Float MountFloat mounting is a great way to display your art without losing anything in the edges. When a piece of art is matted about an 1/8 th of the art is covered by the mat. This is needed so that as the art expands and contracts it won't come out from under the mat. With a float mount, the art is floated on top of the mat so that none of the art is covered. We attach the piece of art to a small piece of mat board using invisible hinging so it appears to float. Float mounting is a great thing when your work of art has rough antique edges that you want to preserve, or when the painting goes all the way to the edge. Float mounting also makes the art stand out and helps to capture the entire essence of the piece. However, when considering a float mount, it is important to understand that all of the irregularities of the piece will be seen. When we mat something regularly we are able to square the image so that if it is a little bit crooked we can make it appear straight. With a float mount you do not have that advantage so it is important to make sure the art is centered. The art piece featured in the photo has been floated on a dark green mat to preserve the deckled edges of the paper - then matted to keep the glass elevated above the art. |
Frame SpaceThe best way to protect your artwork is to frame it so that there is an air barrier between the art and the glass. Matting is the most common way to create this barrier, but sometimes when matting is not desired for a particular image, frame space can be used. Frame space is a plastic spacer that is adhered to the inside of the frame that prevents the glass from touching the art. This spacer is invisible to the viewer. The picture shows frame space being installed which keeps the glass away from the artwork. |
