Art - Frames and Framing Service
Art Frames, Picture Frames, Poster Frames, Mat Boards, Plexiglas, Framing Tools, Photo Frames
Napa Valley, San Francisco North Bay, Ca. USA

A picture frame is a container added to a picture in order to enhance it, make it easier to display or, in some cases, to protect it.

Construction

Picture frames are usually made of soft or hard wood, although other materials are also used, including aluminum or polystyrene. A picture frame may be of any colour or texture, but gilding is common, especially on older frames. Some picture frames have elaborate mouldings on them, which may relate to the subject matter of the picture.

The picture frame may contain a pane of glass or a plastic glass substitute such as Plexiglas, in order to protect the picture. Glass may be treated with various coatings, the most common being UV filters. Some glazings such as Denglas, Optium, and Museum glass have a coating which makes the glass partially non reflective and practically invisible under ideal lighting conditions.

For pieces to be framed under glass, except for the most disposable and inexpensive posters or temporary displays, the glass must be raised off the surface of the paper. This is done by means of matting, a lining of plastic "spacers", shadowboxing, stacking two mouldings with the glass in between, and various other methods. If the paper (or other media) were to touch the glass directly, any condensation inside the glass would absorb directly into the art, having no room to evaporate. This is harmful to almost any medium.