Category Archives: News

Now Open with Enhanced In-Store Safety Measures!

During this unprecedented time, we monitor the latest news and guidelines from the CDC as well as local, state and federal officials. We want to provide you with an update about measures SF Framing is taking to keep customers and associates safe.

COVID-19 safety precautions for in store handling of framing services.

COVID-19 Safety Preparations for In Store Visitors

At this time, we are pleased to inform you our store has reopened to better serve you. We ask you contact us in advance of your visit so that we may schedule an appointment to meet with you. We want you to know we are following local, state and CDC-recommended safety guidelines for the well-being of everyone. Our store features enhanced safety measures to protect our customers and associates, and we clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces. As required by Santa Clara County Public Health Department, we also require face coverings be worn inside our store and we ask you maintain required 6-foot social distancing procedures.

Please take care of yourself, your families and the ones you love. We look forward to serving you and seeing you in our store very soon.

Preserve and Protect your Summer of Love Memories!

It has been over 50 years since thousands of American teenagers flooded San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. If you were around back in those days, chances are you had a fun time… and now have lots of memorabilia just laying around in your attic or basement. If you have anything you cherish, SF Framing can help you celebrate the anniversary of the free-spirited Summer of Love in the proper way.

Best Picture Frame Special Promotion for Summer of Love 2018

Summer of Love 2018

The summers of 1967 and 1968 served as both the climax and the unraveling of a counterculture that had its roots in San Francisco. There’s no reason you should let time unravel your memories. Whether you have psychedelic posters, tie-dye shirts, or a Mamas & the Papas record, these memories are worth preserving correctly.

The crowds of free-loving folk may have long dispersed, but the spirit remains in your memories. Because of that, SF Framing is once again making it easier than ever to preserve your Summer of Love experience, and memorabilia. Mention this blog and we will offer you 50% off Museum Glass (for any size frame – yours or ours) until the end of the Summer of Love 2018 (September 22, 2018). We look forward to seeing you (and your groovy collectibles) very soon!

Treasured Memories… could light the corners of your life!

Framed Family Portrait

Custom Framed and Preserved Family Portrait with Acid Free Matting.

Exactly why custom frame anything?  Well, do you have an unusual item that has been inherited from friends or family, or a memento that you have had for years and cannot bear to part with?

From old postcards or photographs, to gifts from distant lands where relatives traveled to explore new adventures, keepsakes can be a reminder of a special moment, a time in our lives we don’t want to fade or a memory of a loved one we don’t want to forget.

An item passed down or collected over the years might seem unusual on the face of it, but could have a really special story behind it. Sadly, if not documented and well preserved, sometimes the origins of those treasures aren’t always clear.

Which well-dressed relatives are in that old black and white photograph? Which great aunt created that beautiful needlepoint? Exactly where was that stunning watercolor painted? Many people save special items that become treasured heirlooms, and heirlooms often carry treasured memories. If you have an unusual item that has been inherited from friends or family, or an item you have had for years and cannot bear to part with, it’s time to preserve that memory before it is lost forever. If this sounds like you, or someone you know, SF Framing can help you preserve and proudly display that cherished object.

Framed family heirloom

Family heirloom framed in conservation UV acrylic shadow box.

Family heirlooms are a wonderful treasure, but they can be easily damaged by light, heat, humidity, pests, and handling. Sunlight and fluorescent light fade and discolor most treasures, and are especially dangerous to fabrics, paper, and photographs. Historic objects can also be harmed by a variety of items including abrasive cleaners; glues, adhesive tapes, and labels; staples, and paper clips; acidic wood, cardboard, or paper; and pens and markers.

Heirlooms stored away in a box bring much less enjoyment! By choosing to frame and display your family treasures, they can bring you great joy as they benefit from the protection of ultraviolet light-filtering glass. Before those memories fade away, SF Framing is making it easier than ever to preserve and display your memories with custom framing. Mention this blog and we will offer you 50% off Museum Glass (for any size frame – yours or ours) until June 20, 2018. We look forward to seeing you (and your treasured possessions) very soon!

Shop Small… and Save Big!

SF Framing is the place to save big on custom framing! Whether you are a homeowner, entrepreneur or an artist, you know you have seen increasing choices about where you can frame your precious artwork, family heirloom or prized collectible – from nearby big box stores to Internet sites far away. With all those new choices, finding the right framer seems like a big challenge… but finding a framer in your area that has an artistic eye and offers great service is a very rare find. The good news is what you are looking for is exactly what we provide at SF Framing!

Shop Small and Save Big $ at SF Framing!

We know when you experience what we have to offer, you will agree that small independent businesses like SF Framing provide valuable hands-on shopping experiences and superior services, in addition to providing valuable revenue for our local community. Sales taxes from local businesses like ours provide many city and county services that we all rely on for a healthy community. So, as the holiday shopping season gets officially underway, we hope you will Shop Small and Save Big at SF Framing.

