HOW DO I CARE FOR MY FRAMES ?

You’ve taken the time and made the investment to preserve your treasured photographs, documents, prints or others special items. Protect their longevity so that you can hand them down to future generations.

In Bradenton, always hang framed art away from the path of direct sunlight anytime of the day, including reflected sunlight from mirrors or glass from opposite walls.

Hang framed art on walls where air conditioning and heating vents will not blow directly on the piece. This helps avoid rapid temperature changes and condensation on the glass that can lead to mold or mildew.

Try not to hang your most treasured art and photographs on an outside wall or any wall that is a common wall with a bathroom having a tub or shower. Very small amounts of moisture-laden air can find its way into the framing package and over time this may promote mold or mildew.

HOW CAN I GET ADVICE ABOUT PICKING THE RIGHT FRAME FOR MY PIECE ?

Feel free to bring your piece in to our frame expert — we can help.

The best framing designs are created based on a conversation about your tastes, the intended hanging location, and the appearance of the item itself. This way, the framing is customized for your piece, rather than being a simple standard design.

There is no charge for design advice, and our frame expert will be able to show you samples and ideas, as well as provide individual advice and a quote.

WHAT TYPE OF FRAMING SHOULD I USE FOR A CHILDS ROOM ?

Acrylic is ideal for framed items in children’s room for safety reasons. We have a large numbers of durable frames with many colors and styles to choose from.

WHAT IS THE PREFERRED WAY TO LIGHT MY ARTWORK ?

When lighting a framed piece, use low voltage light bulbs and keep the light source as far away from the piece as possible.

WHAT ARE ARCHIVAL MATERIALS AND WHY SHOULD I USE THEM ?

Always have items framed using archival materials. Many mat boards are called “acid free”. This only means that the mat board was acid free at the time of manufacture, but may become acidic as the mat board begins to deteriorate.

Damage to art can begin to happen in a couple of years or less.

Archival materials are designed to remain acid free for literally generations because of the chemical buffers they contain to neutralize any acids that might be generated by the framing materials or the art itself.

HOW DO I CLEAN ACRYLIC FRONTS ?

It is highly recommended that you use a special acrylic cleaner available at most hardware stores.

A second option, use a dampened, not soaked, 100% cotton cloth like a T-shirts. Dampen with a mixture of dish washing soap and water.

Never use an ammonia-based glass cleaner such as Windex. The ammonia will cloud the acrylic.

I’VE SEEN SOME MATS WITH A WIDER BOTTOM. WHY IS THIS DONE ?

One common explanation is that many works of art are created with the focus of the image slightly below center, and that weighting the mat helps to keep the image from looking like it is “sinking” in the frame.

MY PICTURE IS HARDLY VISIBLE SINCE THE GLASS REFLECTS EVERYTHING. HOW DO I GET RID OF THE GLARE ?

There are two types of glass available to fight glare.

The traditional type of “non-glare” glass has an etched surface that scatters the light that reflects back from the surface of the glass, and softens the glare.

The newer type of “anti-reflective” glass has a special coating that improves light transmission to reduce glare without the distortion that can result from an etched glass.

We have both types available, and both provide UV protection for your art. I encourage you to visit our store to see samples of these products, and to determine which would be right for your situation.

CAN YOU FRAME MY ITEM SO IT WILL NOT DETERIORATE OVER TIME?

There are a number of basic characteristics of preservation framing that will help to maintain the condition of your item.

The glazing (glass or acrylic) should be UV-protective to help prevent damage to your item from ultraviolet light.

The glass should be spaced away from the surface of the art, which is usually accomplished through the use of matting.

The matting and backing materials should be preservation-grade, acid- and lignin-free, and the artwork should be mounted in a reversible manner to the backing.

HOW DO YOU AVOID MOISTURE BETWEEN THE GLASS OF THE FRAME AND THE PHOTO?

The most common cause is high relative humidity followed by a drop in temperature. This is actually fairly uncommon in most household environments, unless the item hangs in a bathroom, and moisture on the glass is practically unavoidable.

The best way to avoid this is to hang the picture in an area with lower humidity and stable temperature.

WHAT’S THE BEST WAY TO HANG PICTURES ON THE WALL WITH THE LEAST AMOUNT OF DAMAGE ?

Picture hangers that use multiple, smaller nails rather than a single large nail or wall anchors generally leave less damage and are easier to fill and touch up later.

There are some adhesive hangers available which can work for very small and lightweight items. There are also gallery-style hanging systems that use wall-mounted tracks and cables, which only mount at the very top of the wall.

Another option for display is to rest your item on a floor easel instead of hanging it on the wall.

HOW CAN I CREATE A WALL ARRANGEMENT WITH FAMILY PHOTOS ?

Depending on how you hang them, groups of photos can relay a story in countless ways.

For the best placement, hang photos at eye level and aim for a balance of small and large pieces. It is best if the horizontal center line of the arrangement is at the viewer’s eye level.

If you are hanging these photos in a living room, dining room or bedroom where most people would be sitting down most of the time, you might consider making your horizontal center line about two feet lower from standing eye level.

In laying out the arrangement, use the following guidelines:

Plan your arrangement:
Using butcher or Kraft paper cut out the shapes of your frames and plays with the arrangement on the floor until you get it right.

Keep in mind the boundaries you are working within, such as the width of your sofa, or the length of a table. Place the heaviest piece lowest and to the left, working up and to the right from here.

