The trickiest part of making your own picture frame is getting a consistent, straight line for the frame. Framing material used by frame shops comes pre-shaped with a lip which holds in the glass and artwork. Standard practice in the framing industry is to cut the inside of the frame to be 1/8" larger in each dimension than the final outside size of your mat and glass. So, for example, if your mat and glass is 8" x 10", you will want the inside dimensions of your frame to measure about 8-1/8" x 10-1/8". This gives room for the materials in the frame to expand with temperature and moisture changes.
To determine how much length of framing material you will need for a frame, you can use the following formula:
Length needed =
(2 x outside width of your mat/glass)
+ (2 x outside height of your mat/glass)
+ (8 x width of your framing material)*
*The last portion of the formula accounts for the extra material you will need to go from the inside section of the frame out to the outside edge at a 45-degree angle.
So, to make a frame for an 8" x 10" mat from a piece of material that is 1" wide, you would need:
(2 x 8") + (2 x 10") + (8 x 1") = 44", or a little less than 4 feet of frame material (assuming there are no flaws or special design elements that need to be taken into account).
When placing items in the frame, be sure your artwork does not touch the glass. Use a matboard with an opening cut into it or specially designed spacers to separate the art from the glass. Otherwise, moisture in the frame may cause the art to stick to the glass and it may become damaged if you later try to remove it.
To determine how much length of framing material you will need for a frame, you can use the following formula:
Length needed =
(2 x outside width of your mat/glass)
+ (2 x outside height of your mat/glass)
+ (8 x width of your framing material)*
*The last portion of the formula accounts for the extra material you will need to go from the inside section of the frame out to the outside edge at a 45-degree angle.
So, to make a frame for an 8" x 10" mat from a piece of material that is 1" wide, you would need:
(2 x 8") + (2 x 10") + (8 x 1") = 44", or a little less than 4 feet of frame material (assuming there are no flaws or special design elements that need to be taken into account).
When placing items in the frame, be sure your artwork does not touch the glass. Use a matboard with an opening cut into it or specially designed spacers to separate the art from the glass. Otherwise, moisture in the frame may cause the art to stick to the glass and it may become damaged if you later try to remove it.
