Welcome to our amazing specialist framing workshop! Located in Leith, Edinburgh, it's been framing artwork for over 40 years. Once you pick your favourite frame and mount in one of our shops, we send your piece to the workshop to be handled with utmost care in a dust-free environment. In around ten days, the piece comes back lovingly framed and ready to hang on your wall.
Not many people know how incredible our Framing Team really is. Meticulous, highly skilled and super careful - they make sure your art gets the absolute best frame fit.
Here you can glimpse a rare insight into the different stages of our framing process. Come along!
Mounting and Dry-mounting
First we measure your artwork and cut out the mountboard of your choosing. They have different colours, thicknesses and textures so you can decide which will work best for your piece. Then, if required, we stick it down permanently in a vacuum machine for a completely flat and even finish. This process is called dry-mounting as it allows for a heat-activated adhesive tissue to bond your paper piece, such as print or poster, with the backing board. That way it stays perfectly flat and ripple-free forever.
Frame Cutting & Assembly
Once the piece has been mounted, we need to cut the right frame to size. It is a noisy process as the blade needs to be extremely sharp to handle the hard composite and wooden frame-cores smoothly.
The frame sides get put together securely with multiple metal corner brackets. Later on, the connection joints are further smoothed and evened out with an invisible filler so that the entire frame looks uniformed and pristine.
Glass and MDF Cutting and Washing
To guarantee longevity of your frame and a snug fit, the backing MDF board and glass is cut by hand. That way the artwork can be sandwiched between the two and look fabulous for decades. We offer different types of glass including UV resistant, museum quality and non-reflective. Each can be useful for different types of interiors. There is also a special glass washing machine that annihilates any unwanted smudges and fingerprints.
Air Brush & Finishing
The assembly and finishing station comes equipped with an air brush for blowing those tiny specs of dust away. Here, all the sizing and previous processes are double checked. We smooth out all the frame joints with a neutral filler, the art gets its final clean and the whole frame is assembled. The picture finally comes together! Then we add the hanging hardware for your piece to fit your home perfectly.
Stitching & Extras
For textiles and various objects, there is only one person to handle the job with invisible thread: the stitching specialist Archie. He is an expert in sewing in place any three-dimensional objects using clear string or transparent fishing line. They all stay up forever: ballet shoes, aprons, embroidery, medals, sea shells and more. You won't see Archie's stitches. He has been loving this particular work and is a true workshop master.
Thank you for reading this far!
We hope that you like our workshop tour and that you feel inspired to decorate your home with some lovely artwork. Please get in touch via email if you have any further questions or would like a no obligation framing quote. We are here to help. You can find our contact details here.
