Framing without glazing

RyanBruceX

Grumbler in Training
Joined
Jan 12, 2025
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Alberta, Canada
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Hello,

Wondering what good options there are to frame without glazing but keep the effect of using matting? I like the idea of using backer board/gator board and a frame but I am stuck on how to maintain the look of a photo framed with matting and glazing. I am not super concerned with archival and will likely be varnishing my prints. Thanks!
 
The biggest enemy of no glazing......................DIRT.

Dirt will ruin mats and most prints. Difficult to remove dirt from mats. Don't know how a print that is varnished will fare.
 
As to the coating or varnish on the photos, those provided by quality professional photo labs are said to be high uv and reasonably good protection. Some of the coatings are hand brushed on and make the photos look painted with brush strokes, they really are stunning and can see why you wouldn’t use a glazing. My main photo studio customer absolutely does not want a glazing on these, and I support their knowledge on the products offered and their ability to withstand non-glazed usage. They are almost always mounted onto a very rigid substrate when I get them. So that part for me I am comfortable with. As to a mat unglazed, I’m with LP on that, no solution here.
 
My understanding of coatings on photos or other paper-borne art is that the UV rating is for the coating, not for the art itself.
It means the coating will resist reactions to UV exposure, not that the piece itself will be protected from UV.

On the other hand there are glazings (glass and acrylic), that act as UV filters, protecting both the added finish and the image. The next step up are products that are anti-reflective, that, under controlled lighting, are undetectable to the human eye, so all the color and textures shine through.

It takes a sufficient budget, but you can see and protect the art with proper glazing without risking exposing it to the elements.

In the end it is the artist's call on how they want their art to be presented. The challenge is making a fully informed decision.
 
An alternative to using a mat is using a wood liner. It can be painted or fabric covered. It will not twist and ripple like a potato chip with changes in humidity unlike a conventional paper mat.
 
If it's a watercolor or similar paper-borne artwork then glazing is essential. Not only from airborne pollutants
but from physical damage (sharp objects, coffee splashes,etc). In the case of replaceable things such as casual
photographs and such ephemera then laminating them will greatly increase protection. They would still be vulnerable
to scuffing but they would be waterproof and wipe-clean.
 
This is an oil painting but would work just as well with a laminated photo.
The 'matted' look is maintained. The liner is painted to give a subtle off-white
using artist's acrylic paint which give a quite durable surface. Pristine white
surfaces will be subject to airborne dirt and general crud but I like to pre-age
them a bit by wiping over with a highly diluted mix of Raw Umber with a dab
of white added for opacity.

stackedgreen001.webp
 
Hello,

Wondering what good options there are to frame without glazing but keep the effect of using matting? I like the idea of using backer board/gator board and a frame but I am stuck on how to maintain the look of a photo framed with matting and glazing. I am not super concerned with archival and will likely be varnishing my prints. Thanks!
Mat board will fade quickly without uv protection.
 
For those interested on an alternative to traditional paper matting, wooden liner mats are available from Foster's Planing Mill, Frank's Fabrics, Rian Fabrication, and others. Prospero's samples above show what can be done.
 
UV protection does slow down fading, it won't prevent it.

The biggest problem is dust and dirt. It will get dirty long before it will fade.
Just adding to the list of why you glass.
 
Is there a reason that you don't want to use glass/acrylic?
I ask, because you may just be making things more complicated that needed.
 
This is a tricksy one. When is a mat not a mat. The glazing on this only covers the photo.
The top layers are more a 'spandrel' but fulfils the purpose of a mat - aesthetically at least.
The glazing is spaced from the photo by another oval that you can't see.
The top three layers are made from the good old 'Grey Board' which does have it's uses.
Gluing the top two layers together gives rigidity and painted with acrylic and waxed it is
very durable.

littlegirlwithteddy.webp
 
We all know the advantages of glazing for preservation, but just as a thought experiment lets throw this out there... If the pictures are varnished as well as a painting, then they would be moderately easy enough to dust and clean. We just need something like a mat that is equally easyish to clean. Paper based mats are a nono. Fabric will trap dirt and dust easier than the photo, but there's still a precedent for it as we use linen liners all the time. My mind wandered to painted wood panels. Since archivability isn't a concern, a glued float mount is on the table, and why not mount it centered to a painted panel that is simply fitted into the frame? A good quality lightfast paint won't fade quite as quickly as matboard and can also be varnished over to be easier to clean. It would be ideal if the photo was printed on a hardy surface that would not take dents or absorb moisture, therefore we wouldn't be as concerned about the edges being exposed in an unglazed float mount, but again, we're mostly talking about a decorative framing project here so the OP can decide what level of durability they want to take their project to. If the float mount is not ideal due the substrate it is printed on, the wooden liner frame inside of a cap frame is a great approach and should also be equally customizable with the same approach--a little paint and it'll look just as colorful and customizable as a matboard! bonus points for the double matted look with a liner frame plus fillet.
 
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