3440
Lake Tahoe Blvd., P.O. Box 612711, South Lake Tahoe, 96152
ph 530-541-8438 fx 530-541-8709
www.masterframing.com
BUSINESS HOURS: MON-FRI 10-6, SAT 10-5
Please Note: This page is under construction. When done, it will include many kinds of technical information on framing materials, including glazing, matboards, adhesives etc. We will continue to add to this page in the future.
Although paintings on canvas and some other kinds of art often do not use glazing, most framing approaches use some kind of glazing, which is simply a transparent covering that protects the art. The most common glazing is glass which comes in many varieties. The second most common glazing is acrylic, commonly known as "Plexiglass." Other transparent, protective covers are shrink-wrap and mylar, although they are usually used when a piece is matted or mounted but not framed.
We use many kinds of glazing products. The following tables show the features of each.
| GLASS TYPE | ULTRAVIOLET FILTERING | LIGHT TRANSMISSION / REFLECTION |
| Tru Vue Premium Clear | 45% | 90% / 8% (2% is absorbed in the glass) |
| Tru Vue Conservation Clear (ultraviolet filtering comes from an invisible coating) | 97% | 90% / 8% |
| Tru Vue Reflection Control (reflection control comes from one side of the glass being etched which can slightly fuzz the image) | 45% | 90% / 8% |
| Tru Vue Conservation Reflection Control | 97% | 90% / 8% |
| Perfect Vue (a low-iron, water-white glass without the slight green tint of most glass) | 69% | 93% / less than 4% |
| Image Perfect Anti-Reflective | 42% | 98% / 1% |
| Image Perfect Museum Glass | 99% | 98% / 1% |
| Denglas Museum Glass (a coated glass that is virtually invisible under highly controlled lighting from above) | 90% | 96% / less than 1% |
The percentages of Ultraviolet filtering are for light in the 300 to 400 nanometer range, the most damaging wavelengths of light.
Note that "Reflection Control" glass has just as much total reflection (8%) as regular glass. The difference is that the etched surface "scatters" the reflection so that you don't see a crisp reflected image and hence the reflection is less distracting.
The more expensive "Anti-reflective" and "Museum" glasses have optical coatings similar to that on a camera lense. Instead of "scattering" the reflection as in the etched glasses, the optical coatings allow a greater percentage of light to pass through the glass, hence reducing the reflection.
| ACRYLIC TYPE | ULTRAVIOLET FILTERING | LIGHT TRANSMISSION / REFLECTION |
| Acrylite FF Clear | Not Available | 92% / 8% |
| Acrylite P-99 Reflection Control (reflection control comes from one side of the glass being etched which can slightly fuzz the image) | Not Available | 86% / Not Available |
| Acrylite OP-3 Museum | 98% | 92% / 8% |
| Acrylite AR Abrasion Resistant | Not Available | 92% / 8% |
| Acrylite AR/OP-3 Abrasion Resistant Museum | 98% | 92% / 8% |
Glass is generally less expensive and resists scratches. This is especially helpful if you have a cleaning crew that comes through and scrubs everything in sight! Glass also comes in more finishes giving you greater control over how you frame your art. The problem with glass is that it breaks. Not only does breakage require a trip to your favorite picture framer, but broken glass shards can cut your art.
Acrylic is generally more expensive and scratches easily (except for Abrasion Resistant acrylic). Susceptibility to scratching is bad enough that we recommend that people simply try not to wash acrylic (Even the softest cloth can get a piece of grit under it). Acrylic has the advantage of being almost unbreakable. This is important if you will be shipping your art or if it is hanging in a location (like a young child's room) where it is important that there is no chance of broken glass.
Another difference between the two types of glazing is that glass is heavier per square inch. If you are framing a large piece and are concerned about weight, that alone may be enough reason to switch to acrylic.
One more difference between glass and acrylic is that most kinds of glass have a very slight green tinting which comes from the iron content. Acrylic does not have any tinting. The exception in glass is "water-white" glass, one type of which is Perfect Vue, listed in the table above. While the slight green tinting is unnoticeable in most applications, there are some situations where acrylic or "water-white" glass is called for.
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