Thread: How to make picture frames

Many thanks to everyone for your suggestions and ideas - there was an amazing wealth of experience that you all shared, and will definitely benefit others as well as myself.

Many thanks especially to robbygard for his kind offer, but the tyranny of distance strikes again, and I regret not being able to take him up on this. this is the sort of thing that makes this forum so great. PS your estimate of glass cost was spot on !

I have decided to reduce the size a bit, from 840 to 600wide ( standard A2 sheet width) as it was a bit too big by the time I did the 60mm outer margins and 75mm wide frames.

Can you please tell me how you stick a large, long print about 600 x 200 to a Fome Core backing board so that it does not bulge in the middle and touch the glass - ie how do you make it stay flat? One long strip of double sided tape along the top, or a series of vertical strips, whatever?

I have found a "Make your Frame" web site which allows you to upload your image and then mix and match your frame and surrounds. I have attached some sample outputs. It is rather limited in that the frame widths are quite narrow. In each case below, I have chosen a 60mm outer margin throughout. I will have a go at adding the robbygard suggestions in my next post.

Anyway, is there any particular design that stands out in these attachments that grabs your attention?

I'd do as Wolffie says - and I'm currently working as a picture framer.....

A few points:

By all means make up your own frame moulding from nice timber, but make sure you put at least a 7-8mm deep rebate in it. A framer with a proper double mitre saw and V-nailer can put a frame together for you in about 5 mins......hardly worth doing it yourself.

Don't put MDF anywhere near photos, or anything else of value - it is highly acidic. That's why framers use acid-free foamcore, or Gatorboard.

Glass should be 2mm clear float, or there are various UV filtering or non-reflective 2mm types if you want to spend a bit more.

Most photos are mounted under a matboard, and are hinged at the top only. The matboard keeps the surface of the photo off the glass. We do get customers wanting to mount photos with no matboard border, and for these there is a clear self-adhesive plastic spacer which goes against the glass. Any worthwhile framing place should have this.

Coincidentally, yesterday I spent about an hour framing a large photo where the customer insisted on making his own frame - and that's the last time we'll ever do it. The frame was out of square by 6mm or more, the rebate was too shallow to even fit glass in, the rebate wasn't flat, and he'd joined the corners with huge metal brackets from Bunnies (plus plenty of bog to fill in the cracks). The completed frame weighed about twice what it should have.....

Jill - for really large works we often use Gatorboard backing instead of foamcore to prevent bending.

Gatorboard looks a bit like foamcore, but the thin outer skins are a hard white plastic. This means that it stays really flat even over a large area - much stronger, but still very lightweight.

you don't stick the photo to the foamcore you tape it to the mat ... generally you just run tape across the top (the so described hinge) although there is no reason not to run it right the way around ... the foamcore sits behind that and presses against the back of the photo/mat and up against the rebate in the frame ... you then either drive tiny nails or flexipoints into the frame pressing down on the foamcore .. i have never had the photo/print bulge ... i try to get a fair amnount of overlap of print over the mat though (the last one i did had a print/photo area of 135 x 105 but the size of the paper it was printed on was 155 x 130)

of your samples, i think any of the first three colours or the last two suit the photo but i would use these as an inner mat with about 5-7 mm showing inside something like the 6th one

i reckon 4, 5, 7 and 8 are examples of what one of the other posters said about the frame taking over and not showing teh photo ... when i looked at them i didn't notice the photo just the frame .. the white one 6 shows the photo best by itself i reckon but you would lift it considerably by using an inner mat (as i said in the last post i would prob use something just a little creamy (eggshell white is my favourite for colour shots) ... i use a stark white more on black and white photos and often in a triple mat with white outer (large) black middle (say 5mm) and white inner mat (say 10-20mm)

i ALWAYS use a mat wider than 60mm ... depending on the size of the photo/print ... i have just done a janet flinn print (Australian Bird and Wildlife Art by Janet Flinn) ... area of print was 135 x 105 i used an outer mat of 93mm and inner of 5mm

i spoke in the last post about personal preference

for something in pano shape i widen the side mat over the top and bottom mat generally by an inch or so ... i like to get the frame away from the photo and to make the whole thing draw the eye to the photo not act as a barrier

if what i have said is unclear or raises other questions, please feel free to ask or challenge

regards d avid

Thanks for the post, Mr Brush, it is really appreciated. I am a bit of a perfectionist, so there is no way I would build a frame as rough as that

