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Hundreds of Options

Our frame shop is 100% custom. This means that everything we offer is custom-tailored to you and your specific framing project. We have hundreds of wood and metal moulding samples on display for you to choose from, as well as a broad range of matboard and glazing options to meet a variety of preservation needs. There is almost no limit to the number of possible combinations. From postage stamps to largescale paintings on canvas or linen, our framing personnel have the knowledge and expertise to work with you in selecting the options that will properly preserve as well as beautify your prized possessions or works of art.

Frame Mouldings:

Our frame mouldings are supplied by quality brands like Larson Juhl, Roma Moulding, and Nielsen-Bainbridge. A carefully chosen frame moulding is the backbone of any custom framing package. Our experienced framing staff will help you select the design that will enhance your artwork as well as complement your décor. We will help you find the right profile, colour, style and texture to add the finishing touch to your framed object. Our design area features hundreds of moulding samples that are being constantly updated. The selection ranges from sleek contemporary metals to hand-finished natural woods, and ornately sculpted profiles with classic gold-leaf.

Matboard:

Matting plays an important role in both preservation and design. It serves as a visual transition between the frame and the artwork. A neutral mat colour will make the artwork the main focus, and will allow you to move the piece from room to room without conflicting with the décor. If a bolder impact is more to your liking, we have hundreds of coloured and textured matboard options to choose from, including metallic, leather, linen, and suede. Since the matting is in constant contact with the artwork, it should not contain any substances that could harm the object. For this reason, we only use conservation or archival quality matboards that are made from 100% alpha-cellulose or 100% cotton fiber. Well-chosen matting and backing boards can help to protect your framed object against degradation and contaminants in the environment.

Acid-Free versus Archival
When selecting a matboard, don't be fooled by the terminology. A lot of matboards out there are rated as Acid-free, but this is not the same as an Archival quality matboard. The majority of cheap matboard options usually boast that they are acid-free. These inexpensive options are made of wood pulp and have been buffered to be acid-free, with the addition of a buffering agent like calcium carbonate. These buffering agents work to keep acids away from your art, but they only last for about 10 years. If you want to protect your work for more than 10 years, you have two options: 100% alpha-cellulose or 100% cotton rag. Alpha-cellulose matboard is made from wood fibers that have been chemically purified and often buffered as well to be acid-free. These matboards meet the Library of Congress' conservation matting standards and are a much better option than standard wood-pulp matboard. The absolute best matboard option for long-term preservation, however, is a matboard made from 100% cotton because cotton is naturally acid-free and lignin-free, making it the best archival quality option.

Rising Museum Board

Because of its outstanding quality and archival rating, our preferred matboard option is Rising Museum Board. Rising is a range of acid-free museum board, conservation board and artist drawing papers used by the finest museums, galleries and framers worldwide. The Rising family of boards consists of a focused color palette of white, off-whites, greys and black to complement all works of art. The colors are solid throughout and will not fade, or bleed. Rising is also the only manufacturer to offer a range of oversize boards measuring up to 60” x 104” to frame those exceptionally large pieces. Your fine art deserves the highest quality matting and mounting materials made today. The unique methods of manufacturing, content purity and quality make Rising Conservation and Museum Board the ideal choice for lasting performance. We maintain a regular supply of Rising Museum Board in White, Warm White, Antique White and Black, available in full 32 x 40 sheets or cut to size.

Rising Museum Board is:

100% Cotton
Cotton is naturally lignin-free. One hundred percent rag is used to produce all Rising Museum Board. The result is a board that provides matchless quality and extraordinary preservation characteristics. Rag papers have survived the test of time.
Acid-Free
Rising Board is made with a minimum pH of 7 and is acid-free. No alum is used in the entire papermaking process.
Adhesive
The single ply sheets are laminated together using an inert adhesive that is 100% acid-free and archival.
Buffering
All Rising boards are buffered with a minimum 3% calcium carbonate (except the Photomount papers, which have no calcium carbonate buffering) as required by the U.S. Library of Congress to protect the board from hostile environmental factors.
Eco-Friendly
The cotton used to manufacture Rising Museum Boards is not from the puffy white flower that we all recognize as cotton, but rather the linters, or byproduct, from the textile industry. Textiles are made using the longest, highest-quality fibers – the rest is discarded. This wasted cotton is salvaged and used to manufacture Rising Museum Boards. Nothing could be more eco-friendly than reusing a product that is considered waste – otherwise this would all end up in the trash.
Pigments
Only the finest pigments are used in the manufacturing process to ensure that all the colors will not bleed, rub off or fade.* The lightfast colors are solid throughout and are fixed into the fiber. Each run of Rising Museum Board is matched to a stored color sample and controlled using computerized color measurement and trained color technicians.
Rigid Quality Control and Consistency
Rising Museum Board is continuously tested during the manufacturing process by both computer and manual controls to ensure conformance to the TAPPI and ASTM specifications required by the archival community.
Superior Cutting
No other board cuts as precisely as Rising to produce an ultra-sharp and clean bevel. To ensure this quality all plys are from the same quality and caliper with consistent density throughout. Rising Museum Boards have been touted by museum and framing galleries worldwide as the best cutting board in the market.

*Due to the use of carbon black dyes to manufacture the Black Rising Museum Boards, there will be some minor scuffing.

Glazing:

Glazing protects the framed object from physical damage and insulates against changes in temperature and humidity. Modern technology has produced a number of exciting advances in glazing choices to help protect the artwork while enhancing your enjoyment of it. Ultraviolet radiation is one of the chief dangers to framed art. It can cause fading of colours and can accelerate oxidation and promote chemical degradation of paper. Regular glass blocks approximately 45% of UV radiation, which is tolerable for certain kinds of work under certain lighting conditions. For works that will be placed in bright locations or for mediums that are particularly prone to light damage, however, Conservation Glass is available, which blocks almost all of the UV radiation to better protect your work of art. Conservation glass is like sunblock for your artwork, cutting the radiation reaching the artwork by at least 97%.

Sometimes light reflected off the surface of the glass is a more pressing concern than the light reaching what's inside the frame. For these applications we have two options. Reflection Control Glass diffuses light reflected from its surface, though it has a slightly hazy appearance that somewhat obscures the work inside. Our Anti-Reflection Glass, on the other hand, is a great option that makes reflections nearly invisible while also maintaining extreme crystal clarity. Both options offer a moderate increase in UV protection as well. For the absolute best protection and presentation of your valuable treasures, Museum Glass is the ultimate option, combining the UV filtering property of conservation glass with an anti-reflective coating that eliminates annoying glare from windows and other light sources.

Plexi-glass is also available, most often recommended for large-scale glazing applications because it is much lighter than conventional glass. UV filtered plexi-glass is an option when it is necessary to balance light control with weight considerations. Plexi-glass is also much less brittle and significantly more shatter resistant, though it is more prone to scratching. As always, we are happy to assess the needs of your particular situation to find the glazing option that is best for you. For more information, or to schedule an appointment, please call: 306-664-3385, e-mail or stop in.

For more information on conservation standards, please consult the Canadian Conservation Institute website:
>> Canadian Conservation Institute