What is conservation framing?

A mount and frame should always be selected to protect as well
as enhance a picture. Unfortunately, some mounting and framing techniques
not only fail to protect, but are potentially damaging to works of art.
'Conservation framing' is a term used to describe the use of materials and
techniques which provide protection to framed works of art on paper. There are
different levels according to the quality and specification of the materials used.

Why do works of art on paper need protection?

Paper is sensitive to its surroundings: it can be adversely affected by damp, changes in temperture and humidity, restriction of movement and exposure to light.
Paper will also react to the materials with which it is in contact such as acidic support boards and self adhesive tapes. Evidence of damage caused by adverse conditions can be seen in pictures with mount burns, foxing (small brown spots), fading of pigments or darkening and increasing brittleness of the paper.

Levels of protection

There are three main levels of framing:
Museum level - For framing valued original works of art.
Conservation level - For framing original and limited edition art.
Standard level - For framing non valuable prints and posters.

At DMR Framing our picture framers are fine art trade guild commended framers
which means they are fully qualified to handle all types of conservation framing.

UV Conservation Glass

One of the main levels of protection to consider for your picture is the glass.
We stock UV clear and UV non glare glass. Over time exposure to indoor
and outdoor UV light rays can contribute to fading and deterioration of art,
photographs and other important personal keepsakes.
Conservation glass effectively blocks 99% of UV light rays to protect
aginst fading and help keep framed pieces brighter, longer.

Mount Board

We have over 100 colours of mount board in stock. Over 50 of the colours meet the conservation standard of mounting. We also have a range for museum mounting.
Because the picture is in direct contact with the mount, the choice of mount board is crucial to protecting framed works of art on paper.
Most of our mount board is of conservation quality suitable for most prints and pictures.
Our museum range is suitable for valuable works of art and will protect the picture for hundreds of years.

 

Clarity Glass

We have a new glass Clarity by Larson Juhl invisible, waterwhite and anti-reflective glass. Reduces reflections to less than 1% (the <1% remaining reflection is blue which is more appealing to the eye) and allows viewing of artwork as intended – showing true colours without distortions. Clarity also has 70% UV filtering. For ease of handling, the smooth surface is simple to clean, with a durable and scratch-resistant coating. No special cleaning products are required and both sides of the glass hold the same properties.