Framing pictures with no overlap of the artwork
October 29, 2017 7:38 AM   Subscribe

I have a number of items to frame where I don't want the frame (or mount) to cut off any of the picture. What's the best option?

Most of my art has been fine with a small amount of overlap, but there are a few items where the art goes all the way to the very edge of the page, so there needs to be no overlap at all in the frame (or mount).

I have basically no framing skills so will need something easy to assemble. The items I'm framing are odd sizes, so I will need to custom order frames for them.

The place I usually order frames from offers the option of buying mounts that are cut to the exact size of the artwork, but since it's recommended for advance framers only I'm not sure if I could make it work.

They also offer mount boards (with no opening), but I think I would need to fasten the art to the board, which I'd like to avoid if possible. (Or is there a way to make sure the art wouldn't fall down without doing this?)

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm in the UK, if anyone has local recommendations.
posted by Put the kettle on to Home & Garden (3 answers total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
You might consider float mounting the art. If you google "float mounting" or "float framing", you will find a number of "how tos". The link I included is just one of many.
posted by gudrun at 8:03 AM on October 29, 2017 [3 favorites]


Along the same lines as gudrun's suggestion, floating glass and acrylic frames are good for odd-sized art. They smoosh the art between two panes of glass/plastic and do a very good job of holding the art in place. In the States I see these often at big box stores, but it looks like amazon carries them too
posted by Drosera at 8:37 AM on October 29, 2017 [4 favorites]


Just get mats cut that are exactly what you want, just outside the edge of the art. Then have your framer use linen tape to hold the pieces to archival mat board, and you need no adhesive on the front mat. Choose your frame and glass as usual. Linen tape is archival and has a minimal grip on the art. It won't let the piece shift, but it also won't take away any of the piece. Often the tapes used on non art parts of the mat are acidic, and you can see they let some acidic vapor off at times. You have to have taken apart a lot of old framed art to see this effect. Linen tape is the answer for your worries. You can always get the mat hole one size and then choose a standard frame size, if the aspect ratio is not too off.
posted by Oyéah at 10:17 AM on October 29, 2017 [2 favorites]


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