Artists have their preferences for materials to work with. Some like to paint on canvas, while others prefer to paint on primed hardboard as it’s less fragile and offers more leeway than canvas because the paints don’t automatically get soaked into the fabric. If you commission a piece of artwork, it’s common for the artist to ask your preference: canvas or board. Most can work between the two mediums and will have their own way of priming the canvas or board before getting started on the oil painting or watercolour painting.
Are all floating frames the same?
No. The depths are different. Canvas floating frames are designed to fit with the regular depths of the stretcher bars artists use. At The Picture Gallery, we offer several ranges to suit different thicknesses catering to several thicknesses of stretcher bars. 22mm to 23mm depth, 30mm to 33mm deep, and 40mm to 45mm deep. Generally, the smaller the canvas, the shallower the depth. The larger depths are for thick stretcher bars, generally used on larger canvas prints or paintings.
Our art board inset frames have different depths to our frames for canvas and that’s because of the thickness of boards artists tend to use. For paintings on board up to 11” x 14”, it’s mostly hardboard panels of 1/8th of an inch that don’t require any additional support. For larger sizes, the panels are usually cradled on the reverse to prevent the boards from warping. Depending on the thickness of the cradling behind the hardboard panels, a thicker inset frame may be required. To cater to the various thicknesses of paintings on hardboard, we have two depths for this type of art board inset frame – 29mm and 47mm depths.
Inset and Floater Frames Provide Protection and Presentational Value
The purpose of inset and floater frames is to enhance aesthetics by showing the paintings right up to the edges without any obscurity from the frame sitting on top of the art (which would happen if you used a traditional frame). Both types of frames (inset and floater) protect the edges of the artwork. These are handy if you are displaying these in areas of high foot traffic when it’s possible the edges could be bumped, or the painting could drop from the wall. If it does drop, the edges are protected, preventing any paint from chipping or cracking. Neither type of frame has glazing.
Around the edges of the artwork are what are called “shadow gaps” On inset frames (the ones for paintings on hardboard), these will have a gap of 2mm around each edge to allow for movement because hardboard panels (just like stretcher bars on canvas panels) expand and contract in line with humidity changes. Canvas floating frames are designed to have a larger 5mm gap between the edges and the frame.
When you have a painting on canvas or hardboard that you want to frame, it’s important to buy the right type of frame because you can’t swap between the two. Art board inset frames are only suitable for framing hardboard panels, and canvas floating frames are for framing canvas prints or paintings on canvas that have already been stretched over a wooden stretcher frame.