Choosing the Right Moulding for Framing Your Work

Picture frame mouldings come in a huge variety of shapes and sizes. When it comes to picking the wood for your first frame the choice can be overwhelming, and people often initially select something that won’t compliment their artwork to its best, or simply won’t work structurally at all. This handy downloadable diagram sheet explains some of the most common profiles used for making bespoke frames - although there are many more beyond these shapes.

When choosing a moulding the most important question to ask is whether the artwork to be framed is on stretched canvas, or on paper.

Works on canvas are usually framed without glass so the frame can be less complex in terms of its components, however it will need to be deep enough to accommodate the stretcher bars without protruding at the front (if using a tray frame) or at the back (if using a box style frame). It is advisable to have the canvas slightly recessed from the face of a tray frame, by approximately 2mm, so that the canvas itself is protected from any rough handling or accidental falling and the frame will take the impact instead.

Works on paper are best protected by some form of glazing, and again there are many types of plastic and glass, with thicknesses generally ranging between 1.2mm to 3mm. Small and medium sized frames most often use 2mm float glass but if any one side of the frame will be more than 1m long, it is time to consider using thicker glass or an acrylic alternative. The thicker the glass, the less likely it will break during handling or moving, but it will also be heavier and take up more space within the frame rebate - so keep this in mind when choosing a moulding.

You will also need to consider if the item is three dimensional and if so how deep is it? Collages often have 3D elements that will require extra depth, as will artworks on very textured or wavy paper, thickly painted areas on paper, and also many types of textiles. In all of these cases the depth needs to be considered in choosing the frame, and a deep box style frame with a spacer separating the glass from the surface of the artwork, like the one I make for my final project in my course, is suitable. Deep box frames are also great for framing canvases. If you find the box style frame boring, a work-around is to first frame your item in a box frame and then add another more interesting or wider frame around that.

In my course "Frame making for beginners: Exhibit Your Art" one of the many things I introduce are some of the profiles and types of wood that are commonly used for frame mouldings. As you become more confident in assembling frames and their components, you will begin to intuitively know what proportions best suit different sizes of artwork. You will also begin to realise how important it is to always calculate how much of that precious recess depth you are taking up with the glass, spacers, mounting board and backing, while still leaving a little room to insert dowels to hold it all together.