Tag Archives: sfframing.com

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!

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.

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.

Customer Care is alive and well at SF Framing!

A passenger being forcibly removed from a plane after refusing to give up his seat is the way one airline is treating their customers. As we know, airline travel already seems like a slaughter house. Like virtual cattle, travelers are often forced into lines, evaluated, processed, and packed into space with less and less comfort.

We must admit, not all of this is the fault of airlines. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA), its rules and its security checkpoints certainly contribute to the discomfort we all experience today. In addition to the TSA, we might also consider ourselves somewhat to blame. While we consumers demand lower and lower airfares, the airlines must comply to survive – while recovering their costs by adding preferred seating charges, checked baggage fees, reduced food options and increasingly cramped conditions.

The whole experience is indicative of our society’s larger demand for lower prices while we accept a gradual decline in product quality, customer service and attention to detail. In no time conditions fail to be tolerable, but like cattle to slaughter, we resolve ourselves to accept that there is nothing we can do.

We have experienced this in so many ways… in the way we now purchase our gasoline, our groceries, our overnight stays, our transportation, and our music (just to name a few). How often do we unwittingly avoid a locally-owned store to seek out a super deal at a discount business, asking for help and finding a blank stare coming at us from the person on the other side of the counter? As we demand lower prices from businesses that have become larger by swallowing up their smaller competitors, personal touch, product quality and customer care is being lost.

All is not lost! The good news is that there are still locally-owned companies like SF Framing who provide you with an authentic customer care experience. When you become a client of SF Framing, you will discover we provide a detailed explanation of how the process works, deliver the quality product you are looking for and complete our service for you on time and within your budget.

Customer Care isn’t dead at SF Framing. Come visit us today and allow us to demonstrate that for you!

Why have scattered pictures… when treasured memories can be proudly displayed?

Memories… like a photo of your parents, a prized newspaper article, a team sports jersey, or a child’s cherished drawing shouldn’t be left to fade away.  These are valuables -when properly framed and displayed – can bring an immediate smile to your face, joy in your heart and pride among your family and friends. Why leave these things in a box in the attic or in a drawer in the kitchen?

Framing a memento is a fun and unique thing to do.  The professionals at SF Framing are here to make creating personalized, heartfelt memory displays quick and easy. Here are a few ideas of how to capture your memories and turn them into professionally preserved keepsakes you will treasure forever:

Sports Jersey – Frame a team jersey in a shadow box! This is the perfect decoration for the den or basement where everybody gathers to watch big games.

Framed Records

Memorable LP Record Jackets and Records Beautifully Displayed.

Music Record or CD Cover– Put a special music record in a frame in a creative way – perhaps with a ticket to your favorite concert.  It could be an LP of a favorite musician, your “first dance” song or a valuable collectible. Get creative and you’ll end up with an art piece that nobody could buy in a store.

Achievement Awards – Protect and display your certificates, ribbons, medals and badges with specially designed frames. Those memories do not need to stay online where they will eventually be forgotten. These real-life awards when properly displayed will feel fresh and remind you of your hard work and accomplishment.

Children’s Art – Framing a child’s art makes a fun and whimsical decoration when highlighted with a nice frame and could make a wonderful gift for parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles, and teachers.

Family Heirloom – Try framing a particularly meaningful piece of home-made art, a needlepoint tapestry, a poem or maybe an old family recipe to bring warmth to your home.

SF Framing Framed Picture Original

Treasured Famous Artist Original Signature

Famous Collectible –  Create a conversation corner in your home or office by stylishly framing and displaying a beautiful vintage photograph, a historical newspaper headline or a celebrated autograph.

SF Framing can help you preserve your most treasured memories.  Contact us today to provide you with a quote on professionally framing your family heirlooms and keepsakes.

Why does custom framing cost more than ready-made picture frames?

picture framing

We work with our clients to carefully understand their artwork and project scope.

SF Framing receives this question often from clients who visit our Sunnyvale store and we are more than happy to help them determine the best framing method based on their personal needs. Ready-made frames are mass produced in standard sizes using low cost, often less durable materials, while custom framing is designed and crafted to meet each client’s unique specifications, using frame styles, colors and long lasting materials best suited to display, preserve and protect artwork for many years to come.

