Is Michaels a good place to frame?

[Eric Seffinga]

The more you know about framing, the ins and outs, the costs of materials and the archival methods used, the better off you'll be. You can ask questions and make informed decisions based on that information. It is a totally buyer beware scenario. I lucked out in that my wife ran 2 framing shops for many years and was a CPF with extensive archival training.

 

So even today we frame our own stuff.

When she ran the shops, she never let any of her own employees work on our stuff, and even then, the originals stayed at home once the materials were picked and ordered. When they came in, she would take them back in to cut the matts, assemble and bring home.

 

She chose a different career path, so now we go back to those same stores and order materials ourselves. We take the pieces home and assemble. We thought about buying a mat cutter, etc. but unless you are set up to properly store the excess mats against dust, warping, etc, they will more likely end up damaged before the next time you use them. Plus we tend to gear each job towards the piece itself, which means unless the mats may not look right on the next piece.

 

There are too many things that happen in frame shops, even really good ones. Honest mistakes and general oversights are generally the cause. I'm too protective to leave expensive work in the hands of other people that are more often supervised art student high school kids framing family photos, posters and prints, little Billy's Elementary School diploma, or Great Grandpa Stew's glasses and keys in a shadowbox.

 

As for price, more often than not you get what you pay for. These places that offer crazy discount prices are more likely cutting corners to get there. Figuratively or literally in care, time management, materials, you name it. I've seen the results and watched my wife have to disassemble pieces customers brought in because they thought they'd save $200 on the framing, only to have a family heirloom or piece of art completely mishandled and irreparably damaged in the process.

 

Most good frame shops will run specials and offer discounts if you get on their mailing lists. You could save yourself 25% and just hang onto the pieces you want to frame until discount week/month comes around. Get to know your framer. You'll feel more comfortable, they'll know you by name and they will likely handle your art with an especially careful eye. My wife framed more than one Frazetta original for a good customer of hers who collected original Sci-Fi and fantasy art. He knew her name and she knew his. I'm sure it made it easier for him to let her frame those pieces, and she handled them like she did our own. She even had him take them home and bring them back for the actual framing once the material came in.

 

You can't judge every frame by it's cover. Because the linear foot cost of a frame is high, it doesn not mean it is a scam. Some frames cost more to make. I have a frame I haven't brought myself to order yet, that is going around a 12" x 12" oil painting. The cost? $108 a foot or there abouts. No matts. No glass. Just frame. Cost to frame the piece with my discount? $435.

 

It's actually not a very ornate frame. It is in fact a very "basic" but quite large block frame, beautifully finished and made of pure hardwood. It's from a molding company called Roma. I could go with a cheaper version, but it would look cheaper. I had both corner samples set out and the visual difference is immediate. So, I'm still on the fence. The frame shop isn't making a killing off the expensive frame. I know what their cost is. I know what the markup is and I know what my discount is on both the cheap and expensive frames. The Roma is made in Italy from hardwood and it's just plain more expensive to make and ship than the cheaper faux wood pulp frames. It looks the difference. I could cut costs and frame my art cheaply, but I happen to be able to tell the difference and it has a real effect on the viewing of the art.

 

About 14 years ago I would have a room with maybe 25 framed pieces in it. All different frames, all on the same walls. Looked like a cluttered mess and I've grown up a lot since then. Now my house has framed art on every major wall, but not every inch of it. We space the work out. We put frames that compliment the art, the room and each other up on the walls so your eye has room to rest between viewings and nothing feels cluttered. I enjoy the art more, and it LOOKS more like art in a gallery, that just happens to be my home. I've got sequential panel art in my formal dining room. It doesn't look like some comic geeks bachelor pad. It looks like art. Real art. As it was meant to be treated. Double or triple matted, with quality wood frames and the occasional fillet or float between mats. It elevates the work from adolescent to adult, and the difference in quality of frame and sophisticated mat selection and display makes all the difference in the world to me.

 

I could go cheap, but then it'd look like what it is. Would be a shame to do that to a fantastic piece of work. I cringe when I see wonderful art displayed with such disdain. Why save a little money on framing each piece, only to buy hundreds or thousands of other pieces to be squirrel away in a closet with little chance of viewing enjoyment? My life is so enriched having work where I can see it every time I walk past. I could have stuff tossed in the closet for, I don't know, investment purposes. For me I'd rather live my life with wonderful work treated as best I can, than have a closet full of investments. The real investment for me was putting the art up and it's paying dividends right now as I sit here and type, and look around.

 

-e.

 

 

 

[Eric Seffinga]

BTW, I have ordered a couple frames from

http://www.pictureframes.com

 

I've used it for cheaper pieces and had mostly good results with their frames. 1 was chintzy, but if I'd bothered to read about it's construction materials I would have known better. Plus it was only $11 on sale.

 

Order their wood frames and you'll be A-OK, plus they offer 100% Rag mats (you have to scroll down) and acid free foam board backers (most don't), so you can put together an archival frame all on your own. They do a pretty darn good job joining the corners. Better than Michaels for sure. Shipping costs aren't bad, and they tend to do a good job packing things up too.

Their custom frame option is fun. you can upload a jpg of the art and basically build your framed piece right there on their browser. Pick out the stuff and save it for later, or order right up.

 

Just another reasonably priced alternative I've used to the local frame shop...

 

-e.

[*paull*]

A good place to get a frame made is Blick. They'll do it to your specs, and you can do the mat job yourself. I wouldn't trust anyone working at a frame shop with my art.

[*paull*]

That would be D I C K Blick

[mschmidt]

BTW, I have ordered a couple frames from

http://www.pictureframes.com

 

I've used it for cheaper pieces and had mostly good results with their frames. 1 was chintzy, but if I'd bothered to read about it's construction materials I would have known better. Plus it was only $11 on sale.

 

Order their wood frames and you'll be A-OK, plus they offer 100% Rag mats (you have to scroll down) and acid free foam board backers (most don't), so you can put together an archival frame all on your own. They do a pretty darn good job joining the corners. Better than Michaels for sure. Shipping costs aren't bad, and they tend to do a good job packing things up too.

Their custom frame option is fun. you can upload a jpg of the art and basically build your framed piece right there on their browser. Pick out the stuff and save it for later, or order right up.

 

Just another reasonably priced alternative I've used to the local frame shop...

 

-e.

 

+1 from me on pictureframes.com

 

Their wood frames are excellent for the price, and they ship fast & securely. I frame everything myself - I bought a Logan mat cutter about a year ago, buy acid-free matboard & foamboard in bulk, and cut the UV plexiglass as well. It's surprisingly easy & fun to frame things yourself - and a whole lot cheaper than any framing store.