OTTAWA -- We've all done it: gone to a frame shop to see about getting a photo, poster, painting or medals framed, and we've nearly choked at the $300 estimate. How is that possible when stores sell framed art for $29.99?
Experts insist there's a big difference between custom framing and the off-the-shelf, do-it-yourself variety. While these ready-made fixes are cheap and cheerful, don't expect them to last more than a few years, says frame-shop owner Heather Cairns, who co-owns Framed! on Bank Street with Paz Blundell.
Cairns emphasizes that the key to custom framing is longevity.
"Let's say it's a wedding photo you are framing," she says. "Well, at the end of the day, you are framing it because you want to look at it for a long time."
A custom job often involves the use of high-end materials such as anti-reflection and UV-filtered museum-quality glass, which has one per cent reflection compared with eight per cent on regular glass, and thick, acid-free archival mats and backing.
Cairns points out that many cheaper options, which are great if you have a lot of pictures or small photos to frame and not a lot of money to do it, are usually made of plastic, MDF (medium-density fibreboard) or pressed cardboard.
These options are prone to cracks and nicks, the finish can rub off over time, or the photo or art may slide outside the mat. A photo that's pressed against the glass of a store-bought frame may also discolour.
"What happens over time is the change in temperature and humidity that your house goes through causes a certain amount of condensation underneath the surface of the glass," Cairns says.
"And what will happen over time is it will adhere to the glass. It will become foggy, but also the photo will be destroyed. That's the whole purpose of the (thick) matting: to keep the photograph away from the glass."
Large posters are among the most expensive to frame, ranging between $400 and $600. To slash costs, she suggests mounting the poster on wood or canvas for around $100.
Depending on the finishes, the average eight-by-10-inch custom frame costs around $200, she says.
What a person won't get from a do-it-yourself project is guidance from experienced framers, who have the tools to properly display art.
"If you are going to the store, you are picking up a frame and you are trying to make it (the photo) look good in what you found," Cairns says. "So you are making choices that aren't about design; they are about convenience."
Cairns' shop sells ready-made frames, which are typically 11x14 inches or smaller, made from leftover materials. These frames, which range from about $12 to $60, are a great way to get good quality for a lower price. They're ideal for framing diplomas and small photos, or to use as accent pieces to complement a larger custom frame.
-- Postmedia News
Custom-framing costs
Low: A 14x18-inch black metal frame with regular glass and archival-quality matting.
Approximate cost: $180
Mid-range: Detailed 15x16-inch wood frame with silver leaf, anti-reflection, UV-filtered glass (the next step up from regular glass) and double-thick, eight-ply matting.
Approximate cost: $240
High: Gold-leafed 15x12-inch wood frame with UV-filtered glass and double matting (top one is blue suede with an eight-ply mat underneath), and museum-quality, UV-filtered glass.
Approximate cost: $490
