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We offer complete custom framing services
including: framing; mounting; laminating; needle art; shadow boxes; object boxes; canvas
stretching; 3D objects; and more...
All work is done on our premises - we cut and
join all our own mouldings. We have literally thousands of mouldings to choose from,
including the full line of Larson-Juhl. You'll find an enormous selection of frames
and mats, coupled with the design expertise to put it all together.
We stock hundreds of
mouldings and can offer rush service at no additional charge.
FAQ about custom framing...
Matting is the border that surrounds your art within the frame. It is more
than just a pretty color; the purpose of matting is both cosmetic and protective.
Certainly one of the reasons we use matboards to encase art is to bring out the colors in
an image while drawing in the eye. There are many creative and elegant techniques that can
be used which can add distinction to your framed piece. The addition of matting can mean
the difference between an insignificant piece of that gets lost on a wall and a dramatic
one that serves as a perfect accent for a room. Matboard, as a graphic element, can serve
to highlight a color, accent a shape, or increase the overall size of the framed piece.
Color obviously plays an important role in this transformation process. For example, using
a black matboard has the effect of "lightening" and "enlarging" the
artwork, while using a white matboard serves to "darken" and "shrink"
the image.
The main purpose of matting is to keep the cover glass from coming into contact with the
framed subject matter. This also provides an area where air can circulate. Differences in
temperature between the outside and inside of the frame can cause moisture to condense
behind the glass. This moisture may damage the inks and colors and can serve as a breeding
ground for mold, mildew, and fungi. Placing the material directly against the glass will
result in buckles, wrinkles, mold formations and "sticking" to the glass.
A WORD OF WARNING ABOUT MATBOARD
Using higher quality matboard - specifically conservation quality matboard
such as Bainbridge Alphamat, Crescent Rag Mat, or TruVue Ultimat - is essential to
protecting your artwork. Matboard that is not rated as conservation quality contains
elements that will damage your artwork over time. These substances occur naturally in the
production of the board and include acids and lignin's. Through the aging process, which
is intensified by sunlight and heat, the matboard "burns" or discolors the art
that it surrounds.
Conservation matboard eliminates this concern because all lignin's and acid have been
removed. As an added benefit, many feature an alkaline buffer to neutralize future shifts
in acidity within the frame.
We use only conservation quality matboards on all our framing.
As consumers, we bring our valuables in to be framed for a number of reasons. Sometimes
we frame an item to create an attractive decoration for our home. On the other hand,
sometimes we frame the very things that we value most - whether that be commercial or
sentimental value - in order to protect them from damage.
When the subject you are framing is something you treasure, you need to be sure you
are getting Conservation Framing.
Put simply, conservation framing employs the use of materials that have been designed
to protect and maintain the art in as close to its original condition as possible. It
includes:
 | Conservation quality matboard. Ordinary pulp-based matboard contains acids and
lignin
which, over a period of time, damage the artwork they come in contact with. Conservation
quality matboard is free if all acids, lignins, and other impurities found in ordinary
"pulp" board. The result is an inert or pH neutral board which will cause no
damage to the artwork it encases as time goes by. |
| Conservation Series Glass. Ultra-violet light is one of the most dangerous elements that
your artwork can encounter. It will not only cause you colors to fade to a mere shadow of
their former glory, but it will cause the materials themselves to begin to break down
right in the frame.
Conservation quality picture framing glass is specially formulated to protect framed works
of art from the damaging effects of ultra-violet light. Regular glass filters out less
than 40% of these damaging rays, UV Conservation glass filters over 97%! |
| Proper Conservation techniques for mounting the artwork. The framer must utilize
proper techniques and materials to attach your artwork in the frame (often called
"hinging"), as well as the proper techniques for backing the art and sealing the
frame. |
Without light there would be no art, as light is what allows us to see and appreciate
to color. It is one of the great ironies that the very thing that lets us enjoy the color
also works to destroy it.
Have you ever seen a faded gum wrapper or newspaper bleached or darkened to a mere
fragment of its original color? Perhaps the paper had become brittle as well - ready to
break apart at the touch of a finger. The damage you saw was caused by the
sun...specifically, the sun's damaging UV, or ultra-violet, rays.
These are the same UV rays your doctor warns you about. They cause breakdown whenever they
come in contact with organic materials, burning noses, bleaching gum wrappers, and ruining
your daughter's first finger-painting. The damaging effects of UV light on artwork
are cumulative and irreversible. Unfortunately, the sun is not the only source of
harmful UV light. All light sources, whether natural or artificial, have some of their
components in the ultraviolet range.
All this talk about UV damage would seem to spell certain doom for your artwork, but
thankfully, there is a fairly recent development in glass technology, known as
Conservation Series Glass, which effectively blocks out 97% of all harmful UV rays. The
cost is marginal, and the benefits are great. This glass is available in both clear and
reflection control.
We would be happy to give your art a "check up". We can tell you if the
proper materials and techniques were used in your custom framing. If not, we can recommend
the proper corrections, including acid free mats and conservation glass.
CPF designation is earned by passing a rigorous testing
procedure administered by the Educational Testing Services of Princeton, New
Jersey. It is your assurance that the framer has an outstanding knowledge of
proper framing procedures and care guidelines for your art.
We offer a variety of mounting an laminating services. We
mount on foam core, gator board, masonite and also create display boxes with the
art mounted on the surface. Laminates include gloss, matte, canvas or linen
texture, and UV filtering.
The PPFA is an organization dedicated to education and
quality among its members.
 We are a full
line Larson-Juhl dealer, visit their website for some
interesting ideas.
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