Floater Frame - 1.5" Rabbet

Do your floater frames come with hanging hardware?

No. We include only the hardware needed to attach your artwork to the frame.  The hardware we send may not work well in all cases.  If you need help finding better choices, please email us for help. 

Can I get standard size frames unassembled?

 

Can I use these frames with thin panels, say 1/4" or 1/8" deep?

These frames are not a good bet for thin panels.  Instead, you should probably opt for our 3/4" rabbet floater frames.  But you may also want to consider our “Panel Frames” . Those are meant specifically for thin panels. The website has diagrams of the moulding’s exact profile and how the artwork goes in the frame.

To attach your panels to these frames you will need either glue or double-sided tape or velcro circles or tape. We do not include any hardware. If you want to use glue, the choice of glue will depend on the material of your panels. Wood glue should be a good choice for most anything, including paper. E6000 Adhesive is another good choice. For foam core and other such lighter materials, we use ATG tape. You may be able to use other kinds of double-sided tape as well. Home Depot and Michael’s both sell some strong and thin, two-sided tapes that will work nicely. Finally, some customers report good results with velcro circles and tape you can buy at craft stores. Some customers are using a product called “Elmers Poster Tack” to attach their panels into the frames. It’s easy to use and totally re-usable.

You may also like our "Strip Frames" with the 5/16” rabbet; they’re here

Now for the floater frames… We have a lot of customers who are putting relatively thin panels in our 1.5” deep floater frames. There are several options; they all boil down to somehow propping the panels up by putting some sort of shim/riser in the back. You simply need to prop up your artwork from the back with some cardboard, or foam-core, or wood. Small triangles in the corners will be enough. Once you have the desired height, then, depending on the method you used and your preference, you can then attach the artwork to the panels with glue, double-sided foam tape, or even one-sided tape that's wide enough to stick both to the back of your artwork and to the inside of the frame. You'll need to get a little creative.

Here is one customer’s inventive solution: http://robinrosenthalart.blogspot.com/p/blog-page_16.html. 

Can I use these frames with 1/2" or 5/8" deep artwork?

 

What's the difference between the "Black - satin" and "Black - matte"?

We have two kinds of black frames: Black-matte and "Black-satin”.   The “Black-satin" is the glossier of the two; the wood grain is visible under the paint. The "Black-matte” has a matte/eggshell finish; you can’t see the wood grain under the paint.  The profiles of the two are also slightly different. For exact dimensions, please look at the diagrams on their respective product pages. 

What's the difference between Doug Fir, Maple, Walnut, and White Oak?

We have four kinds of natural wood frames. They are not stained or finished in any way, just lightly sanded.

The Doug Fir is reddish in color, typically grainy, and the warmest, most rustic wood we carry. It's also the most variable in appearance from stick to stick.

The Maple is the lightest and most muted of our woods. It's less grainy than the Doug Fir and also more consistent in appearance from stick to stick. The Maple is a harder wood.

The White Oak is darker than the Maple; the Walnut is darker still. Neither is grainy. Both are quite consistent in appearance from stick to stick.

The Walnut and White Oak look especially good when oiled 

Do I need to "finish" your unfinished frames?

You don’t really have to do anything to them. You are of course welcome to treat them as you like. They're lightly sanded, with no coating of any kind. If you want simply to protect the wood and to enhance the color and grain, we have many customers reporting success with products like Danish Oil, Watco Oil, Surfix festool oil, Feed-N-Wax Wood Preserver, Minwax wood conditioner and sealer, Daddy Van’s Furniture Polish, and Varathane natural stain. Our only recommendation is to try out the technique first on an inconspicuous part of the frame (inside back). We can include some scraps of the moulding for you to experiment with. Just put a note in the comments field at checkout asking for some.

 

Can I get samples of your frames?

Alternatively, you can place an order just for samples. We'd charge $5 per corner sample, plus shipping. Please email us what you’d like samples of and your shipping address for a quote.

 

Can I mix colors/finishes?

 

Can I mix sizes?

You may be able to. It depends on the size of the order and on whether or not the particular combination of sizes can be packaged easily for safe transit. Please email us first to make sure the combination you have in mind is doable.

 

Can I buy a single frame?

We sell singles only when they are part of a larger order comprising several frames. If that’s your situation, then please email us the entire list of frames you’d like to order, along with your shipping address, for a complete quote. If you purchase a 3 or 6-pack (as the case might be for the particular size), you can request us to mix and match colors provided the order is for a pack of the most expensive color in the pack. So, for example, you could order a 3-pack of 24x24” 2.5” deep Walnut frames and ask us to send you 2 Walnut and 1 Maple frame. The items being substituted must not be more expensive than the ones they are replacing. You would do that by putting a note in the comments field at the end of checkout about the exact mix of colors/finishes in your pack.

 

How do I center my art in the frame?

If the canvas is not snug in the frame and you need help centering the canvas in the frame, you can use thin strips of cardboard, say about 1-2” wide, as spacers. Put the strips on all 4 sides, between the canvas and the frame, to even out the spacing. Depending on the thickness of your cardboard, you may need to glue together a couple or three layers to get the spacing right. Once the canvas is snug, turn it over and place the brackets in the back and mark each hole with a pen. You can then make small pilot holes with a thin nail before driving the screws. Finally, make sure your canvas is square. You can confirm by comparing the diagonals.

 

How do I repair open corners?

Repair is pretty easy, if you have the right tools. You need a corner clamp and some wood glue. You can get those at home depot and on Amazon. A clamp costs about $10-$15. It’s good to have one around the studio in case of accidents. Here is a set of 4 on Amazon for about $18, (https://a.co/d/1tj5xnN). Just work the glue in to the open joint with your finger-tip, clamp, wipe clean excess glue and wait overnight. For larger sizes, you can further re-enforce the corners from the back with flat L-brackets. Alternatively, you can drive thin nails with small heads from the outside edges of the frame and then cover the pin holes with some wood filler.

 

What do I do if the frame is too tight?

 

What do I do if my canvas is sticking out of the frame a little?