Deals on Frames for Art and Photography

Lumber might build a house and furniture fill it but to make a house truly a home it needs the things that are unique to you.

Paintings and pictures.

A few interesting pieces can really raise the profile of a room to something spectacular.

While any art of value should be taken to a reputable framing store that deals with museum quality framing so the artwork will not get damaged (don't try framing your grandmother's Picasso at home) sometimes you just want to fill a wall with something fun or something that is relevant to your life at the moment.

That's when you can find out how expensive framing can be.

Any art work that is on paper should be framed under glass (such as drawings made of pastels, charcoal, pencil, pen and ink, crayon, or prints etc.) to protect it. Oil and acrylic paintings are usually framed with no glass.

Pre-made frames can be bought in many different places, grocery stores, big box stores or home decor stores. The quality can range from shoddy and cheap to very good: you just have to know what to look for. Be prepared to buy your frames in bulk during close outs and sales. Before buying your frame check that if it looks like wood it really is wood and not plastic painted to look like wood. Stay away from rickety metals and cheap plastics.

The frame should be solid and the corners at 90 degree angles. Check the corners most carefully to make sure they are joined nicely. Also check that the frame is not scratched or dented and lastly check the back to make sure it's not damaged in any way.

Pre-made frames come in sizes of 3 1/2 x 5 inches, 4 x 6 inches, 4 x 12 inches (panorama), 5 x 7 inches, 8 x 10 inches, 16 x 20 inches and 20 x 24 inches.

Though there are many other sizes available these are the most standard ones. To make these pre-made frames a real deal they should come with glass, matting (this is the paper board that edges the art work), back board and a hanger.

Matting can be either single or double (two sheets of matting gives it a deeper and more expensive look) and can come in thousands of different colours but with pre-made frames they tend to be white, light beige or cream coloured.

Generally matting follows photo sizes so a 5 x 7 inch frame would be matted for a 4 x 6 picture (the actual opening would be 3 3/4 x 5 3/4 inches so there would be an edge to cover the picture and hold it in the frame). A 8 x 10 frame would be matted for a 5 x 7 picture, a 11 x 14 frame would be matted for a 8 x 10 picture and a 16 x 20 framed would be matted for a 11 x 14 inch picture. Always check what size the opening of the matting is, most of the time it is printed on the packaging.

The matting in these pre-made frames usually are not of the highest quality, after many many years it might discolour the photo or art work with a brownish or grayish tinge. This is the acids that are leaching out of the mat onto the paper of the artwork.

That is why it is essential that if you are framing a quality piece or something that you want future generations to own it should be taken to a framing store that uses museum quality matting and framing which are acid free and ph balanced.

If you found a frame with no matting, most art supply and craft stores sell pre-cut matting or for more money you can have something custom cut for you. This is expensive compared to pre-cut matting but you will have more choice in colours and a choice to buy museum quality mat.

Remember that even if you buy acid free matting you will also have to make sure that the back board of the frame is also acid free and if you are framing something inexpensive (like a picture form a book) the artwork itself might not be acid free and in 20 or 30 years will discolour regardless of what you frame it in.

When at auctions, thrift shops and garage sales keep your eyes open for horrible prints and paintings in great frames. Sometimes you can really luck out and find exquisite vintage and antique frames of faux tortoise shell, bamboo, sterling silver and gold leaf for only a dollar or two.

Ditch the print and put in something wonderful! You will often find frames at thrift stores selling for $1 or $2 for 8 x 10s and huge frames for posters will sell for as little as $10. Don't look at what is in the frame, look at the frame itself and see if it's something you can use.

Don't go too small when putting art on your walls, framing in groups gives it much more impact. One nice print in an 11 x 14 frame might look lost on a wall while 6 of them would make a real statement.