Archival and Museum Framing for Paintings and Photographs

Every frame I make can be completed with full archival and museum-quality framing, prepared in my workshop. I fit it with anti-reflective UV-filtering glass, acid-free foam board matting and a Dibond backing. This kind of framing is built around protecting the work: it shields a painting, print, watercolour or photograph from light, from the acids present in ordinary framing materials, and from mechanical distortion. Every component is prepared to individual order, matched to the particular work and to the size of the frame.

Glass – four classes available

I choose the glass to suit the work and its format. I offer four classes, from neutral low-iron glass to top-tier museum acrylic. In every case the aim is the same: to place a material between the work and the viewer that protects without getting in the way.

Opti White 4mm – clear, low-iron

Low-iron glass with a neutral, colourless appearance, free of the green tint typical of ordinary float glass. It has no anti-reflective coating, but it is the most affordable upgrade over standard glass and, importantly, is available up to 90×90 cm. It is the only option for larger works.

Ultra Vue UV70 – anti-reflective, with UV filter

Anti-reflective glass with 70% UV protection, low-iron. A balanced choice where reduced reflection and protection from light both matter. Available up to 60×80 cm.

Art View – premium quality at an accessible price

Premium-class anti-reflective glass: reflection reduced below 1%, up to 75% UV protection, a scratch-resistant coating, low-iron, and mountable from either side. It meets ISO 18916 (the Photographic Activity Test), so it is safe for archival photography. The quality is close to the most expensive museum glasses at a noticeably lower price. Available up to 60×80 cm.

Optium Museum Acrylic – the museum standard

The highest level of protection. Optium is a museum acrylic rather than a glass, and that is precisely why it is the standard for larger and valuable works: it is light, shatter-resistant and safe to transport, while blocking over 99% of UV radiation, reducing reflections to museum-glass levels and remaining anti-static. Available up to 60×80 cm.

Archival backing – Dibond panel

For backing I use a 3mm Dibond panel, an aluminium-polymer composite with an acid-free core. It is rigid yet light, chemically neutral and dimensionally stable, so it neither warps nor transfers acids to the work. It is an everyday standard in archival photographic framing and in art conservation.

Acid-free matting, mounting and spacers

I cut the matting and mounting board from museum-grade, acid-free foam board. It is chemically neutral, will not yellow over time and will not react with paper or photographic emulsions, which makes it the archival standard for framing prints, watercolours, drawings and photographs.

Where the work should not touch the glass – for pastels, photographs or float-style framing, for example – I use spacers wrapped in acid-free paper, made from low-tannin wood of the kind used in museum work and art conservation. The spacer lifts the glass clear of the surface, protecting the work from sticking to the glass and letting it breathe. I write more about the role of matting and spacers in my notes on the fundamentals of framing.

Full museum framing

Combining anti-reflective UV-filtering glass, acid-free matting, a Dibond backing and conservation hinging tapes, I prepare a mounting that meets museum standards. Such framing protects the work from three principal threats: light (including UV radiation), acid migration from typical framing materials, and mechanical distortion. It is the approach used in museums, galleries and private collections, wherever the durability and safety of the work come first.

Which works archival framing suits

I match full archival framing to oil paintings and works on canvas, but above all to works sensitive to light and acids: watercolours, prints, drawings, posters, diplomas and photographs. If you need conservation framing for a piece of collector value, I will choose a set of materials suited to its technique and format. I cover the framing of oil paintings in particular on my framing oil paintings page.

How to order

All of the above components – glass, matting and backing – are available as an addition to any frame in my range, at extra cost, as an individual quote. Write to me with the dimensions of your work, its technique and your preferred glass class, and I will prepare a personalised quote for the full mounting. The frames themselves are made to measure; you will find the full range in my picture frame catalogue.