Archival Framing

Proper framing of the items that are valuable to you emotionally, historically, or monetarily, is important to protect them from damage caused by sunlight, airborne contaminants, insects, and dirt. It will also prevent someone from sitting on that rolled-up print you just brought back from China!

WORKS ON PAPER are highly vulnerable. Here is a short list of general guidelines for framing documents, prints, drawings and photographs that can’t easily be replaced.

DO choose matting and backing boards that are sufficient quality to protect the work, such as museum board, 100 percent rag board, or conservation board.

DON’T rely on the term acid-free to mean archival any longer (look for acid and lignin-free) and do not use regular wood pulp or inferior grades of cardboard.

DO choose conservation mounting. Generally, this means hinging of the artwork to the mounting board with Japanese tissue adhered with cooked wheat starch paste or mechanical supports. The window mat should be hinged to the mounting board. Professional framers and conservators have many ways to mount works that are reversible and do no harm to the piece.

DON’T use pressure sensitive tapes on valuable or irreplaceable items. Pressure sensitive archival tapes may not fail or damage the paper, but they cannot be removed without expensive treatment by a conservator. 

DO choose ultraviolet filtering glass or acrylic to mitigate fading.

DON’T use other plastics that are unstable. Don’t choose acrylic for works done in charcoal or pastel because it takes on a static charge (antistatic Optimum® acrylic is an exception).

DO choose a frame design that allows space around the edges, either with matting or by hinging on top of a larger board. Artwork on paper needs room to expand and contract to avoid cockling.

DO choose a frame design that provides space between the item and the glazing, either with matting or spacers, to allow for air circulation and avoid problems caused by moisture from condensation. Without air space photographs often permanently stick to the glass.

DO use “D” ring hangers, loose wire, two picture hangers in the wall, and bumpers on the bottom corners of the frame (or other recommended hanging hardware).

DON’T use screw eyes, nails, or a centered hanger, unless the picture weighs next to nothing.

DO hang on an interior wall and avoid extremes in temperature and humidity. Minimize exposure to light.

TRADUTIONAL PAINTINGS are composed of various layers applied to a support, usually canvas or wood. The support is usually primed and the painting is protected with a final varnish that can be removed by a conservator and reapplied periodically for cleaning. Generally, the following guidelines apply when framing paintings on canvas.

DO leave plenty of allowance in a painting’s frame for expanding a stretched canvas in the future.

DO pad the rabbet of the frame to protect the edges of the painting from abrasion.

DO use offset clips or mending plates to hold the canvas in the frame with moderate pressure.

DON’T nail through the stretcher bars into the frame. 

DO attach a backing board to the stretcher bars with screws and sink washers to prevent rapid changes in temperature and humidity, mechanical damage and to keep out dirt and insects.

Preservation FRAMING of TEXTILES usually involves stitching. The mounting solutions can be as varied as are textile art forms. Here are just a few considerations.

DO have the textile evenly supported with thread using ball-point needles that go between the threads of the textile and will not cut or break them.

DON’T use sticky boards, glues, tapes or staples.

DO choose unbuffered, neutral pH (6.5 to 7.5) rather than highly alkaline conservation boards with protein-based textiles such as silk and wool. Cotton and linen are derived from plants and thrive in an alkaline environment.

DO choose a frame design with plenty of air space between the textile and the glass or acrylic which should be coated for protection from ultra violet rays.

DO choose to have the rabbet of the frame sealed with metallic barrier tape if the frame is within 1” of your textile.

The goal of preservation framing is to protect the item from anticipated hazards, using materials that do no harm to the item and using techniques that are reversible. The melding of great design, science and ethics to further the craft of art preservation and display is very important to us. We welcome collaboration and are happy to share our knowledge and expertise to create the best solutions.