Preservation Framing

When you have your project framed (whether it be fine art, photos, or a precious heirloom), you want it to be protected and last for generations ahead to enjoy. Keith is highly trained in the latest techniques to mount your artwork so that  those techniques are reversible and the artwork is placed in a non-invasive environment.  All materials used are acid and lignin free. UV filtering glass or acrylic is used and is spaced away from the artwork.  Your custom framed artwork becomes a permanent  investment in the decor of your home and becomes more personalized than many of your other furnishings. Keith is an expert in the use of Color Theory and will provide you with the best design techniques and color options to make your framing a work of art.

Email us at   kelrod73@bellsouth.net

Materials

Our selection of mouldings numbers over 1600, with access to thousands more from our extensive catalogs. Whatever frame moulding you choose, it is usually in our shop within just a few days. The selection also includes a full line of metal frames and corner ornaments. Our mat selection is very extensive with the complete lines of Bainbridge, Crescent, Peterboro, Frank's Fabrics and Rafael's Fabrics. All mats are acid-free and many are 100% Cotton Rag.  Keith is also trained in custom hand-wrapped mats using your own material ... now that is custom framing not found in many shops!

We carry the complete line of Conservation Glass from Tru-Vue, including Clear, Non-Glare and Museum.  We also carry high-quality, picture-framing grade acrylic in clear and non-glare. Both feature UV filtering.

You will also find an extensive selection of embellishments, including fillets and the new Fabric Fillets from Frank's Fabrics.  Combined with our computer mat cutter and Keith's expertise in design, your project will be a work of art made especially for you.

Techniques & Treatments

Computerized Mat Cutting! With the CMC we are able to offer an almost endless array of designs that incorporate letters, numbers and hundreds of graphics. Projects that include a large number of mat openings are easily designed in our system as well as the shapes of those openings.  For those special projects that require an engraved name plate, we can provide those as well. Give your project that one-of-a-kind look by adding a name, date and/or graphic embellishments such as V-grooves and open grooves.

Needlework:We frame a large amount of needlework, in particular cross-stitch.  This is an area that you want only the best preservation techniques used. Many places will adhere needlework down with double-stick tape. This is very damaging and non-reversible.  We primarily use the technique of lacing to safely mount your work.  It is non-invasive and totally reversible!

Mounting Artwork:Beware! Many places will do a lot of damage to your artwork by applying tape directly to the artwork and taping it down.  We use a variety of preservation techniques that will not harm your project. We primarily use a technique called Japanese Paper Hinging. Hand-made Japanese papers with wheat starch are torn into strips and applied as hinges at the top of the artwork. These are very strong, but totally reversible.  This technique allows the artwork to expand and contract with changes in temperature and humidity.  When artwork is mounted too "tight" into a frame package, quite often it buckles and leads to the number one complaint in framing: "My art buckled and is not flat."  Hinging will provide the best possible environment for the art to expand and contract naturally and remain as flat as possible.

Oil & Acrylic Painting on Canvas:These require some special techniques to protect them.  First, all wood frames at K & Gallery have the rabbet joint covered with a special acid-blocking barrier to prevent acid migration from the wood from reaching your artwork. With canvas projects, two additional steps are required for a higher degree of protection. We apply a  special foam tape to the rabbit of the frame to cushion the canvas as it rest against the frame.  We also put a solid backing on all canvas projects.  Statistics prove that a tremendous amount of damage is done to canvas works simply by human handing ... and much of that damage is done from the back.

Posters:  Most posters are decorative in nature and can be dry-mounted in a dry mount or vacuum press machine.  This process, particularly for very large posters, makes them flat.  They can also be laminated in the same manner to eliminate the need for glass. If a poster is a collector's item, we would not recommend dry mounting as that process does reduce the value of the project.  In that case, we would use other preservation techniques to mount the poster.  If glazing a large poster, we recommend using acrylic. It is available in clear and non-glare, is half the weight of glass and will not break.  This is important to keep in mind for projects going into children's rooms or high-traffic areas and for projects that need to be shipped.