How much gap do you leave between the frame rebate edge and the glass to allow for any expansion, if any?

As a retiree, I really wanted to have a go myself at making a frame for photos that I have taken on my travels, something I have never tackled before. I appreciate the skill and speed of professional frame makers. I may even end up getting them to do it in future, but in the meantime, with all your assistance, I am learning a new skill, and enjoying it. Thanks to all.

I have addded some additional designs based on robbygard's suggestions with dual mat, within the constraint of the website design limitations for the frame thickness and colour limitations.

Does anyone of these stand out to you all?

number two would be my favourite of tehm but 1 4 and 5 also look nice to me ... number three looks too dark for my taste

i would still give a bit more mat around them ... as i say personal preference ... go for what you think shows the photo at its best

regards david

I agree with David's comments.

I would also be tempted to try a slightly wider border (say 20mm more than the top) under the bottom of the photo as to my eye they appear to be too low in the frame. I realise that it is an illusion but might improve the look.
This was a suggestion during an evening framing course I did a few years ago.

Many thanks for your comments, they are really very valuable to me and lots of others, I sure.

With the dual mat, do you get two mats the same size but differing colours, and make the one next to the glass have a larger cutout by about 7 mm all around?

What sort of gap do you have between the glass perimeter and the rebate perimeter where the glass slots in, to allow for movement or expansion - 1mm all around?

Originally Posted by JillB

With the dual mat, do you get two mats the same size but differing colours, and make the one next to the glass have a larger cutout by about 7 mm all around?
Yes It can 3, 5 or 7 mm - to your taste

What sort of gap do you have between the glass perimeter and the rebate perimeter where the glass slots in, to allow for movement or expansion - 1mm all around?

Yes thereabouts - does not have to be exact

Just another question, would a scapel or Stanley knife be suitable for cutting Gatorboard backing that Mr Brush recommended above?

Originally Posted by JillB

Many thanks for your comments, they are really very valuable to me and lots of others, I sure.

With the dual mat, do you get two mats the same size but differing colours, and make the one next to the glass have a larger cutout by about 7 mm all around?

What sort of gap do you have between the glass perimeter and the rebate perimeter where the glass slots in, to allow for movement or expansion - 1mm all around?

with the double mat you cut your outer mat to size then tape a slightly smaller mat over the back and cut it using the outside edge of the first mat as your guide

about 1mm is fine


the idea of a bottom weighted mat isn't bad and would be well worth a try

regards david

thanks for the suggestion about the larger matt surround at the base of the photo - that worked well

I used the eggshell white and a 7mm pale blue outer margin - looks quite good - thanks robbygard

Originally Posted by Mr Brush

I'd do as Wolffie says - and I'm currently working as a picture framer.....

Coincidentally, yesterday I spent about an hour framing a large photo where the customer insisted on making his own frame - and that's the last time we'll ever do it. The frame was out of square by 6mm or more, the rebate was too shallow to even fit glass in, the rebate wasn't flat, and he'd joined the corners with huge metal brackets from Bunnies (plus plenty of bog to fill in the cracks). The completed frame weighed about twice what it should have.....

That's the stuff of nightmares
Cheers
Wolffie

Originally Posted by JillB

Anyway, is there any particular design that stands out in these attachments that grabs your attention?

Honestly?

Neither.
They all seem to draw the eyes away from the picture. The matboard is overpowering.

Cheers
Wolffie