Information Sheets

Attaching Art Work to Mats

When attaching your artwork to a mat, if your artwork is not mounted onto a backing board it is important to only attach the artwork from the top.

This is called hinging and it ensures your artwork sits flat when fitted to the frame. The reason for this is that as your picture is hanging on the wall it picks up moisture from the air and by hinging, your artwork has room to expand and minimize the appearance that the picture is not sitting flat.

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Fitting Pictures to Timber Frames

Place frame face down on a table bench or on the floor and bend back the metal tabs holding the backing board into the frame.

Remove the backing board from the frame but leave the glass in the frame. If the glass needs a clean then complete this whilst it is still in the frame. The reason for leaving the glass in the frame is that there is a high chance of breaking the glass if the glass makes contact with one of the metal tabs which have been bent back to remove the backing.

Fit your artwork face down on the glass and replace the backing and fold back the metal tabs.

For frames fitted with the black metal hook for hanging that slips over the backing board, this can be repositioned to enable the frame to be hung either vertically or horizontally.

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Fitting Pictures to Aluminium Frames

The glass in aluminium frames is 2mm thick. It is imperative that when lifting frames or glass that it is lifted evenly with 2 hands, never lift the glass or frame from a flat surface by one corner, you could be guaranteed to break the glass.

Sideloading Aluminium (frames that have screws in the rear of each corner) remove the rubber gaskets around the frame then loosen two of the screws in the corners of one side of the frame to enable you to remove one side. Once one of the aluminium sides is removed which will leave you with a 3 sided frame you can then slide out the glass and backing together.

You can then “sandwich” your artwork and mat if applicable between the glass and the backing board back and slide the whole thing back into the 3 sided frame and rejoin the aluminium side you have removed by simply screwing it back together again.

Ensure that you tighten the screws all the way and then replace the rubber gaskets.

Note that the rubber gaskets are designed in a wedge shape, this is a design so that (depending on the thickness of your artwork or whether you are using a mat with your artwork) the whole assembly once completed is fitted tight and is stable.

Now reposition the hanger if necessary.

Repositioning Cord Hanger Aluminium frames that have cord hangers on the frames are generally fitted in the horizontal position. These hangers can be changed to hang vertically by simply squeezing the hairpin hanger together and clipping out of the aluminium channel and repositioning in the vertical channel, it may be necessary to shorten the cord.

Backloading Aluminium Frames (frames that have a ‘spring clip” in each of the corners when removed from the back)

Place the frame face down on a flat clean surface. Slightly depress the spring clip where it meets the lip of the frame, and slightly swivel the clip and it will release from the frame, repeat for remaining 3 corners.

Remove the backing board and without removing glass (clean if necessary) place your mat (if applicable) and artwork face down against the glass, reposition the backing board and replace the spring clips taking care to ensure the flared ends of the spring clips locate securely under the lip of the frame.

Bend out the appropriate hanger, which is stamped onto the backing board to facilitate hanging.

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Stretching Tapestries & Needleworks

When stretching large format tapestries you should use foam core or the backing supplied with the frame. The board should be at least 3mm and preferably 5mm thick. You also need a suitable thread for fixing, and linen or cotton of the right thickness can be used for this purpose, although embroidery wool is best. You also need a needle with a suitably large eye, glass-headed pins, and padding if you want to wish to give the tapestry or other piece a padded look. The following steps are called for:

Tapestries and other works on fabrics mounted by either of the above mentioned methods could be directly inserted into the frame ie, framed without a mount (mat), and with or without glass. If you require a mat, the above process is the same however; you will need an additional backing the same as the frame size. The tapestry (which is now stretched over the board) can be taped to the back of the mat with tape.

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