Framing Mistakes To Avoid

Wire attachment with pounded nails on the
framing of an oil painting by Art Price.

In retrospect, it appears that my father didn't have a talent for hanging paintings.  There was nothing wrong with the canvas boards or the frames that he purchased, but apparently it was a mistake to pound nails into the frame and then string wire across them.

Susan Blakney, painting conservator and owner of West Lake Conservators, examined my father’s framing work dubiously.  “This stiff wire attachment is pretty bad,” she said.  “As a rule, never pound a nail into a frame.”

As Susan explains, framing is an important element that can (and should) both enhance the painting and protect it.  But when the framing is done improperly, it can put the artwork at risk.  Storage becomes a huge concern, especially since homeowners often store paintings together.  “Stacking paintings can cause damage.  The nails and screw eyes can easily abrade and poke the painting below or above them.”  Susan doesn’t recommend using nails. Always try to use screws with

metal clips made for framing, mending plates bent to

Detail of the
wire attachment.

conform to the reverse profile or a mirror hanger, to avoid jarring both the frame and the paint layer. Instead of a screw eye for the hanging wire, “I prefer a mirror hanger,” because it usually has two or more holes for screws to distribute the weight she said.  The two screws securing the hanger also should be positioned in the same line as the wire so all the weight is not put on the top screw at an angle defeating the purpose. A single screw eye often pulls out over time unless the painting and frame are very light.

During a painting examination, Susan always looks for evidence of dents and holes in the frame from previous installation or removal and even hanging to see if they line up with holes in the stretcher or if the frame has been turned upside down, to reconstruct the painting’s framing history.  On one of these paintings, the framing nail was pounded in and then beaten over, causing some damage to the frame’s structure.  As a result, the painting wasn't well supported and it had begun to fall through on one corner. Finishing nails are often found improperly driven through the stretcher bars and into the frame causing the wood to split, unnecessary vibration and damage to the wood when excavating the heads to un-frame.

The quality of the framing is important.  “Canvas board supports will warp if not evenly secured,” Susan warned.  “When there are humidity swings, the pressure points on the board will deform.”  When a canvas is stretched on a stretcher and there are no keys in the bar's corners or the tacks have been spaced too widely, ripples in the canvas can result.  “Some people skimp on stretcher bars,” she said.  “They shouldn’t.  A stretcher is like the foundation of a house.  If the paintings aren’t square, they won't even be able to lay flat on the wall.”

© 2011 Lee Price

Framing the Diploma

My mother never displayed her Traphagen School of Fashion diploma.  It was never matted nor framed.  At some point, it slipped into a box for storage.

Long-term storage has been kind to this diploma.  It’s in good shape.  Probably if it had been matted and framed 61 years ago, it would be in poorer shape today – it would show more of the damaging effects of humidity, temperature, and light.

Fortunately, preservation strategies have advanced considerably over the past half-century.  With proper matting and framing, a diploma like this can be safely displayed without significant preservation concerns.

Jessica Makin, Manager of Housing and Framing at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, recommends a thoughtful investment in matting and framing when approaching an aging document like this diploma.  For preservation reasons, she cautions against purchasing a cheap off-the-shelf commercial frame for a job like this.  Treat yourself (and your current family and future descendents) to a quality presentation that simultaneously preserves and protects the document.

For this particular diploma, Jessie suggests –

For the mat:  An 8 ply thick mat made of 100% ragboard that contains zeolites (molecular pollutant traps).

For the glazing:  An acrylic UV glazing that will protect from 98% of all harmful ultraviolet rays.

For the frame:  A frame that is sufficiently deep to adequately protect and support the object.  Jessie cautions that many off-the-shelf frames are too shallow,

potentially capable of causing long-term damage.

Since quality framing is an expense, my wife and I usually put off matting and framing to a special occasion – and then give the framed item as a gift.  Most recently, I had a set of silverware framed in a shadow box for my wife’s birthday, preserving and celebrating a gift that she had received while a young girl.

© 2011 Lee Price

Acrylic Glazing

Selecting mats and frames for a 1950 diploma from
Traphagen School of Fashion.

When choosing strategies for framing an object, Jessica Makin, Manager of Housing and Framing at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, says that the primary goal is always to protect the object.  Making the object look attractive is very important, but is nevertheless a secondary goal.

In terms of priority:

#1:  Protect the object.

#2:  Make it look good.

Jessica Makin, CCAHA
Manager of Housing and
Framing.

According to Jessie, you can do both by thoughtfully investing in an appropriate mat, a good frame, and acrylic UV glazing.

Acrylic glazing sounds good to me.  During 23 years of marriage, my wife and I have moved three times, in addition to moving nearly all the household contents when we had a flood in the house three years ago.  We’ve learned from experience that things break during a move.  It’s inevitable.

Among the more unpleasant moving experiences is finding shattered glass in a box with a framed item.  Broken glass can endanger the object in the frame, anything else in the box, and even injure the person doing the unpacking.

Memories like this come back to me as Jessie examines my mother’s 1950 diploma from Traphagen School of  Fashion.  “When framing, we don’t like to use glass;  we always recommend acrylic glazing,” Jessie says.  “While acrylic glazing can potentially scratch, it will never shatter. You don’t want to risk having shattered glass.”

© 2011 Lee Price

Hanging Pictures With Care

Original photograph of
my grandfather.

Even though deep down I feel like it’s cheating, I’ll endorse this advice nevertheless:  Put the original photograph in storage and display the facsimile.  Except for you, no one will know the difference.  And your descendents will thank you.

Exposure to light will change the original photo.  Therefore, put the original someplace safe – preferably a dark place where temperature and humidity are at appropriate and fairly constant levels.

The great thing is that facsimiles don’t have to be treated with that level of care.  Except for the expense of creating them, you can even consider them disposable.  This means that you can display the facsimile in sunlight. 
Or you can hang it over a heating vent. Don’t worry.  
It’s replaceable.

A digitized image awaits matting
and framing.

Most homes – including ours – display a mix of original material and high-grade copies (facsimiles, prints, etc.).  I asked Laura Hortz Stanton, Director of Preservation Services at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts, for pointers on “best practice” display of photographs, art on paper, and other items sensitive to light, humidity, and temperature fluctuations.  Here’s what Laura recommends:

1.  Invest in high quality facsimiles.  Hang them wherever you like and preserve the originals in long-term storage.

2.  Consider high quality framing for original items, with UV glazing to serve as a level of protection from the light and a sealed package with zeolites to protect from humidity.

3.  Hang any original artwork in areas of the house with minimal light exposure and some assurance of stable temperature and humidity.

© 2011 Lee Price