Professional Framing Services

Professional framing services should do far more than surround a picture with a decorative border. Done properly, framing protects the work, holds it flat and safe for decades, and presents it so that the eye goes to the art rather than the frame. I make every frame by hand in my own workshop, cut and joined from raw timber, and I gild by hand with genuine gold leaf when a piece calls for it. On this page I explain what a complete framing service actually includes, when each option matters, and how to decide what your paintings, photographs and prints really need.

What professional framing services actually include

When people ask me for professional framing services, they usually mean one of a few different things, and it helps to separate them. A full service covers the design of the frame, the making of it, the way the artwork is mounted inside it, and the glazing that protects it. Each of those stages carries its own decisions, and a good framer talks you through them rather than reaching for a standard moulding off the shelf.

In practice my work falls into a handful of connected services:

• Bespoke frame making, where I build a frame to the exact size and character of a specific piece. This is the heart of what I do, and you can see the range on my bespoke picture frames page and across the custom picture frames collection.
• Hand gilding with genuine gold leaf, using the traditional water gilding method for the deepest, most burnished finish.
• Framing for fine art, including oil paintings, works on canvas, drawings and prints, each of which is mounted differently.
• Conservation and archival framing, where the priority is protecting the work from light, acidity and moisture over the long term.
• Frame restoration and regilding of older frames that are worth saving.

The rest of this page walks through each of these in turn, so you can recognise which one your own project calls for.

Made to measure, not off the shelf: bespoke framing

A ready-made frame is built to a standard size and then fitted with whatever picture happens to match it. A bespoke frame reverses that logic. I start from the artwork, take its exact dimensions, look at its weight, its edges and its mood, and then design a frame around it. That is the single biggest reason to commission framing rather than buy a stock size.

Every bespoke frame I make begins as lengths of raw timber. I cut the profile, join the corners, and finish the surface by hand. For the corners I use proper joinery rather than simple glued mitres, because a spline or a mortise-and-tenon joint holds a mitre closed under seasonal movement and under the weight of glass. A frame that opens at the corner after a year is not a small fault; it lets in dust and light and it looks tired. Solid joinery is one of the quiet things you pay for with handmade work, and it is the reason a well-made frame outlives the wall it first hangs on.

Bespoke work also lets me match a frame to a room rather than only to a picture. If you want to know how frame and interior work together, my guide to choosing a frame for your artwork covers the same ground in more detail. When you are ready to look at finishes, the custom picture frames collection is the best starting point, with dedicated ranges for black frames and white picture frames if you already know the palette you are working towards. To see the level of finish a commission reaches, a piece such as my custom-made gold picture frame shows what made to measure looks like in practice.

Hand gilding with genuine gold leaf

Gilding is where framing crosses into craft that has barely changed in centuries, and it is the part of my work I am asked about most. There is an important distinction that catches a lot of buyers out, so it is worth being clear about it.

Genuine gold leaf is real gold, beaten into leaves thinner than paper and laid onto the frame by hand. It is graded by carat, from softer, greener tones through to the warm, bright colour of 23 and 23.75 carat leaf. Dutch metal, sometimes called imitation gold, is a brass alloy that looks golden at first but tarnishes over time and cannot be burnished to the same living shine. Both have their place, but they are not the same material and they should not carry the same price. I have written a full comparison of gold leaf and Dutch metal if you want to understand exactly what changes between them.

For the finest results I use water gilding. The frame is first coated in gesso, then in bole, a fine clay ground, usually red or yellow, that gives the gold its depth. The leaf is floated onto a wet surface, allowed to set, and then burnished with an agate stone until it takes on a mirror-like glow that no paint or spray can imitate. It is slow, unforgiving work, and it is the reason a properly water-gilded frame reads as gold rather than merely gold-coloured.

If a gilded frame is what you are drawn to, the gold gilded picture frames collection shows fully gilded work, while the gold gilded and partially painted picture frames range shows finishes where gilding is combined with colour. As examples of the carats I work in, a frame gilded with 23-carat gold leaf and Flemish corners gives the brightest, warmest finish, while a piece in 22-carat moon gold gives the slightly cooler tone that suits many contemporary works.

Framing paintings, oil paintings and works on canvas

Different media need different framing, and this is where a standard shop frame most often lets a work down. An oil painting on canvas is usually framed without glass, because oil paint needs to breathe and glazing can trap moisture against the surface. What it needs instead is a frame with the right depth and a rebate that holds the stretcher securely. I make dedicated frames for oil paintings built around exactly this requirement, such as a dark wood frame for oil paintings with the depth a stretched canvas needs.

Works on canvas also suit a floater frame, sometimes called an American box, where the canvas sits inside the frame with a small shadow gap all around it and appears to float rather than being clamped behind a lip. It is a clean, contemporary way to present a painting and it shows the edges of the canvas as part of the piece; my floating American box frame is one example of the format. If you are framing a canvas of any kind, my article on the best frame for a canvas painting covers the practical choices.

Printed and photographic work on canvas has its own needs again, which is why I offer custom frames for canvas prints as a separate service. One practical note for overseas clients: I ship frames for paintings internationally, and to destinations such as the United States I send them without glass, since glazing is fragile in transit and is easily sourced locally.

Conservation and archival framing

If a work has value to you, whether that value is financial or personal, conservation framing is the part of the service that protects it. The difference is not visible from across the room, but it is the difference between a piece that survives and one that slowly deteriorates behind ordinary materials.

