boxes, jersey and memorabilia framing and much more. Come into the store to see the wide variety of sample options that you can choose from for your piece.