You’ve struggled day and night to put your heart and soul into a project, be it a painting or photographic composition or a collage, and now you need a perfect frame. One option is to bring your artwork to a professional and hand the piece off. The framer can make all of the finishing touches to best display your piece. Or you can take a more hands-on approach. After all, isn’t the frame really a part of the art?
There are several key decisions that go into choosing a frame, and we aren’t just talking about color or design. When you take your artwork into a framework specialist like those at Frame Warehouse, prepare with these seven framing considerations:
- Ready-Made Frames – The primary decision you will have to make in framing a piece is whether or not to buy a ready-made frame. These frames are essentially already designed and created, so your artwork can be framed faster. They are also usually less expensive.
- Barrier Papers – Whether your artwork is a one-of-a-kind painting or a finger painting given to you by your 3-year-old, it holds value to you. Barrier papers offer an extra layer of protection from the elements like lignin and acid, helping preserve the life of your piece.
- Hinging – This is another method of framing to prevent potential damage to a piece, especially if it’s fragile. It allows the work to hang freely, expanding and contracting with changes in temperature or humidity.
- Mounting – Live in a humid environment? Prevent rippling and warping with a smooth, rigid mount. Special mounting board can even reduce acid levels that would otherwise jeopardize a piece of art.
- Matting – For light-sensitive material like photography and watercolors, matting is especially important. Matts can also reduce acid, accent art with texture and color, or simply offset the art from the frame itself.
- Photo Corners – Extra mounting stability can be obtained through photo corners. Not to mention that they add a certain classy appeal reminiscent of the earlier 1900’s.
- Glass – No custom frame is complete without the right glass! But isn’t all glass the same? Absolutely not! You may have to choose between several choices with varying degrees of UV light absorption, glare, thickness, etc.
With these considerations in mind, you should be ready to frame and cherish your artwork for years to come! The professionals at Frame Warehouse can show you examples of all of these choices and help guide you to finding the right frame composition at the lowest price. Even if you find a lower quote elsewhere, bring in the quote and Frame Warehouse will match it with superior workmanship and speed. Find the location closest to you!
