CLOSED CORNER FRAMES
About Mats — There are hundreds of mat boards available, in nearly every color. There are fabric boards in suede, linen and silk. Some boards are embossed and patterned to simulate leather, marble, japanese paper, burlap, etc.

Most art supply stores sell 'decorative' or 'paper' mat board. This is often sold as 'acid-free' because it is ph neutral at the time of manufacture. However, it will not remain acid-free unless the acidic chemicals (lignin) are removed from the wood pulp during the manufacturing process.

Lignin-free mat boards are generally known as 'archival', and they will remain acid-free. At The Corners Gallery, all our matboards are either archival or museum quality.

Museum quality mat boards are made from 100% cotton, which contains minimal amounts of lignin, and are the best choice to protect valuable artwork, but colors are limited.

Glazing Options — There are many types of glazing available for your frame. Typically, Conservation Glass is recommended for works on paper. It is manufactured with a coating which blocks UV light. This helps prevent fading of weak inks commonly used in posters and prints. It also helps keep the paper itself from deteriorating.

Nonglare Glass is etched on one side to diffuse reflected light. It is effective in preventing glare, but it does somewhat blur the image. It is available with or without the UV filter.

Anti-Reflective (AR) glass is manufactured with a coating which greatly diminishes reflections, and does NOT blur the image.

Museum Glass is manufactured with BOTH a conservation coating and an anti-reflective coating.

Acrylic (plexiglass) is recommended for large (over 36 x 48) works, or anything you plan to ship. It is available in regular clear, non-glare, conservation (uv filter), conservation non-glare, and a Museum grade which is anti reflective (but not blurry) uv filtering, anti-static, and scratch resistant.

NOTE: When dealing with acrylic, the abbreviation AR can mean abrasion resistant, rather than anti-reflective. Acrylic should not be used with pastel or charcoal drawings, because it's inherent static charge will lift the pastel dust off the paper.

If your artwork is oil or acrylic on canvas or board, glazing is not recommended.

Closed Corner Frames, also known as Finished Corner Frames, are the ultimate in framing quality and craftmanship. While most custom picture frames today are cut from mass-produced, pre-finished lengths of moulding, closed-corner frames are made by building the frame first, then applying the finish. This traditional method, used for centuries, makes for enduring and beautiful frames with strong, clean, virtually seamless corners. After joining, carving and sanding, the frame is coated with several coats of gesso and bole (colored clay), which seals the wood and offers a smooth surface for applying 22 karat gold leaf and/or decorative paint. When the leaf is laid, burnished and toned, the frame is sealed with shellac and casein.
We now carry a selection of these hand crafted closed corner frames, and can accomodate most special requests. For the finest in framing design, nothing matches the look and quality of a finished corner frame. Our designers will help you pick the perfect combination to accentuate your work, so it can be proudly displayed and preserved in your home. Since these products are custom manufactured to your exact specifications, delivery time is usually 4-6 weeks, so we ask you to plan ahead.

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