By shopping at SF Framing, you get the best picture framing services available anywhere and you continue to help our community thrive. With the holidays approaching, we invite you to celebrate with us and take advantage of some year-end savings – just in time for holiday gifting! Mention this blog and we will give you 50% discount off the moulding of your next frame purchase (maximum $50 per frame) and a FREE gift!

Don’t let those Summer of Love Memories Fade Away!

It’s the Summer of Love 2017 celebration at SF Framing in Sunnyvale!

As San Francisco celebrates the Summer of Love 50th anniversary in a big way this year, you might consider scouring your attic or basement for treasured memories of those wonderful days gone by. The reason? Here at SF Framing, we believe it is time for you to re-live the 60’s by bringing back those by-gone days… and we’re going to help you do that!

You’re probably thinking… “If only my walls could talk!” The good news is that they really can. Your walls have a story to tell when you can display your memories in beautiful frames… be those cool records, psychedelic concert posters, flowery prints, fab vintage movie posters, hot collector tickets or signed rock ‘n’ roll artist memorabilia – all things you have probably stashed away somewhere for far too long.

Framed Records

Memorable LP Record Jackets and Records Beautifully Displayed.

Whatever the reason, the Summer of Love ushered in an era of power for a younger generation – and with it ushered in a cornucopia of beautiful art, amazing music and wonderful memories. Before those memories fade away, SF Framing is making it easier than ever to preserve your memories. Mention this blog and we will offer you 50% off Museum Glass (for any size frame – yours or ours) until the end of the Summer of Love 2017 (September 22, 2017). We look forward to seeing you (and your groovy collectibles) very soon!

P.S. Believe-it-or-not, as we wrote this blog, we got in the mood by playing the “San Francisco” song, written by John Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas and sung by Scott McKenzie. Yep, it was the very song that bolted up the charts and helped launch the Summer of Love, a crazy period when an estimated 100,000 young people descended on our treasured City-by-the-Bay!

custom picture framing acrylic glass museum conservation SF Framing Sunnyvale

When should I choose glass or acrylic to cover my artwork?

Most people are familiar with the use of moulding and matting when it comes to custom framing, however, many are unaware of the importance of glazing when it comes to the protection and beauty of their framed piece. This is understandable as you might even ask yourself, what is “glazing”? Glazing is the protective covering used in picture framing – it refers to either acrylic or glass. It’s understandable when people wonder if they should cover their artwork with glass, acrylic or nothing at all.

The glazing you choose can be extremely important as glazing will help protect your cherished artwork, family photos, or any object you wish to have framed. We know that when you come to SF Framing to custom frame, it is because the piece you are framing is important to you, and the project you bring to us is something you want to enjoy for a long time to come. The following are our recommendations for you:

We generally do not recommend glazing over oils, acrylic and giclee paintings.

Acrylic is preferable for the majority of artwork. It is both lighter than glass and shatterproof – important factors to consider in regions plagued with earthquakes and for pieces larger than 36 inches x 48 inches. An exception is pastels, since acrylic’s static charge can attract fine chalk particles from the artwork. In this case, glass is often substituted.

Whether you choose glass or acrylic glazing, when you have something that you want to preserve from the effects of damaging ultraviolet (UV) light, we recommend the glazing material chosen be treated with a special coating to keep out damaging UV light. This is often called “Museum” acrylic or glass – which is more expensive than standard acrylic or glass. A new economical anti-reflective, UV protective glass is now available from SF Framing to help reduce the cost of preserving your piece.

Always ask your SF Framing design consultant about the best glazing choices available for your treasured artwork.

Acid or Acid-Free Matting?

There are two types of mat material: acidic, and “acid-free” (neutral pH). Most old mats are typically acidic, because acid-free paper was not widely available until very recently. While most newer mats are acid-free, there are some that are not neutral pH and may still contain acid.

The difference between acidic and acid-free matting is important for the long term protection of your piece because acidic mats can cause what is called “mat burn”, brown or yellow marks on the beveled edge of the mat and the displayed piece itself. While mat burn is sometimes reversible through cleaning the piece, cleaning may not be feasible. Always ask your SF Framing design consultant about the acid content of any mat if the desired life of the piece being framed is more than 75 years.

Welcome to Our New Updated Site

OK, we’re officially gushing! You’ll have to forgive us.

We’re proud to unveil our new website and blog. You’ll want to bookmark this site and visit our blog often. In addition to keeping you updated with the latest coupons and offers, we’ll be sharing Before and After photos from our favorite projects, and letting you know about the latest advancements in framing.

Michelle browsingMatt & Michelle 310_EcocarePlease take some time to visit our site and get to know us better. Download your coupon and say hello to us on Twitter!

We’re here to serve you, so let us know if you have any comments, questions or concerns by leaving a comment below. Looking forward to seeing you inside our store soon!