framing faq 4

7/30/2019 Framing FAQ 4

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Regular mat board, also called paper mats, are made from wood pulp. Wood contains a great deal of

acid. Acid will do long term and permanent damage to your artwork. Proper mat board, sometimes

called archival mat board, rag mat board, or acid-free mat board, is made from cotton rag. Cotton isacid free and PH neutral.

6. Why should I replace my Acid Mats?

Acid Mat Board is made from wood pulp. The acid in the pulp will, over time, yellow and eventually

eat into your artwork. How long this takes depends on the artwork itself; some pieces will take 10 to

20 years to yellow and be damaged while others will show damage in a matter of months. Some

framers will put an acid mat above an acid free mat under the belief that by having a barrier betweenthe mat and the artwork you are protecting the work from the acid. This is false! The paper below your

matting will be protected from the acid, but the visible part of the artwork (the most important part)

will be affected by an acid gas which is expelled from the bevel of the mat board. If you love the workenough to frame it, you should protect it from damage! Acid free mats are made from pure cotton

pulp, which contains no acid and nothing which will alter your artwork.

7. Why do I need Glass over my artwork?

With very few exceptions, artwork needs to be protected from the elements and glass is the best wayto protect it. Uncovered artwork is exposed to dust and dirt in the air, and most artwork cannot be

cleaned without smearing or damaging the piece. Your work will also be exposed to moisture, which

in our area is highly prevalent.

8. Why should I use U.V. Protective Glass?

All artwork is affected by UV light. This does not only occur when the art is being struck by directsunlight from a window. All lamps in your home release UV light. Florescent lights in your home will

affect your artwork approximately 40% slower than direct sunlight. Incandescent houselights affect

your artwork 60% slower than direct sunlight. The only way to avoid any UV light on your artwork isto have it in a box placed in a closed drawer locked inside a closet. The next best thing is UV

protective glass. Conservation clear glass looks like ordinary glass but has a filter which blocks 98%

of UV light from reaching your artwork. This will prolong the richness of your work (as well as the

monetary value).

9. Why shouldn't I use Non-Glare Glass?


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Non-glare glass (also called non-reflective glass) is made by sandblasting glass on one or both

surfaces. The effect of this is to spread the reflected light across the glass by bouncing it off of the

textured surface. This is sending the light in all different directions instead of sending the crispreflection back to the viewer. 1) This is a great idea except for two things: the texture of the glass

makes the glass less clear. Directly against the surface of your artwork, you will lose some detail from

your image. The further the glass gets from the image, for example if you are using mats, the less

detail you will see. In a shallow shadowbox of you will see nothing but a vague blur of colors. 2)By spreading the reflection in different directions, you may end up with your entire piece looking like

a white rectangle. In large amounts of light, the wide spread can cover your whole piece and obscure

the art completely.

10. What is Museum Glass?

Museum glass is a fabulous alternative to the non-glare glass! Museum glass has a coating whichmakes the glass invisible from most angles. All glare and reflections are non-existent. In addition, this

glass has a coating which filters out 98% of UV light and protects your art form fading as well as

conservation clear glass. It does cost more than conservation clear glass, but it preserves theappearance of your unframed artwork, including the richness of color that any glass can subdue.

11. Why shouldn't my art touch the Glass?

There are two problems which can be caused by artwork touching glass. First, the glass can stick to

the artwork. I have in the past had to reframe a work of art along with the glass which is stuck to it.

Once the glass sticks, the artwork will tear if you try to remove it. Second, the suction created betweenthe artwork and the glass can attract and collect moisture from the air. When this happens, the artwork

can begin to mold. Molded artwork can be repaired, but usually at a great cost through a conservator.With the high humidity in our area, this molding happens often. The only artwork I would recommend

framing with glass directly on top of it are posters which are easily replaceable and photographs forwhich you have the negatives and the ability to reprint.