Carefully We Proceed!

When we begin to help our clients, we work with them to understand the artwork medium, carefully measure the artwork size and determine the overall level of conservation that is desired. Based on these factors, we help our clients determine if a ready-made or custom-made frame option is best for them.

picture framing materials

The framer carefully chooses each component of a custom picture frame individually.

Custom framing costs more than ready-made picture frames because the framer carefully chooses each component of a custom picture frame individually, and every aspect of the framing project can be customized in many ways. The choice begins with the frame molding, which can be wood, metal, metal clad wood, and extends to the matting, glazing, backing, and hardware. Glazing can be purchased in several varieties including conversation (ultra-violet light blocking), anti-glare, museum glass and acrylic. The backing materials, which are the materials that the artwork is mounted on, are available in acid-free foam core and Mountcore neutral pH mounting board. As for matting, not only are there hundreds of colors, acid free materials and conservation grades to choose from, but a custom framing project can use two or more mats to give a truly distinctive look.

You Get What You Pay For… And We Believe You Will Love It!

Since custom made frames are made to a client’s unique specifications, custom frames are more expensive than ready-made frames and often require a week or more to make. Also, since every component needs to be selected individually, the dedicated time required to design and build a custom picture frame package is unique to each project – it can easily take up to an hour or more to complete the whole process.

Exactly How To Hang Your Art After Framing!

Hanging Artwork by SF Framing Sunnyvale

Newly hung framed artwork by SF Framing.

After you receive your newly framed art from SF Framing, properly hanging the piece can be a challenge for many. If you are the type of person who wonders where you should hang your piece relative to furniture, what the proper position on the wall should be, and how to best secure your art to the wall… you are not alone!

The Eyes Have It!

As a general rule, framed art should be hung at eye level. But of course eye level varies from person to person. On top of that, you are probably wondering exactly what part of the picture is supposed to be eye level, the focal point of the art, the middle of the picture, or the top edge of the frame? If you are hanging your framed art in a public space in the United States, take into account the average height of the population is approximately 5 feet, 7 inches (170 cm). In this case, we recommend the focal point of the art (the part of the art that the viewer’s eye will discover first) should be approximately 5 feet (183 cm) above the floor.

Location, Location, Location!

Your next challenge will be to determine exactly where on a wall you might want to hang something. It isn’t difficult if you know you want to hang your art in the center of the wall; all you have to do is measure the width of the wall and divide it in half. However, if you want to hang your art in an open space between two existing pictures or between wall elements, you will have a choice of how you could approach it. Either measure the space between elements and divide it in half, or set the frame on the floor against the wall below where you’re considering hanging it and step back to get a feel for the positioning, and then measure up from the floor at that point to 5 feet and make a vertical mark in pencil on the wall.
When you are hanging art relative to furniture or to an architectural element like a fireplace mantle or a sofa, you will want to have the bottom edge of the framed art approximately 8-10 inches (20-25 cm) above a mantle or sofa regardless of ceiling height.

Picture Hangers

Picture Framing Hangers come in many shapes and sizes.

Hanging Around

Now that you know where you want your art to be positioned, your next task will be to determine where the hangers will go. Most framed art from SF Framing come with secure hanging wires in back of them. To hang these most efficiently, we recommend you ask a trusted friend to hold the framed art against the wall with the focal point at eye level. While they are doing this, make a very light pencil line on the wall at the bottom of the frame. Then set the framed art down and measure the distance from the bottom of the frame to the hanging wire. If, for example, it’s 18 inches (46 cm) from the bottom of the frame to the hanging wire, you will want to measure up 18 inches (46 cm) from the mark on the wall that indicates the bottom of the frame – that’s where the hanger will go! Of course, many people prefer to hang art using two hangers – specifically to help keep the frame level and very secure. To place two hangers, measure the width of the frame and divide it by four to get the distance from the center point to where the hangers will go. For example, if the frame is 40 inches (102 cm) wide, each hanger should be about 10 inches (25 cm) from the center point. To locate the position of each hanger you’ll need a carpenter’s level and a yardstick (or a center finding ruler often found at many local hardware stores). Place the yardstick at the hanger mark and place the level on top of it. Measure out from the center point, staying level, and make cross-hair marks on the wall. The distance from the bottom of the hangers (where the wire will actually attach) and the top of the hangers (where the nail will be driven) is typically one inch (2.54 cm). You can measure up one inch (2.54 cm) and make another mark above the crosshair mark, or you can simply place the bottom of the hook at the crosshair mark and drive the nail through the hole at the top of each hook. Lift the framed art and arrange the wire over the hooks. Then place the carpenter’s level on top of the frame and adjust it until its level.

