Technical Information: Matting

Mats: The mats we use are museum quality, 100% cotton rag which do not have the acids and chemicals used in cheaper, pulp based mats. An easy way to identify pulp mats is the brown bevel which occurs with time. Work which was framed many years ago is likely to have pulp mats and cardboard backing which will degrade the art, most notably by browning the paper and foxing – small brown spots which appear on the art. We can update your framing with archival materials and reuse your frame if you are worried about the effects but still attached to your old frame.

Top Mat: An archival top mat not only serves a practical role in preserving your artwork, it’s also a timeless look, easily updated with a contemporary moulding choice. From an archival standpoint, the function of a top mat is to create distance between the artwork and the glass due to inevitable changes in temperature and humidity levels.  Photographs and screen prints in particular have a higher chance of sticking to the glass in humid conditions without adequate space.

Float: Floating works on paper is often a more contemporary look. This best serves art which does not sit flat or requires that the edges be visible and shows the tactility of the paper. From an archival position, it allows the piece “room to breath”, even more so than a top matted work. A float is created by using “spacers” around the inner edges of the frame, distancing the glass from an archival back mat, as with a shadowbox. Paper expands and contracts according to humidity levels. Properly placed hinges allow the work to adjust to these changes which will minimize negative effects such as rippling and buckling. The artwork is kept in place with the help of small archival hinges which are attached to the underside of the art and are removable in the future.

Shadowbox: A shadowbox is essentially the same as a float, however no space is left around the artwork, and a mat spacer covers the work slightly (about 3/16”). While this style produces a simple and clean look, it is really only suitable for mounted work. As described in the floating section, the natural expansion and contraction of the paper will be restricted in a shadowbox. This inability to expand causes the work to buckle over time. Mounting your work to a material like dibond, gatorboard, sintra, plexiglas or matboard is permanent and is therefore not technically an archival process as it cannot be reversed. On the other hand, mounting to a stable material will permanently flatten the art which is a visual plus in many situations. As there is a small risk of error in the mounting process, we do not recommend it for any works which cannot be replaced.

Double Mat Float: A double mat float (aka the “tip & top”) is basically a combination of a top mat and a small float. It is particularly useful when framing small delicate or borderless pieces where a top mat would flatten them thus removing its tactile qualities and a standard float would not make the frame big enough to suggest the importance of the piece.

Reveal: A reveal frame is almost always reserved for works on canvas as they do not have a glazing in front of the art. Reveal frames do not cover up the edge of the canvas but instead leave a small (1/4” generally) gap between the art and the inner edge of the frame. This space is primarily an aesthetic choice and is popular with contemporary work. By showing the depth of the canvas without drawing too much attention to it, the three dimensional quality of the painting can be seen, rather than covering the edge which tends to flatten the painting and give it a poster like effect.

 

 

Technical Information: Glazing

Premium Clear Glass: Regular glass as it tends to be known is an inexpensive framing quality glass. It reduces about 45% of UV rays and slightly darkens the image compared to no glass.

Plexiglass (aka Perspex): A smart choice for oversized artwork or artwork you know will be traveling as it is about half the weight of glass and much less apt to break and damage the art. The tradeoff is that plexi has a lot of static which causes problems for some work like unfixed pastels and rather than breaking, it can scratch.

Conservation Clear: Conservation Clear glass is a UV filtering glass which is an upgrade from Premium clear glass without a huge jump in price.  Although Conservation Clear glass has the same reflection as regular glass, it has a microscopic UV-filter, which blocks 97% of UV rays.

Mirogard Glass: The main purpose of glass is to protect your artwork, but unfortunately the reflection from Premium Clear and Conservation Clear in certain lighting conditions and particularly with darker images, can be quite distracting. This line of glass has an anti-reflective coating on both sides which greatly reduces the amount of reflection. Where Premium Clear glass reflects 8% of light, Mirogard reflects less than 1%. Mirogard glass is available up to 48x69”.

Mirogard Water White Glass: Mirogard Water White is an extremely clear glass, meaning it has very little colour distortion on your art. This glass has about the same UV properties as regular Premium clear glass at 48%.

Mirogard Plus: Mirogard Plus has the same low reflection as Mirogard Water White but also has a higher UV-filter of 84%.