I’ve been framed!

Getting a little tired of using thumbtacks and masking tape to hang artwork? Get ready to give your pictures a whole new life. The right frame will enhance your artwork’s beauty (as well as the room surrounding it) and protect the work so you can enjoy it without worrying about damage. If you want professional results without spending a fortune at the frame shop, these simple steps will get you there.

When you frame a picture, you’ll usually want to prepare a mat for it (a thick paper material that borders and protects the artwork). But not all art necessarily needs matting. For artwork that has a natural border, like a museum poster, you may just want to find a frame that fits the piece. (If your art is an original work with its own border, like a photograph or print, a mat will provide extra protection by keeping the art from touching the frame’s glass.) If you do decide to mat, buy your frame first so you know the right dimensions for cutting your mat.

Note: This 2torial will deal with framing “paper” art–photographs, drawings, prints, posters, watercolors, and so on. If you have a work on canvas, you should contact your local frame shop.

Choose your frame

You can find complete frames with glass and backing board in frame shops (check under “picture” or “frame” in the yellow pages), art supply stores, or department stores, but don’t limit yourself to these places. You can find good, used frames in antique or thrift stores, usually for a much cheaper price. If you find one with a matted picture still inside, you can easily remove and discard the contents (just make sure it’s not worth anything, first!). Stand-alone frames, without glass or backing board are your cheapest option, but they require more labor.

When choosing a frame, you need to consider size, color, and type. To determine a size, measure your artwork first. If you want to mat it, allow at least an extra 2-4 inches (5-10 centimeters) of extra space between the edge of the artwork and the inside edge of the frame for the mat border. How much space you want to leave for the mat is up to you, however.

If you can, bring the artwork with you when you select the frame. That way, you can hold the art and frame together to see what color and type of frame you want. It’s generally a good idea to pick neutral colors (black, white, earth tones or metallics) that don’t draw attention away from the artwork.

Gather your optional materials

If you bought a ready-made frame, skip to you have about a minute of work left. But if you bought a stand-alone frame without the added features, here’s where you pay for your thriftiness.

First, you’ll need to buy glass and a backing board and have them cut to fit the inner lip of your frame (if you matted your artwork, this is where the mat rests, so the glass and backing board will be the same size as the cut mat).

Some frame and art supply stores sell pre- or custom-cut glass for frames. You can also buy custom-cut glass at a glass or hardware store. Just ask for the thinnest glass available. Buy a box of glazing tacks (little flat spikes often used to hold glass in a window frame), as well. You’ll use these to secure the backing board to the frame.

The backing board is basically a piece of cardboard that holds the artwork, mat, and glass in the frame. If you can find a piece large enough lying around the house, that should work fine. Just cut it to fit the frame with your knife. Backing board is also available at art supply stores or frame shops.

Don’t forget your wire and two eye screws for hanging the picture (if the frame doesn’t already have them). You can find these at some frame shops or a hardware store. You’ll need enough wire to double the width of your frame. The screws should be a little shorter than the thickness of the frame.

Once all of these materials are on hand, it’s time to assemble your frame.

Assemble your artwork and frame

Whether you’re working with a ready-made or stand-alone frame, lay it facedown on a soft surface (a folded towel or blanket, or a cushion) to avoid cracking the glass. For the ready-made frame, the steps are simple. First, remove the frame’s backing board. If the frame is metal, there are usually clamps holding the backing board in, and if it’s wood, there are glazing tacks. You can pull both types out easily with your fingers. Next, place the artwork (matted or unmatted) against the glass, then replace the backing board and secure it with the clips or tacks.

For the stand-alone frame, gently lay the glass inside the frame and follow the same steps as above. To secure the backing board, take a glazing tack and use a straight edge (such as the edge of a ruler) to push it into the wood of the frame. The sharp end should pierce the frame’s inside edge while the tack’s back end secures the board. Each side should have a tack about every three inches.

Check over your work. Make sure the artwork is centered and not buckling. If you matted it, be sure it isn’t touching the glass.

If the frame doesn’t have a hanging wire, take your two eye screws and screw in each about one-third of the way down either side of the back of the frame, then secure the wire across them. Loop the wire a few times through each of the eyes, then secure the wire ends by wrapping them around the screws and back around itself.

Finally, find the perfect spot to hang it. Be careful–finely framed art can change a room’s atmosphere. Once you see the difference one piece makes, you may have to start framing everything.