Category Archives: Projects

What are the Differences Between Purchasing a Ready-Made Picture Frame and a Custom Picture Frame?

There are several differences between purchasing an off-the-shelf, ready-made picture frame and going to a professional custom picture framer like SF Framing. Here are a few key differences to be aware of:

  1. Size and Design: Ready-made picture frames come in standard sizes and designs. Custom picture framing, on the other hand, allows you to choose the exact size and design that will best showcase your artwork.
  2. Quality of Materials: Ready-made frames are often made with lower-quality materials, such as plastic or low-grade wood. Custom picture framing allows you to choose high-quality materials that will protect your artwork and last for years to come.
  3. Preservation: A professional custom picture framer will use materials and techniques that help preserve your artwork over time, such as acid-free mats and UV-resistant glass. Ready-made frames may not offer the same level of protection, which could lead to damage or fading over time.
  4. Cost: Ready-made frames are generally less expensive than custom frames, but the price difference may not be significant depending on the size and quality of the frame you need. On the other hand, any additional cost of a custom frame may be worth it if you have a valuable or sentimental piece of artwork that you want to protect and display.
  5. Décor: When it comes to matching the décor of a room, custom picture framing offers more flexibility than ready-made frames. With a custom frame, you can choose the exact color, style, and finish that will complement your existing décor. Ready-made frames may not offer the same level of customization.

Overall, the decision between purchasing a ready-made, off-the-shelf picture frame and going to a professional custom picture framer will depend on your specific needs and preferences. If you’re looking for a simple and affordable way to frame a piece of artwork, a ready-made frame may be the way to go. However, if you have a valuable or sentimental piece of artwork that you want to protect and display, a custom frame from SF Framing may be the very best option. Contact us today!

Put a little spring in your step this spring!

Well-framed spring flowers bloom like no others!

Many of our customers seek out picture framing services to display their cherished memories or valuable art pieces. As skilled and experienced picture framers, at SF Framing we strive to help protect these items from damage due to aging, light exposure, humidity, and other environmental factors. Taking these factors into account, we provide guidance on selecting the appropriate materials, such as acid-free backing, conservation mats and UV-protective glass, to ensure any framed item remains in good condition over time.

By providing these services, we help customers preserve and showcase their treasured items for years to come, giving them peace of mind and a sense of pride in their home or office decor. If you are interesting in learning more, we offer a FREE CONSULTATION SERVICE with a professional picture framer. During the consultation, the framer will provide advice on the best frames, mats, and other customizations for your specific artwork or photo.

This spring, we’ll spring for a 50% discount for you!

Mention this blog and we will give you a 50% discount off moulding (for any size frame with the purchase of a custom frame – maximum discount $50) until the end of spring 2023 (June 20, 2023).

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Make sure to put a little sunshine in your life… but don’t put it on your artwork!

Nothing adds more to a home than a beautiful piece of displayed artwork (e.g. a framed print, photo or painting). Unfortunately, your prized works of art can become badly damaged when they are exposed to light sources. If you do not take very specific steps to protect your artwork, you could lose it’s colors to sun damage over time.

While sunlight and indoor lighting easily damage artwork, protecting it from harmful UV rays is the secret to ensuring your art looks as stunning and as detailed as if it were new. Unfortunately, keeping your artwork hidden from view isn’t something you will want to do, and, using regular glass to cover it will not sufficiently block ultraviolet rays. What you will want to do is make sure your art is covered with UV-filtering glass. This will block up to 45 percent of harmful UV light and UV rays. The best UV filtering option is Museum Glass. Museum Glass provides 99 percent UV protection. It is the first choice of SF Framing’s professional framers. While more expensive than other glass frame options, it is crystal clear and has unique anti-reflective properties.

Don’t let your artwork fade from view!

With Summer here, there isn’t a better time for you to make certain you are not putting your artwork in harm’s way. If you suspect you have artwork that could use UV protection, bring it to us and we will help you evaluate it for FREE. If you would like us to provide you with Museum Glass to protect your art, mention this blog and we will give you a 50% discount off Museum Glass (for any picture frame up to 36″ x 48″ in size) until the end of summer 2022 (September 22).

What is happening in Ukraine is breaking our hearts!

When news of the initial Russian invasion of Ukraine hit the world media, we immediately felt helpless. Our hearts went out to the innocent civilians who were subjected to the horrors of war in their previously peaceful homeland.

It wasn’t until we discovered the work of World Central Kitchen (WCK) that we began to see a way we can help from here. Almost immediately, WCK began serving meals to families traveling long distances and waiting for hours at border crossings in Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary, and Slovakia. At the same time, urgent food needs quickly grew within Ukraine. For residents who remain either in their homes or the millions of people who have travelled west and were internally displaced, WCK mobilized local restaurants, expanding the provision of hot meals at train stations, shelters, hospitals, and directly to people in their homes. Most recently, WCK began providing hot meals and food product to cities liberated in the north that are beginning to recover from the occupation.

World Centric Kitchen Ukraine
WCK feeding the people of Ukraine.

Even Custom Picture Frames can help support the people of Ukraine!

