CONSERVATION FRAMING SERVICES
Brooklyn Frame Works provides conservation framing services in our Park Slope shop to help ensure that your artwork is kept safe from any elements that may cause degradation, such as acidity, light and moisture damage.
Conservation framing is defined as the practice and methods by which the display and containment of artwork within the framing environment is executed in a manner which, in all ways, is designed to be both least impactful and most preservative as pertaining to the integrity and longevity of the artwork. All materials, either in direct contact with artwork or even just within the sealed frame treatment itself should be non-acidic or inert.
Glazing (glass or acrylic facing). The glazing choice –whether glass or acrylic (aka: plexiglass) — is an important consideration, as UV damage from light sources accounts for the most common damage done to art. It is highly recommended that *all artwork have a uv-blocking “facing” installed in the framing for protection (*exceptions to be made for art traditionally left unglazed, such as art on canvas or panel).
The museum quality, conservation framing techniques and components we use to maintain the longevity and value of your artwork are listed below:
Mat Board
At Brooklyn Frame Works, we use only mat board that are acid–free. We have a large selection of 100% cotton rag mats, acid-free (buffered) mats and fabric-covered mats in both 4-ply (1/16″) and 8-ply (1/8″) thicknesses. Our fabric mats can be made with 100% silk, linen or a variety of dyed, synthetic materials
Mat board (ie: matting) material is a key component used in conservation framing.
These acid-free material are made from either 100% cotton rag (museum board) or from a specially prepared and buffered, lignin-free paper product (standard acid-free mats).
Mat board is primarily used to provide three different function/ effects:
1.) Floating or Mounting. With the floating option, art is affixed atop the mat board (substrate) by means of acid-free hinges. This technique is useful when the outside perimeter of art is desired to be visible — as in cases where the edges of paper are deckled (ie: paper with a hand-made, natural edge). Mounting is another option in which art may be permanently mounted directly onto a mat board.
2.) Over-matting. This is the more traditional use of mat board, which includes a beveled opening for the artwork. In this scenario, the outer edges of the art are covered by the bevel of the mat board. Along with the aesthetic enhancement of a crisp bevel, this kind of matting also provides the important function of creating an airspace between the glazing and artwork.
3.) Visual “comfort.” Whether artwork is floated or over-matted, providing a generous area of negative space all-around art generally provides a more harmonious aesthetic balance — as artwork placed too closed to the inner edges of the framing may often lead to a claustrophobic or too confining/ defining effect.
Our use of a computerized mat cutter (CMC) allows us to quickly and precisely cut mat
openings of virtually any shape or size (stop in to see the full array of possibilities).
Glass and Acrylic
Another key and critical component of conservation framing is the use of proper glazing (ie: the glass or acrylic covering in front of most art). We offer the finest glazing products: our standard being a UV-blocking glass or acrylic. The use of UV blocking, or Conservation Glass, is the basis for the proper protection of artwork from damaging UV light.
Conservation Glass blocks 99% of art-damaging UV light. This UV blocking protection is available in acrylic as well as in traditional glass products.
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Choosing the best...
For maximum clarity and conservation we highly recommend either Museum Glass, or Optium Acrylic (aka museum acrylic). These nearly invisible glass and acrylic products also embody the same 99% UV-blocking properties of conservation glass or acrylic, with the added feature of an astonishingly low amount of reflection!
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Optium Acrylic is the very best glazing product available! A standard of museums world-wide, it provide a nearly invisible, shatter-proof, protective covering for human-kind’s most-treasured creations. This acrylic product has been engineered to be scratch resistant as well as having a very low static charge —making it a great choice for pastels and charcoal art, when acrylic is the preferred choice. The added benefit of the shatter-proof aspect of Optium Acrylic makes it the very best way to protect your art investment. Considering the potential for damage to art due to broken glass, acrylic products offer a great advantage.
Click here for more info about Optium Acrylic.
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Broken glass?… we can help! We can replace broken glass with either new glass or , if preferred, acrylic. We also and provide glazing upgrades: from regular glass, to UV or museum glass (or the acrylic equivalents).
Poster, Print & Photo Mounting
The flatness of paper is an important factor regarding one’s perception of art, but it is not recommended for most fine art prints, original art or hard to replace prints and posters. Lower value posters and prints may often be mounted to a substrate (board) of foam-board or mat board, while photographs are more commonly mounted to smoother substrates such as aluminum, di-bond or sintra.
Dry mounting of posters or prints is a process by which the art is physically bonded to board material with either a heat-activated sheet or pressure-sensitive adhesive. The process is generally considered to be permanent and is not recommended for art that is considered valuable or irreplaceable.
Linen-backing is a specialized, wet-mount process that is typically reserved for vintage posters. It provides a semi-rigid, two-ply substrate of buffered paper and canvas, in a process that “relaxes” folds and creases and renders it suitable for any necessary restoration. Linen-backing/wet-mounting is a process that is considered reversible and therefore more suitable for art that might otherwise be devalued by dry mounting.
Photographs can also be dry mounted to foam-board, but for optimal results, it is recommended that photos can be cold-mounted with pressure-sensitive adhesive to acrylic, sintra (PVC), di-bond or aluminum — all materials allowing for maximum flatness without any textural interference. See more regarding flatness and framing.
Hinging: securing art within the frame
Most artwork needs to be secured inside its frame by in a way that is at once both secure but non-permanent. We utilize conservation
framing materials such as a specialized, 100% acid-free tape, to hinge (ie: adhere) artwork onto an acid-free substrate. While most works of art may be hinged with a traditional, acid-free, pressure sensitive tape, we also offer a completely reversible, museum quality hinging consisting of a rice-paper hinge with wheat paste adhesive. The rice-paper/ wheat paste is a time-test, ages old method utilized by museums around the world. The hinging of artwork starts with genuine rice paper. Careful attention to art weight will determine the weight of the rice paper to be used. The rice paper is carefully wet-torn as to maximize fiber strength. 100% wheat starch paste is used to make a bond that is very strong, acid-free and totally reversible.
Art on Canvas: Stretching/ Re-stretching
Paintings on canvas require special care and consideration to insure against potential cracking when being stretched, tearing and also acid damage. We use only the finest basswood for our stretchers. Basswood is the most dimensionally stable of woods and is best suited as to minimize warpage.
Our adjustable (ie: key-able), custom-made stretcher bar frames are the best way to insure that the stress upon the painted surface is as minimal as possible. A carefully tightened canvas secured to properly designed wooden stretcher bar stock is essential in minimizing the art’s contact with the potentially acidic wood.
Stretched Canvas
Stretcher Bar (Corner Sample)
Framing Option: "Floater Frame"
Textile Art/ Art on Fabric
Proper conservation framing techniques must also be utilized when mounting and framing textiles and fabrics.
We take great care to stitch and sew fabric securely to an acid-free substrate — enabling the art to be well supported while minimizing comprise to the fibers. When applicable, the mounted art is spaced away from the glazing to allow air to circulate freely.
In cases where needlepoint work is deemed too “warped” to be displayed properly, we first “block” the fabric (ie: squarely pinning and stretching the fabric to a rigid board). Time spent on the blocking board will typically cause the art to conform to a square and therefore, more presentable condition for which to finalize the framing process.
BROOKLYN FRAME WORKS
2 replies on “Framing Services”
I am inquiry about the price of glass for a 18×24 picture frame. I sent a diploma frame to a student in Brooklyn, NY and the glass was broken during the shipping.
Hi Margie,
The glass–by itself–would cost about $15.
For us to do the installation however, the total cost would avg. around $65.
I hope this information helps you.
Best regards,
George