In today’s installment of decorating tips we wanted to talk briefly about the art of conservation framing and how it may protect your favorite, Fulcrum Gallery prints from harm. It is typically a six-part process that starts with selecting art prints that have been created using the highest grade paper possible and goes on from there. Some art lovers may opt to end the process quickly by laminating their prints whereas others may want to continue by choosing museum quality, custom framing materials and techniques. At this time, we’d like to focus on the latter.
If you are hoping to have your print preserved using conservation framing techniques, it’s important to first realize that everything included in the framing package has a role to play. Therefore, it does not pay to only do things half way. In other words, once you make a commitment to a certain level of art conservation, its best to adhere to that level of quality all the way through. Otherwise, you’ll be jeopardizing the integrity of the entire framing package.
The purpose of conservation framing, as you've probably guessed, is to protect the print from moisture, dust, chemicals, insects, temperature change and other atmospheric pollutants. So every piece of framing material must be chosen with that in mind. That said, you’ll typically need the following, acid-free, buffered items for a museum quality job:
- Hinging and Mounting Materials (e.g. Japanese Tissues and Mounting Corners)
- Fade/Bleed Resistant Window Mats
- Frame Backing Paper
- pH-Neutral Tapes or Adhesives
- Frame Backing Board
- UV Filter Glazing
- High Quality Frame
The UV filter glazing is generally placed into the frame first. The window mat is then placed against the UV filter glazing, followed by the print. That way the print does not make direct contact with the glass. Next comes the hinging and mounting materials, which are designed to keep the print from moving around in the mat window. Once the print has been mounted into position, a back mat is added. The frame backing paper comes afterward. It is affixed to the frame using pH-neutral tapes or adhesives. Some framers also opt to finish things off with a few staples to further keep the backing paper in place. Either way, the overriding goal is to make sure that the frame package is air-tight and protected from full UV light exposure.
