Mounts : Important elements in the picture framing process
About picture mounts : their role & quality issues
Mounts and backing are important elements in the framing process. Visually, mountboards can look wonderful when carefully underplayed beside the work on display, whilst also giving emphasis ranging from fabulous to subtle when required. Mounts are also vital to protect and preserve artwork at the same time as showing it off.
Mountboard comes in a wide range of quality, colours and thicknesses. The super-thick 4.1 mm gives a superbly architectural and modern feel with a deep, sharp wide bevel. Alternatively, mounts can be wash-lined to order : hand painted in watercolour with specific colours mixed for individual artworks. Fabric mounts add texture, and often depth for box framing.
Mount Design
Differing border sizes, colour combinations and textures create infinitely variable, unique expressions of individual taste, and multiple mountboards can be combined to excellent effect.
Experimenting with colour and design shows how the look of an image can be changed; we can ‘spruce up’ an old picture with a fresh clean mount or colour option to suit new decor, or we can go for a timeless, classic mount.
Conservation Framing : Mountboard requirements
Conservation framing requires a mount to meet a minimum quality standard. It should back the artwork as well as face it. Any adhesive tapes used in the framing process must also meet a minimum standard and must be applied correctly. There is a high chance that many items framed more than ten years ago, or that are bought ready framed, will have acidic mounting materials. This acid will burn into artwork leaving visible damage, and the process can happen in a relatively short period of time.
Mountboard with molecular traps, which prevent deterioration caused by airborne pollutants, is an option for protecting artwork more comprehensively. To date, Alphamat Artcare is the only board to incorporate these molecular traps, so we stock it in our framing workshop, and use it at every available opportunity.
There are several kinds of mountboard available for use depending on requirements:
