Sometimes a long frame with a narrower moulding can bow a bit in the middle because of the weight of the glazing. When this happens the bottom of the frame will bend just enough that you can see the top of the glass behind the lip of the frame. This most often happens when a smaller width frame is used.

We have a tip for you that’s a good precaution to take when framing a panorama or longer horizontal frame in a narrower moulding.

After the frame job is completely done get about a 1″ to 2″ strip of matboard or mountboard and a staple gun.

You’re going to staple one side of the strip to the back of the middle of the top leg of the frame (make sure the strip can’t be seen from the front).  After you do this pull the moulding from the other side and hold it taut while you staple the other end of the strip to the middle of the bottom leg. This works like a belt and hold everything together.

About four months after we first framed the multi-opening dog images for our lunch room, we went in one day and most of the images had slipped down within the frame.

The dog drawings seemed extra sad about it. We were, too. But,  the good news is that it was easily fixed.

Many multiple-opening windows can be difficult to attach all the images to. Because of this difficulty, the person framing this piece didn’t burnish the tape when they matted the artwork and the result was that most of the images slid down.

Burnishing the tape when you’re mounting artwork is a good idea. This easy and quick step can save you lots of trouble in the long run.  Here’s how:

Once you get your art or photograph taped to the mat or mountboard, take a burnishing bone (also known as a bone folder) and firmly burnish the non-adhesive side of the tape with the rounded edge of the tool. (If you don’t have a bone folder, a soup spoon works well too.)

This simple rubbing action, or burnishing, helps to make the adhesive grab hold and creates a strong and lasting bond.

felt bumper on back of frame

The reason most people think bumpers are good to use on the back of frames is because it helps protect the wall from scratches.

This is true. Another benefit is that the bumpers can help keep the framed art aligned on the wall.

However, bumpers originally started being used to make sure that the frame rests away from the wall a bit. The extra space permits air to circulate behind the artwork. This circulation helps prevent moisture from collecting which can lead to mold and mildew.

We carry 3/8″ felt bumpers that you can buy per bumper and we also carry the bumpers in a roll of 1000. If you are buying a wood or metal frame from us, you will receive them with your order automatically.

Bumpers are generally used only on the bottom of the frame. The top of the frame already sits a bit away from the wall whether it is strung with wire or is using a sawtooth hanger.

You may have noticed that when you join the corners of a wood frame it’s easy until you get to the last and 4th corner.  With each of the other corners you were able to separate the legs in order to apply some wood glue.

But, the 4th corner is usually too tight to get the glue bottle’s nose down in it.  Here’s one way to get the glue in there.  Take a piece of stiff paper and run a bead of glue on it.  Slide the strip of paper between the legs so that the glue is applied to the cut edge.   You may need to do this twice to make sure there’s enough glue in the corner.

Then finish off the last corner with the thumbnail plug and let it set up until dry.

Don’t have official picture framing tools? Not to worry, you probably have some of the things you need right at hand.  Try these pull-out-of-a-cupboard tools for your framing project.

Rubber garden gloves:  The best way to move a piece of glass is by holding it on the edges, but those edges can cut you.  So protect your hands by donning a pair of rubber coated gloves. The gloves will also keep fingerprints off of the glass and save on cleaning time.

Emery board/sandpaper: If you want to clean up rough outside edges of your mats, use an emery board (nail file) or fine grit sandpaper. Just sand gently along the length of the mat edge and the rough will become smooth.

T-shirts:  Who doesn’t have a load of old cotton t-shirts lying around?  Cut them up and use for cleaning glass or acrylic.  They’ll be relatively lint-free, soft, and a far better cleaning cloth than a paper towel (which can scratch Acrylic). 

Rubbing Alcohol:  Rubbing alcohol, with its fast evaporating quality, works really well on glass or Acrylic.  It doesn’t take much – just put a drop or two on a clean cotton cloth. Then pass the cloth gently over the fingerprint and it disappears.

Rolling Pin: It is easy for corners to get bent on mats while you are while handling them. A tip from a customer was to use a rolling pin to smooth out the corners. We also recommend the back of a large spoon.

Watch our Website

Next week we will launch some exciting changes: a new wood collection with more price breaks, a new Customer Success Story and a page just for watercolor artists. We hope you will drop on by.