Custom framing seems so simple…but let’s start at the beginning and look at what goes into it.

1. The client comes in with their art or photography and has a consultation with the designer or one of the framers. This can take anywhere from 20 min to an hour, sometimes longer if there is more than one person making the decisions. What decisions do they need to make? Which frame to use? Which color of mat? Do I want one mat or two or three? Do I want a liner or a fillet? What kind of glazing (glass) do I want? Conservation Clear, Art Glass, or Museum glass? How big should the mat be? How much of the second mat should show? Do I want a spacer? And that is just the tip of the iceberg😊 If a client brings in several photos and wants a collage for example then all of the spacing and placement needs to be decided…Wow that was only the first step!
2. Once a week we order all of the materials for all of the framing orders that come in. This of course takes time…
3. The products are shipped in or delivered by the local vendors. They are all tagged with the Work Order number and client’s last name so that things don’t get mixed up.
4. The framer pulls the Work Order and cuts the frame, then joins it together.
5. The mats are cut and the art or photography is mounted to the mats
6. The glass is cut and everything is put together. This part can take awhile because we have to ensure that there are no specs of dust, hair or fingerprints anywhere!
7. The back of the piece is sealed with paper and a hangar (usually wire) is attached.
8. Lastly, the piece is wrapped up to protect it and the client is called

Custom framing is exactly that…custom made by hand by one or more tradespeople who have learned this special craft. And of course, the time spent by our designers and framers costs money. Not only do we need to purchase all of the actual wood and mats and glass to make the piece, but we need to have the expensive equipment that we use to construct everything too.

So now that we’ve written out all of these details I think we can see it’s really no so simple😊But super fun!!! We love this industry.

The Staff @ Nainsook Framing + Art

What is GLAZING?

Glazing is the term that the custom framing industry uses to refer to glass. There are many types of glass and acrylic that are used in framing. The least expensive glass (which we seldom use unless the client asks for it) is Regular Glass – this has no protection on it at all for the art and might be used for a short term display only. Next is Conservation Clear Glass – with 98% UV protection this is the least expensive type that WILL protect your art or photography. As we move into the more expensive glass, the next is 70% Art Glass. This will give you 70% protection from UV and indoor lighting and the big benefit is that it has minimal light reflection off of the glass. This is a medium priced glass and a really good choice. The best that you can buy is Museum Glass – appropriately named because this is what is used in museums, for the best protection and NO GLARE to speak of. This is my personal favorite…There are also both regular acrylic, scratch resistant acrylic and museum acrylic. Acrylic is even more expensive than glass too. We need to use acrylic as the piece gets bigger because using glass is dangerous as it may flex and break when moving a large piece of art. We always recommend acrylic in a business setting to, for liability. How much difference in price would there be between these? A guesstimate for a 16×20 would be $20 for regular glass, $25 for Conservation Clear, $50 for 70% Art Glass and $80 for Museum Glass.

My feeling is that if you are framing something for yourself and will look at it every day the extra money for the museum glass is well spent so as not to have reflection on your art.

Now that you know all there is to know about glass, come in for a consultation to frame your art, photos or memorabilia! We would love to have the opportunity to serve you.

The Staff @ Nainsook Framing + Art