Conservation framing means using only archival, acid-free materials against the artwork. A cheap mount board releases acid over years and leaves brown burn lines on paper; an acid-free board does not. Where a work needs to be held in place, I use reversible methods such as Japanese tissue hinges set with wheat starch paste, or photo corners, so that the piece can be removed later without damage. I never trim, dry-mount or glue an original that matters.

Glazing does the other half of the work. Museum-grade glass with a UV filter blocks the light that fades pigments, and anti-reflective glass lets you see the work clearly rather than a reflection of the room. Where a work must not touch the glass, I set spacers to hold a small air gap between the two. For collections, older works and anything you consider irreplaceable, this is the service to ask for, and you can read more on my archival and museum framing page, which sets out how I handle collections and pieces that need particular care.

Frame restoration and regilding

Not every frame worth having is a new one. Old frames, whether inherited, bought at auction or found in a house, are often better made than anything on the current market, and many are worth restoring rather than replacing. Restoration can mean repairing broken joints or missing ornament, filling and reworking damaged gesso, or regilding areas where the old leaf has worn through to the bole beneath.

Regilding in particular is skilled work, because new leaf has to be matched in tone and finish to the surviving original so that the repair disappears rather than announcing itself. The same water gilding I use on new frames is what makes a sympathetic repair possible. If you have a frame you are unsure about, the sensible first step is simply to ask; a photograph and its measurements are usually enough for me to tell you whether it is worth saving and what the work would involve. You can see the gilding side of this on my water gilding page, and a little about how I work on the about the workshop page.

How to choose a framing workshop

Choosing who frames your work matters as much as choosing the frame, so it is worth knowing what to look for. A few things separate a genuine framing workshop from a shop that simply assembles bought-in mouldings:

• Frames made from raw material. Ask whether the frames are cut, joined and finished on the premises, or ordered in and assembled. Only the former lets you truly commission a size, a profile and a finish.
• Real gilding, honestly described. A workshop that gilds should be able to tell you whether a finish is genuine gold leaf or imitation, and at what carat. Vague answers are a warning sign.
• The right materials for conservation. Anyone framing work of value should offer acid-free mounts, reversible hinging and UV glazing as standard, not as an unusual extra.
• Work you can look at. Finished pieces tell you more than any description. Spend time with a maker's actual frames and mirrors before you commit.

Professional framing costs more than a factory frame for straightforward reasons: it is made by hand, from better material, to last. If you want the full explanation, I have written openly about why professional picture framing costs what it does. Timescales matter too, since handmade and gilded work takes time to make properly; my lead time page sets out what to expect.

Bespoke mirrors and frames for reflective glass

The same skills that go into a picture frame go into a mirror, and framing a mirror is often where clients first commission bespoke work for a room. A mirror is made to measure in exactly the way a frame is: I build the frame to your dimensions, gild or finish it by hand, and fit the glass to suit the setting. For a hallway, a bathroom, a mantel or a dressing area, a made-to-measure mirror solves the problem of standard sizes never quite fitting the wall you have.

You can explore the range through the mirrors in frames collection, with decorative mirrors for statement pieces and glamour mirrors for gilded and high-shine finishes. If you are drawn to gilded framing on a mirror, my article on the black and gold framed mirror shows how the same gold-leaf work translates from a picture frame to a mirror, and a piece such as my mirror in a 23-carat gold leaf frame shows that finish in a mirror setting.

Frequently asked questions

How much do professional framing services cost?

The cost depends on the size of the work, the profile and finish you choose, and whether the frame is gilded or conservation-mounted. A hand-made frame will always cost more than a stock size, because it is built individually from raw material, and a genuinely gilded frame more again because of the gold and the hours of hand work involved. I explain the pricing logic in full in my article on why professional framing costs what it does. For a firm figure, send me the dimensions and a photograph and I will quote for your specific piece.

Can you make a frame to my exact measurements?

Yes. Making to measure is the core of what I do. I cut and join each frame from raw timber to the size of your artwork, so the fit is exact rather than approximate. Start with the bespoke picture frames page and send me the details of your piece.

Do you frame oil paintings without glass?

Usually, yes. Oil paintings are generally framed without glazing so the surface can breathe, using a frame with the correct depth and rebate to hold the stretcher. My frames for oil paintings are made for this, and for canvases in general my guide to the best frame for a canvas painting covers the options.

Do you restore and regild old frames?

Yes, when a frame is worth saving. I repair joints and ornament, rework damaged gesso and regild worn areas, matching new leaf to the surviving original. Send a photograph and the measurements and I will tell you whether restoration makes sense for your frame.

What is the difference between water gilding and other gold finishes?

Water gilding lays genuine gold leaf onto a gesso and bole ground and burnishes it with agate to a deep, mirror-like shine. Other finishes, including sprayed golds and imitation Dutch metal, cannot be burnished the same way and do not age as well. My comparison of gold leaf and Dutch metal explains the differences, and the water gilding page shows the process itself.

Do you ship framing internationally?

Yes. I ship frames and mirrors internationally. For frames going to the United States I send them without glass, since glazing travels poorly and is easily fitted locally, which also keeps shipping safer and more economical.

Where to start

If you have a piece that deserves better than a standard frame, the simplest next step is to tell me about it. Send the dimensions, a photograph and a note on where it will hang, and I will suggest an approach and quote for it. You can browse finishes across the custom picture frames collection first, or go straight to the contact page. Every frame and mirror I make is built by hand for the work it will hold, and that is where professional framing earns its name.