WCK has created a new model for disaster relief helping devastated communities recover and establish resilient food systems. SF Framing wants to join World Central Kitchen’s mission to use the power of food to nourish the world. For every purchase of a custom picture frame beginning April 11, 2022, SF Framing will donate $20.00 to World Central Kitchen.

Shop Local = Benefits Local

As everyone knows, the COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected small businesses like SF Framing. With the closure of thousands of local businesses, everyone is beginning to question how and where they purchase their food, cleaning supplies, and even framing services. The impact of that choice is much larger than it may first seem.

Best Framing Can Be Found Locally at SF Framing
Buying Locally – Benefits Locally

At SF Framing, we support our local community. Naturally, the support of local jobs is a crucial factor – when people buy locally, they help create jobs for teachers, parents, and many other essential workers. However, people often fail to appreciate the host of other benefits in their decision to buy local. Buying from a locally owned businesses helps conserve energy and resources in the form of less fuel for transportation and less packaging.

Studies prove that when people buy locally, it doubles the amount of money that stays within the community because of a local economic multiplier effect. Further to this, local spending actually increases the velocity of money through the economy – the more money that passes through more hands gives more people the ability to enjoy the benefit of that money. That’s why supporting small businesses in your local Bay Area community – like SF Framing – means so much!

Benefits local government

custom picture framing acrylic glass museum conservation SF Framing Sunnyvale
Matt framing beautiful artwork for a client!

Put simply, companies like SF Framing who generate sales and profit in the Bay Area, pay taxes in the Bay Area. These taxes are then spent by the Government in local communities on critical initiatives such as new infrastructure, services and other important initiatives for our county. You simply don’t get these benefits when choosing products from big box stores, multinational and out-of-state corporations.

Environmental benefits

We work with our clients to carefully understand their artwork and project scope. When you purchase an SF Framing product, you can be confident that in most cases world-leading environmental standards are implemented during its manufacture.

Special “Buy Local” Offer

Mention this blog and we will offer you 50% off museum glass (up to 36” x 48” in size) with a purchase of a custom frame until May 1, 2022.

We look forward to seeing you very soon!

Create an office that feels like home!

A large percentage of the American population now either wants to work from home, or wants to find a better work-life balance. As a result, businesses are finding it increasingly difficult to get workers back into the office when a windowless room or a small cubicle is the destination. With this trend in mind, companies who want their workers to feel their office is more like home, should carefully consider office décor that helps turn a workspace into a welcoming and home-like environment!

We can help you make your office feel more like an inviting home!

When it comes to office décor, nothing can make an office feel more like home than tastefully framed art and collectible conversation pieces that reflect employee talent, taste, and interests. Oh sure, you should definitely consider other home-like enhancements such as warm, natural wood surfaces and carpets, furniture selected to make each area within an office unique, and comfortable sofas and seating for reading, informal and impromptu meetings. But, when it comes to office walls, nothing speaks louder than the beautiful things you can place on your walls.

A Very Special Office-Away-From-Home Framing Offer!

If you would like your office to feel more like a home, we suggest you stop by SF Framing. When you ponder, “What’s the best framing store near me?“, again think SF Framing. Whatever your custom framing needs, we will make certain you receive the very best picture framing design services available anywhere. We invite you to explore with us any ideas you might have to make your employees feel more welcome. Contact us today! Take advantage of our autumn season savings! Mention this blog and we will give you a 50% discount off Museum Glass (for any size frame with the purchase of a custom frame) until the end of autumn 2021 (December 21).

Note: Offer not valid with any other coupons, discounts, offers, or vouchers.

At SF Framing we don’t judge each day by the pictures we frame…but rather by the seeds we plant!

Over 95% of America’s old-growth redwoods have been cut with devastating consequences to the forest and its inhabitants. At SF Framing, we believe we have a responsibility to leave the world a better place than how we found it. For every custom picture frame order you place with us, we will team with the Redwood Forest Foundation (RFFI) to plant young redwood trees in your honor. When you visit SF Framing, we will not only make certain you receive the very best picture framing services available anywhere, you can be assured a portion of your purchase will help restore the redwood forests that support biodiversity and address climate change in Northern California.

A new young Northern California at dawn!

To celebrate our new relationship with the Redwood Forest Foundation (RFFI), we would like to offer you our summer season savings. Mention this blog and we will give you a 10% discount off the moulding of your next frame purchase (maximum $50 per frame)! Contact us today!


Note: Offer not valid with any other coupons, discounts, offers, or vouchers.

Frame and Display those holiday memories!

During the holidays, the holiday meal is the center of it all – in normal times, it is ordinarily where the family gathers to enjoy each other’s company and good food. Because of the pandemic this holiday season, you might decide a gathering isn’t suitable. However, this would be a wonderful time to express your feelings and emotions remotely by presenting loved family members and friends with the memories of past holiday photos and memorabilia.

2020 Holiday Memories Framed
Family Holiday Memories Framed for Display!

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 molding of your next frame purchase (maximum $50 per frame) and a FREE gift! Contact us today!

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!

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!