Custom Picture Framing in Sandy Spring, Maryland
ARThouse picture framing services 2009
So you can know what to expect from ARThouse picture framing:
- 1. Quality is guaranteed. All picture framing at ARThouse is done with acid-free conservation materials to protect your artwork for generations. We will recommend Tru-Vue conservation (anti-UV) glass if we think there is a possibility your artwork may fade with time. We may recommend mounting your artwork or photo (especially if glossy) onto an acid-free adhesive mounting board if we think humidity might cause it to wrinkle, keeping in mind that we don't usually do this for original works. We want you to be completely happy with your picture framing or purchase from ARThouse, and if not, would like you to give us the opportunity to correct the problem or give you a refund.
- 2. We will design the framing for you, with your assistance. We will try to help you narrow down the framing choices by asking questions such as: Where is the work going to be hung? What style of decorating do you have in the location? How can we design the framing to complement both the piece and the décor? Would you like to do anything special with the framing, like adding a v-groove to the mat, or a fillet? Would you like to use anti-reflective glass or Museum glass?
- 3. ARThouse has access to dozens of suppliers and years of experience. We have more than 1000 moulding samples and mat board samples and active accounts with 10 distributors of wholesale framing products. We have been framing paintings and prints since 1975.
- 4. Your framing will be ready in about two weeks. We like to get things done at ARThouse, the sooner the better, so we might surprise you and have your work ready in no time! But custom framing can be tricky, materials usually have to be ordered, sometimes mats have to be re-cut, etc., etc... We will give you a projected due date and then call or email you when the work is ready. Studio assistants Robyn Edwards and Ben Colombini (the programmer par excellence of this website) may be involved in the framing process.
- 5. You will give us a 50% deposit on the framing. Then we will get the job started and when you pick it up, you will have less to pay! We take VISA, Discover, and Master Card, as well as checks and cash.
- 6. We give a 20% discount on framing as a professional courtesy for artists who are trying to sell their work.
Come show us your "things needing to be framed" and we will gladly work up a design and give you an estimate. While you are here, you can peruse our beautiful gallery and view artwork by 12 different area artists. We also have compiled a "Framing Idea Book" which you can look through to get ideas on framing and art décor for the home.
Picture framing cost estimator:
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dimensions of mat:
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13 x 16 or less
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16 x 20 or less
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20 x 28 or less
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28 x 36 or less
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single acid-free mat*
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12.00
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15.00
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20.00
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30.00
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double acid-free mat or 8 ply mat**
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24.00
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30.00
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40.00
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60.00
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v – groove**
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20.00
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25.00
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30.00
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40.00
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real linen or silk mat
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24.00
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30.00
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40.00
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60.00
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shrink-wrapping
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4.00
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5.00
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7.00
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10.00
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simple in-stock moulding*
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32.00
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38.00
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46.00
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80.00
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more expensive moulding**
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35.00-60.00
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50.00-80.00
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60.00-100.00
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100.00-150.00
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linen liner for oil painting
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35.00-50.00
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50.00-70.00
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60.00-80.00
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80.00-120.00
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regular glass*
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10.00
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14.00
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18.00
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26.00
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Tru-Vue AR or UV glass**
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30.00
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40.00
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70.00
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130.00
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Museum glass (both AR and UV)
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40.00
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60.00
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100.00
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200.00
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acid-free backing board* **
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5.00
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6.00
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12.00
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20.00
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acid-free adhesive mounting board
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10.00
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12.00
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20.00
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30.00
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fitting charge* **
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16.00
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20.00
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24.00
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30.00
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shadow box build-up
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8.00
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12.00
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18.00
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30.00
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shop rate for unusual services
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50.00 per hour
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* total: simple framing job, with a single mat, flat wood frame (silver, gold, light natural, sienna, walnut, cherry, black), regular glass
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75.00
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93.00
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120.00
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186.00
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** total: with up-grades, which include double matting, v-groove, middle-value moulding of your choice, and Tru-Vue anti-reflective glass
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147.00
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186.00
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256.00
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405.00
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About the different types of glass:
- 1. Museum Glass. This is a beautiful product--the best and the brightest of glass. It is coated with both an anti-UV coating and a special anti-reflective "optical" coating (the kind they put on eye glasses and camera lenses). The anti-UV coating screens out 97% of the ultraviolet radiation that can fade color. And the anti-reflective coating traps reflections internally so that the glass appears to be practically invisible! Unfortunately it comes with a price tag--a big one...
- 2. Anti-reflective Glass (AR Glass). This is the next best thing to Museum Glass at about half the price, because it has half the coatings. It is incredibly clear and free of reflection. An excellent choice on original watercolors painted with pigments that won't fade (as are all of Susan Murphy's paintings...) and on giclee prints made with lightfast pigments. AR glass, as well as Museum Glass, shows fingerprints and smudges easily and is kind of hard to clean. It is best to use an ammonia-free glass cleaner, such as Glass Plus, with clean paper towels, and then buff it with a microfiber dusting cloth.
- 3. Anti-UV Glass or Conservation Glass. This glass looks just like regular glass, but it has been coated with an anti-UV protective coating to shield out those harmful UV rays that can fade and deteriorate the artwork.
- 4. Regular Picture Glass. Regular picture glass is a thinner and more perfect form of plate glass similar to window glass. We use an excellent, flawless brand. Although you can see reflections clearly in it, sometimes the glass seems to give a wet look to a painting.
- 5. Non-glare Glass. This is that awful foggy-looking glass people used to use all the time, until they discovered that it blocked their view of the artwork! It is very finely etched, which diffuses the reflections, but at the same time obscures the image beneath it. We don't use non-glare glass at ARThouse.