Well Rewarded

When you have completed hanging your newly framed art, it is time to stand back and take a look at what you have accomplished. We are confident that you will like what you see, and will find many years of enjoyment from the work you have completed. When you choose to work with the professionals at SF Framing, you can be assured we will strive to provide you with the very best mounting, framing and hanging experience available today.

How is my artwork mounted and held securely in place?

What many “big box” and “chain store” framers call their “proven method” of mounting artwork is actually a procedure developed decades ago to mount processed photographs, lithographs, posters and other types of images popular at the time. This old-technology and the dry mounting materials used were once acceptable, but the heat and mounting time required in this old process can cause serious problems to contemporary images. Even if no damage is immediately apparent, the acid exposure, higher heat and longer mounting time of old mounting methods can alter the ink chemistry enough to create or accelerate color shift, bubbling and/or fading over time – potentially damaging your artwork.

Serigraphs, lithographs, monoprints and fine art are commonly mounted using a hinged tape method that dries out over time and can release the artwork from its original position. To prevent this from happing today, SF framing now uses an acid free four corner mounting method that secures the artwork for a lifetime.

Secure monting process.

New permanent mounting process used by SF Framing.

Recognizing new digital imaging technologies have been rapidly replacing older-technology image types, SF Framing now mounts all digital prints, inkjet, giclee, laminated charts and maps, posters and prints using a new high tech dry mounting adhesive process called Gilman MountCor. This new permanent adhesive process protects virtually all modern art images using low temperatures and fast mounting times to ensure your art is mounted safely and cleanly using a pH neutral and particle free process.

When you choose to work with the professionals at SF Framing, you can be assured we only use high quality materials, modern equipment and state-of-the-art procedures to provide you with the very best mounting and framing experience available today.

Choosing your Custom Picture Framing Material is Important!

NOT All Custom Picture Frames Are Created Equal… Choose Carefully!

Throughout history, frames have been made with varying techniques and inconsistent materials. As surprising as this might seem, this inconsistency has lead to the unintended deterioration or unanticipated destruction of many a collectible or family heirloom. Of the many elements to consider in determining how to best frame art, the one that is often most overlooked is the actual framing material chosen – yet the framing material is the most important element to consider carefully. With the confusing array of picture framing materials available to you at the ‘big box’ stores, you might ask yourself, “What picture framing material should I choose?” Before considering the framing material you would like to use, be sure to understand the various factors that are most important to you by answering these questions:

1. Preservation: Is the art piece you wish to frame, something that you would like to preserve for a long time?
2. Structural Integrity: Do you wish the frame to maintain its structural integrity over time (e.g. keep corners tight, etc.) despite frequent moves, sunlight exposure, etc.
3. Visual Aesthetics: What image do you wish your frame to portray? Is the color and/or texture of the frame appropriate for the environment where it will be displayed?
4. Environment: Are you interested in ensuring your frame is produced with environmentally friendly materials?
5. Health: Do you wish the frame to be free of potentially harmful chemicals which could potentially affect your household’s health?

SF Framing picture framing sunnyvale

Picture frame materials can vary – choose carefully to get the best results!

By carefully considering these factors, you will help yourself get a better idea of the picture framing material that will be perfect for you. SF Framing can then provide you with the added guidance to help you determine the best frame material to use from those available to you by showing you these options:

1. Plastic
2. MDF (Medium Density Fiber / Composite)
3. Photographic (soft wood backer with a thin photographic skin)
4. Veneer (soft wood backer with a thin layer of a premium wood finish)
5. Metal (aluminum, steel, etc.)
6. Solid hardwood

By choosing the most appropriate material to custom frame any piece of art, you will not only help preserve it, but you will ensure your framed art is greatly enhanced by the perfect framing material you have chosen.

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!