12. Should I use matting on my Painting?

Paintings should not have matting because matting requires glass to protect it and paintings require the

absence of glass to allow them to breathe. Instead of matting, a painting can be framed with a largerframe for more effect of a liner can be added to the frame to serve a similar purpose to matting.

13. When should I use a Linen Liner with my Painting?


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Linen liners can look very classic and traditional on a painting, however they can be very hard to

maintain. Being wrapped with a raw linen (or in some cases another fabric such as suede) they will

collect dust. There really isn't any way to clean a linen liner. This means that many people end upeither replacing the liner or reframing the work entirely within a short period of time. There are,

however, alternatives to the linen liner to create the same or a similar effect. One is to use a linen liner

only on artwork which is safe to have under glass; in which case the glass can be installed between the

liner and the frame so that the glass will protect the liner from the elements. Alternately, most framescan be used as liners. A frame can produce the same effect but be a surface which can be dusted and

cleaned safely.

14. Why shouldn't my Paintings be nailed into the Frame?

Many frame shops and artists alike nail through a painting's stretcher bars directly into the frame. This

causes two problems. One is that the painting is held so tightly in place, it no longer has the ability toexpand and contract. Paintings normally do this with changes in temperature and humidity at a slow

rate not noticeable to the naked eye. Even though you can't see these changes, they are very important

to the painting and not allowing them can cause the canvas to buckle. This can manifest as somethingas displeasing to the eye as a rippled or buckled canvas or, more seriously, as paint flaking and peeling

away from the canvas. The second problem caused by this practice the the holes put into the canvas by

the nails themselves. Even a minor hole can decrease the value of the painting; but in many cases thehole will enlarge or even tear into the image area. Any attempt to reframe the canvas, if for example it

is sagging on the stretcher bars, can cause it to rip further and ruin the artwork.

15. What are French mats and when should hey be used?

French matting is a very old and treasured technique which few people today are still trained in. Themats are decorated with ink lines, powder panels and strips of marbled or handmade paper. A French

mat can be used on any artwork and can give the piece a more antique or more traditional look; butthey can also be used to emphasize a modern piece with some extra character. A proper French mat is

done by hand and is a work of art in itself.

16. How should I Frame a Jersey or T-Shirt?

Jerseys and t-shirts need to be framed without touching the glass, which means a shallow shadowbox

frame. If they are pressed to the glass, moisture will collects and cause the fabric to mold. The bestway for a jersey or t-shirt to be mounted is to sew it down to a fabric backing which has been

drymounted (adhered with a heat-activated glue) to foam board. This makes sewing the piece down

very easy and secure. Sewing is done with invisible thread, similar to a thin fishing line, and will notdistract from the artwork itself. This also means that the mounting is completely reversible and does

not damage to the piece. Valuable pieces, like a signed jersey, will have no decrease in value. We also

now offer shadowbox frames for jerseys in both child and adult size which are shaped like your jersey.The jersey shaped boxes come in styles to fit football, basket ball, baseball and hockey style jerseys.

The child sized football shaped jersey box is also appropriate for t-shirts.


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17. When should I use a spotlight on my artwork?

Spotlights should never be used on your artwork. Besides the UV light that you are directing towards

your artwork, even the highest quality spotlights will not light the entire work of art. You will end up

with a bright circle or strip on the art as opposed to having the entire work evenly lit.

18. What is drymounting and when should I drymount my artwork?

Drymounting is a way of attaching your artwork to the backing board using a thin tissue of adhesive

which turns into a very permanent glue when heated. Some drymount tissues will be labeled as

reversible and acid free, but they are only truly reversible by a conservator which will cost you a great

deal of money. Since this is usually irreversible, it will also reduce the value of any collectableartwork. The only work which should be drymounted are those which can be replaced, such as posters

and photographs for which you have the negatives. You can also choose to drymount an irreplaceable

piece which has severe creasing or warping to it, but should never do this for an item such as anantique family photo.

framing faq 4

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