Maintain order and form:
To keep balance in your arrangement, align the bottom edges of your frames with the top edges of others; align some left-hand edges and center some frames over others.

Transfer ideas to the wall:
Once you’ve decided on the placement, measure the distance between the groupings you’ve laid out on the floor. Write these measurements down and refer to them as you hang each frame on the wall.

When you are ready to hang, begin with a central picture and work outward from there.

HOW DO I HANG PICTURES IN A STAIRWELL ?

The arrangement really depends on how many pieces you decide to hang on your staircase.

If they are all the same size and only have a few, you might want to hang them diagonally making their way up the stairs.

If you have a variety of sizes and quite a few pieces, you might want to do 2 or 3 groupings along your staircase.

Also, try to position the items in a manner where they will not be knocked off by someone’s shoulder as they make their way upstairs.

WHAT KIND OF HANGER SHOULD I USE TO HANG MY PICTURE ON DRYWALL ?

In most cases, the simplest type of hanger to use on dry wall is a standard picture hanging hook. With picture hooks, you will find safe and secure methods for hanging pictures to a variety of wall types.

The conventional type picture hook allows you to simply position the hook, and hammer its nail into place. The picture hanging hook is an ideal solution for hanging on dry wall. The nail travels through the hook and enters the wall at the correct angle to keep the weight of the frame pulling to the wall.

Gravity is pulling the hook down and the nail into the wall which gives more support to the picture and in turn keeps the picture on your wall safely.

There are also other hangers available for heavier items that incorporate wall anchors. We have an assortment of hanging options available in our stores, and associates who can recommend the correct hanging hardware for your exact item.

HOW DO I CLEAN MUSEUM GLASS ?

Museum glass does not require a special cleaner, although an ammonia-free cleaner is recommended for all picture framing glass. Since Museum Glass is so clear, however, sometimes fingerprints that would not be noticeable on normal glass are visible on Museum Glass, and many glass cleaners will just smear the skin oils from a fingerprint across the surface of the glass. In most cases, alcohol can be used to remove these fingerprints.

HOW DO I KEEP GLASS CLEANER FROM SEEPING INTO MY ARTWORK ?

Always spray the glass cleaner on your cleaning cloth, NOT the glass. When cleaner is sprayed directly on the glass, it tends to run down the surface and seep under the lip of the frame at the bottom, which can cause the cleaner to soak into the mats, backing, and artwork and cause damage.

You can help prevent this damage by spraying the cleaner on the cloth, instead.

HOW DO I PACKAGE A FRAMED PIECE FOR SHIPMENT ?

Packaging framed artwork for transit is best done by a professional, who should be able to clearly explain the process they use and the precautions they take.

This can involve a protective film over the glass to prevent shards in the event of breakage (or even just strips of tape in a grid pattern), corner protectors, foam padding, and multiple layers of rigid packaging.

Larger or more delicate items can even be crated for shipment. Another advantage of using a packaging service is that this will generally include some level of damage insurance, to protect your investment in the event something does go wrong.

For very valuable items, you might consider starting with a conservator for a referral about proper packing and freight arrangements.

For decorative items, I would probably start with a “pack & mail” type of establishment, where you can take care of the packaging and shipment in one stop.

HOW SHOULD ARTWORK BE FRAMED TO HANG IN A LOBBY ?

Two things that you will also want to consider given that the item will be on display in a public location:

1) Using acrylic instead of glass will help to reduce the weight of the finished piece, and also provides shatter-resistance, which can be very desirable from a safety and liability standpoint. We also have acrylics with an abrasion-resistant coating to help prevent scratches and allow cleaning with standard glass cleaner and paper towels.

2) “Security Hangers” are available, which can be useful for hanging pictures in public areas. Since they attach positively to the wall, they help to hold the picture straight (and on the wall) in case of casual contact or cleaning by janitorial staff.

Also, there is a special hardware component that holds the bottom of the frame to the wall that requires a hanger “key” to disengage, deterring casual attempts to remove the item from the wall.

I HAVE A FRAME WITH SOME DAMAGE ON THE CORNER. CAN YOU REPAIR IT ?

Every repair is not the same. Most frames need to be visually inspected to see what the actual damage is. I need to see how the original frame was put together.

What is it made of ? What type of damage has occurred and if I can actually repair the damage.

Broken corners that have come apart are usually not to much of a problem.

WHAT IS CONSERVATION FRAMING ?

Conservation or preservation framing is a method of picture framing that preserves and protects artwork. It ensures that all the materials used in framing and matting will not harm the artwork, and will, as much as possible, protect the artwork from physical damage.

If artwork is not properly framed in a preservation manner, it can fade, yellow, stain, even be burned by acids in inferior framing materials — causing irreparable damage and loss of value and beauty.

Because conservation framing materials are made to be permanent, they feature colors that will not fade and cores that are pure and clean — attributes that will maintain the aesthetics of your framed pieces for years to come.

In addition, preservation framing protects the integrity and value — be it monetary or emotional — of all your artwork, photographs and memorabilia, preserving and protecting for the enjoyment of the next generation.

WHEN SHOULD I USE CONVERSATION FRAMING ?

We are asked this question a lot, and the answer is really simple, “When the artwork is worth preserving.” This can include the obvious ones, original artwork, limited editions, cartoon cels, newspaper clippings, photographs, etc. to the less obvious ones, your child’s first drawing.