Whether it’s a signed shirt from your favourite football team, a band’s album cover or even a well-loved painting or photograph, getting it framed can be a great way to commemorate a beloved piece of memorabilia.

At Bridgewater Glass, we offer great professional framing options that can keep your most prized possessions safe, while ensuring they still look their very best.

We’ve put together a handy guide to outline what you should be looking out for when it comes to professional framing.

What type of glazing should I select?

As well as the frame itself, one of the most important questions you need to be asking yourself is what kind of glazing you should go for. Glass glazing has a number of advantages, including being incredibly cheap and fairly durable. However, depending on the angle the sun hits it, glass glazing can be reflective, meaning it might sometimes be difficult to see the piece beneath the glass, can leave colour casts and could even damage your memorabilia. To counter this, you can ask for anti-reflective glass, so that the piece is kept in the best condition.

As well as this, glass glazing can be dangerous if broken, so you may want to consider reinforced or tempered glass to make sure the glazing is strengthened.

You can also get plastic glazing if you prefer, which is more likely to come in bigger sizes if you have a particularly large item. While it’s less likely to break than glass glazing, plastic glazing can still smash in an unsafe manner, so it’s important to be careful when handling it.

If you’re unsure what type of glazing is best for you, then get in touch with Bridgewater Glass and we’ll be happy to advise you.

How do I preserve what’s in the frame?

Often, the whole point of glazing and getting your memorabilia professionally framed is to protect it. While any frame is likely to offer a certain layer of protection, it is important to remember that natural light can damage artwork, photographs and other delicate objects.

With this in mind, you should always think about glazing that comes with UV protection. There is a wide range of anti-reflective glass options out there, all of which come with different levels of UV protection, meaning your item can be viewed with much more clarity.

UV light can also cause prints, paintings and photos to fade over time, so to prevent this from happening you should invest in UV filter glazing to keep your memorabilia looking its best.

What to think about when buying a frame

A good frame can really elevate your piece to the next level, but there’s plenty to consider when it comes to buying one.

First of all, you need to measure the piece, so you know what dimensions to look for in a frame. Frames come in all types of shapes and sizes, and before you buy it’s worthwhile to think about whether you want something decorative or more practical. Most frames are fairly versatile, so there’s no need to try and match it to the rest of your room’s decor (unless it’s particularly garish!). This means if you ever move house or redecorate, your frame should still be a good choice for its new location.

To enhance the aesthetics of your piece further, you could even consider mounting the frame. Often used as a way of protecting high-value pieces of art, this is a great way to draw more attention to your memorabilia.

Finally, you should always think about safety when buying a frame. Have a place in mind where you want to hang the piece. If you’re considering hanging it up high, near children or somewhere where the risk of it falling is high, think about getting a frame that will do the minimum damage.        

For more information regarding our professional picture framing services, get in touch with our team today.