How to “Custom” Frame on a Budget

Have you custom framed before? If you have, you know it’s EXPENSIVE. If you haven’t well, you’d be sticker shocked. Well guess what, I’ve been in the picture framing industry for over 10 years. I started out in college working at picture framing shops to make some extra coin and ended up loving it so much that I kept working part time into my full time career as an art teacher. So I’ll let you in on some picture framing secrets.

First, I want everyone to know WHY it’s so expensive. I get this question a lot with customers and the answer is, anything custom is expensive. Think about it, the moulding is higher quality (because why would you get ugly flimsy custom made frames?), the mat board is higher quality (because why ruin you artwork with acidic mats if you’re getting a custom frame?), and the glass is higher quality (not the flimsy sheet of plastic that you can wave around to make funny noises). Every step of the process, a human is involved custom building and quality checking your frame. Then not to mention overhead costs like running a store, maintain power tools, and paying workers – its a lot and most custom things operate the same way.

But I hear you, it’s still expensive, and you know what I agree! That’s why there are things that I, as a seasoned picture framer, am willing to “skimp” out on and still have my artwork look nice on my wall. Here are the steps I always tell my customers to follow before going full on custom framing:

1. Does it fit in a Ready-made?

This might seem obvious to some of you but I find so many people coming in to the shop with artwork or photos that would fit into a readymade! If you don’t know, readymade frames are standard size frame that you can find in any store. This would be your 4×6, 5×7, 8×10, 11×14, and 16×20. They do make 18×24 and poster size frames but I find the quality drastically deteriorates when you get to those sizes so I tend to avoid. If your picture fits in one of these then skip the custom framing altogether! If you are worried about preserving your art, you can always swap out the matboard and glass for higher quality at your local frame store for a fraction of the cost.

when looking for a readymade, I always recommend to purchase ones with real glass and that have v nails in the corners – otherwise they will just fall apart.

2. Doesn’t fit…unless matted

So your artwork doesn’t fit into a readymade…unless you got a different mat border. If you’re confused let me give you a scenario: you bought some artwork that measures 15×12. And you think ugh it wont fit in an 11×14 but a 16×20 is too big! Here’s my suggestion: buy the bigger frame, in this case the 16×20, then take it to your local frame shop to get a mat cut. Matting your artwork, correctly and to size really elevates the look and costs so much less than purchasing a whole frame job

3. Look at thrift stores

This one is most important if you’re looking to fit something larger than 16×20. I can’t tell you how many times I see really nice large frames at thrift stores. The art might be questionable but who cares, you’re switching that out!

4. Ask for Oopsies or Leftover Moulding

Like I mentioned before, the custom framing business has a lot of human involvement, which also means there’s human error. Ask your local frame shop if they are selling mistake frames – frames they built the wrong size or even have minor imperfections – they might have something that will fit your piece! I also have seen frame shop hoard moulding over the years that they don’t actively keep a sample for, so they don’t regularly sell it. They might even have moulding that’s discontinued and so the sample is no longer on the wall. For whatever reason, they might have moulding in the back they are not actively selling but need to get rid of. Doesn’t hurt to ask if they will sell you the moulding at a discounted price!

I hope these tips helped! At the end of the day if you have a very large piece, expensive piece, or something that just means a lot to you – just pull the trigger and get it properly framed. However for photos and small inexpensive artworks, I am totally on board with finding a cheaper option.

---