Tips to Preparing Your Oval Picture Frame for Hanging

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16 December 2009

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Now that you’ve selected your oval picture frame it’s time to properly prepare your photo to go inside the frame. This is not difficult to do, but here are some tips to keep in mind to make the process go smoothly.

1. Before you cut your picture to fit an oval frame, always make sure the photo looks good in an oval shaped frame first. The best way to check is to take the frame apart so you can place just the frame over the photo. To do this, first remove the frame back and then take out the glass and set it carefully to the side. Place the oval frame over your picture and center the frame around the subjects in your photo. This step will help you decide if you like how your picture looks inside an oval picture frame.

2. Next, take the glass from your oval picture frame and carefully place it over the photo where the frame had been. Adjust for best fit and eye appeal. Be careful when moving the glass so your photo doesn’t get damaged.

3. Be patient as you adjust the glass as you want the subject or individuals in the picture to be straight in the frame. Aligning a subject in an oval frame isn’t as simple as aligning a rectangular or square picture frame so make sure it looks right. Ideally, the individuals in the photo should be centered in the frame and have equal amount of space around them. For vertical spacing, the subject’s head should be about 2/3′s of the way up from the bottom of the picture. Never position the subject’s head directly in the center of the frame as it leaves too much space above and throws off the picture’s eye appeal.

4. When you’ve found the perfect position for your picture, carefully trace along the outside of the glass with a thin pen. Always avoid using thick pens or markers for tracing as they may bleed on the picture.

5. Now you are ready to cut. Use a sharp pair of scissors and cut along the line you traced. You can also use a mat knife but just make sure you’re able to make a smooth and even cut otherwise, you should use scissors to avoid damaging your photo. Make sure your scissors are sharp because dull scissors can bend or crease your picture. Once your picture is cut, clean the oval frame glass and allow it to dry thoroughly otherwise the moisture can damage your photo.

6. Check to see if your oval picture frame came with frame backing. If it did, all you have to do is put the glass, photo and frame back on and you’re all done. If it didn’t come with backing, you can use an archival mat board or a piece of cardboard to make your own. The purpose of the backing is to securely keep your picture and glass in place. If you need to make your own backing and are framing an important picture, you should use archival mat board because the acid in plain cardboard can degrade your photo over time.

In making your own frame back, the first thing you need to do is to place the frame face up on the cardboard or mat board. Then, trace along the outside edge of the oval picture frame so it will fit in your frame. Once you have cut it out and placed it in the frame, you’ll need to use brad nails about 1/4 inch long to secure the frame backing. You do this by placing the brad nails on the board and pushing them into the molding on the back of the wood picture frame. Once the brad nails are securely holding the frame backing you’re all ready to hang your oval picture frame.

As you can see, preparing and assembling your oval picture frame takes a little time but by following the steps it should make the process easy to do. Once your oval picture frame is beautifully hanging on the wall, you’ll feel proud knowing that you did it all by yourself.