Glazing Your Picture
Choosing the right picture framing glass is an important part of the design process. The choice will depend on the level of framing you need for your framing package. Different types of glazing offer different levels of protection for the artwork or item inside the frame. You also need to consider the lighting in the area you will be hanging the frame – both artificial and sunlight. The former can cause distracting reflections, and the latter can cause reflection and also damage such as fading.
The glazing you choose for your framing package will depend on what you need in terms of protection for your subject, the lighting in the place it will hang and and the overall weight.
Choices available include:
- Standard 2mm float glass (ordinary glazing with a flat glossy surface). This is a basic glass offering little protection from the damaging effects of UV light and reflects light normally but is a good, cost-effective solution for framing less valuable items, (suitable for Level 3 & 4 framing).
- Anti-reflective glass. This is a specialist low reflectance glass with an optically coated surface that virtually eliminates reflected light. This gives excellent clarity and in most cases it also offers and more UV protection than standard float glass (approx 50% to 90% depending on the manufacturer), (suitable for Level 3 & 4 framing).
- Conservation Glass. This is a specialist Ultra Violet (UV) laminated light blocking glass. It offers little or no reduction in reflection and there is a barely detectable colouration in the glass, but it offers excellent UV protection (around 97% – 99%). This glass would be used for conservation framing work, (suitable for Level 1 & 2 framing).
- Museum glass (a specialist laminated and optically coated glass) – offering the UV protection levels of Conservation Glass and also giving the benefits of Anti-reflective glass, (suitable for Level 1 & 2 framing).
Options are also available in acrylic glazing where weight or safety may be an issue.