What should I expect In The
Framers Shop?
Framers cut wood, glass, paper and, hardboard so
expect to see or hear work in progress. You should see a
good selection of
mouldings a bit like
this The framer may not carry all the mouldings in
stock but can usually get your choice in a couple of days.
If they seem to be pushing you to a selection from a smaller display it may be that they're trying to
get you to buy
what they have in stock. This might be such a bad thing as
framer's have the sense to stock good mouldings that sell
well and at a good price. But, if you don't get shown
something you really like
say so.
Jargon Buster
Mountboard is special cardboard that is used to distance the picture from the glass, and accentuate and compliment the image. There are three main types of mountboard each designed to be used for jobs of different value from the cheapest prints to finest art. Make sure your framer uses the best for the job.
Bevel: The aperture cut from the cardboard to show the picture underneath is cut at a slight angle - this is known as a 'bevel' cut mount.
Mountboard comes in a
myriad of colours and textures and
is used enhance prints, photos and watercolours, as well as
posters. You'll be surprised at how many shades of white and
cream there are! But also there's hundreds of colour shades
to choose from. The framer might suggest a
double mount or even a
triple
mount which helps to pick out accent colours from the
picture and/or the colours in the room where the picture is
to hang. Take a swatch of furnishing material or
paint colour to the framer. There are various qualities of
mountboard and a lot of work has gone into defining the
qualities
what you
should concentrate on asking is if the board you are
choosing is suitable for the value of the picture that's
being framed.
Backing. Read this and ask how the framer will back the frame.
Glass I mention this because there is some really
clever glass around which some framers seem not to want to
push. Some protect a picture from fading
and some appear to
be virtually invisible! They do cost more, but are worth
looking at.
* Some very good framers choose to work from home and so
do some really bad ones. Remember this: if a framer has a shop
they will have to be reasonably acceptable to stay in
business. I always say that keeping independent shops open
makes shopping more interesting and try to support them
wherever I can
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© 2008 Stephen Todd
