Framing

NOTE: We are no longer making picture frames. I’ve left this legacy info up here in case it’s useful to anyone, but best to talk things through with your framer. 

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Tips & advice

We’re no longer offer a bespoke framing service, but while we did, we learnt a lot about the industry and the multitude of sins many framers leave hidden within their frames. Here’s some tips for anyone looking to appoint a bespoke framer:

Ask for FSC non-obeche timber

The most common timber used in picture framing is Obeche, which comes from tropical forests in Africa. It’s widely used by framers because it’s cheap and has a very even and indistinct grain. At Mount we refused to keep using timber that is logged, albeit legally, in huge quantities from sensitive areas that shouldn’t be used for commercial exploitation. You can specify that you don’t want to use any moulding that uses obeche, and FSC is always a good standard to go for.

The inside is important

The inside of a frame is as important as the outside. Many framers drive down prices by making frames quickly using cheap materials that degrade paper over time. Many “conservation” mountboards and materials are often so-called as a marketing spin, and are not recommended by genuine conservators. We recommend going for alpha-cellulose microchamber mountboard, which has zeolites (natural purifying minerals) incorporated within them that pro-actively traps and neutralise pollutants from the atmosphere, as well as those generated by the artwork itself. This prevents chemical damage to the artwork, and significantly enhances the artwork’s longevity. 100% cotton board is great as well. Ask your framer to use archival corri-cor backing board rather than MDF. Your framer should only use reversible mounting techniques with acid-free non self-adhesive tapes. Textiles should be stitched to board, never glued.

Please note that we no longer make frames. Any picture frame maker named “Mount” or similar is not affiliated with us and we can’t vouch for the quality of their service.